Authors: George Lucas
VADER Don’t play games with me, Your Highness. You weren’t on any mercy mission this time. You passed directly through a restricted system. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you. LEIA I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan… VADER You’re a part of the Rebel Alliance…and a traitor. Take her away!
Leia is marched away down the hallway and into the smoldering hole blasted in the side of the ship. An Imperial Commander turns to Vader.
COMMANDER Holding her is dangerous. If word of this gets out, it could generate sympathy for the Rebellion in the senate. VADER I have traced the Rebel spies to her. Now she is my only link to find their secret base!
COMMANDER She’ll die before she tells you anything. VADER Leave that to me. Send a distress signal and then inform the senate that all aboard were killed!
Another Imperial Officer approaches Vader and the Commander. They stop and snap to attention.
SECOND OFFICER Lord Vader, the battle station plans are not aboard this ship! And no transmissions were made. An escape pod was jettisoned during the fighting, but no life forms were aboard. Vader turns to the Commander.
VADER She must have hidden the plans in the escape pod. Send a detachment down to retrieve them. See to it personally, Commander. There’ll be no one to stop us this time.
COMMANDER Yes, sir.
EXTERIOR SPACE.
The Imperial Stardestroyer comes over the surface of the planet Tatooine.
EXTERIOR TATOOINE —DESERT.
Jundland, or “No Man’s Land”, where the rugged desert mesas meet the foreboding dune sea. The two helpless astro-droids kick up clouds of sand as they leave the lifepod and clumsily work their way across the desert wasteland. The lifepod in the distance rests half buried in the sand.
THREEPIO How did I get into this mess? I really don’t know how. We seem to be made to suffer. It’s our lot in life. Artoo answers with beeping sounds.
THREEPIO I’ve got to rest before I fall apart. My joints are almost frozen.
Artoo continues to respond with beeping sounds. THREEPIO What a desolate place this is.
Suddenly Artoo whistles, makes a sharp right turn and starts off in the direction of the rocky desert mesas. Threepio stops and yells at him.
THREEPIO Where are you going?
A stream of electronic noises pours forth from the small robot.
THREEPIO Well, I’m not going that way. It’s much too rocky. This way is much easier.
Artoo counters with a long whistle.
THREEPIO What makes you think there are settlements over there? Artoo continues to make beeping sounds.
THREEPIO Don’t get technical with me.
Artoo continues to make beeping sounds.
THREEPIO What mission? What are you talking about? I’ve had just about enough of you! Go that way! You’ll be malfunctioning within a day, you nearsighted scrap pile!
Threepio gives the little robot a kick and starts off in the direction of the vast dune sea.
THREEPIO And don’t let me catch you following me begging for help, because you won’t get it.
Artoo’s reply is a rather rude sound. He turns and trudges off in the direction of the towering mesas.
THREEPIO No more adventures. I’m not going that way. Artoo beeps to himself as he makes his way toward the distant mountains.
EXTERIOR TATOOINE —DUNE SEA.
Threepio, hot and tired, struggles up over the ridge of a dune; only to find more dunes, which seem to go on for endless miles. He looks back in the direction of the now distant rock mesas.
THREEPIO That malfunctioning little twerp. This is all his fault! He tricked me into going this way, but he’ll do no better. In a huff of anger and frustration, Thre epio knocks the sand from his joints. His plight seems hopeless, when a glint of reflected light in the distance reveals an object moving towards him.
THREEPIO Wait, what’s that? A transport! I’m saved!
The bronze android waves frantically and yells at the approaching transport.
THREEPIO Over here! Help! Please, help!
EXTERIOR TATOOINE —ANCHORHEAD SETTLEMENT —POWER STATION —DAY. Luke and Biggs are walking and drinking a malt brew. Fixer and the others can be heard working inside.
LUKE (Very animated)…so I cut off my power, shut down the afterburners and came in low on Deak’s trail. I was so close I thought I was going to fry my instruments. As it was I busted up the Skyhopper pretty bad. Uncle Owen was pretty upset. He grounded me for the rest of the season. You should have been there…it was fantastic. BIGGS You ought to take it easy Luke. You may be the hottest bushpilot this side of Mos Eisley, but those little Skyhoppers are dangerous. Keep it up, and one day, whammo, you’re going to be nothing more than a dark spot on the down side of a canyon wall. LUKE Look who’s talking. Now that you’ve been around those giant starships you’re beginning to sound like my uncle. You’ve gotten soft in the city…
BIGGS I’ve missed you kid.
LUKE Well, things haven’t been the same since you left, Biggs. It’s been so…quiet.
Biggs looks around then leans close to Luke.
BIGGS Luke, I didn’t come back just to say good-bye…I shouldn’t tell you this, but you’re the only one I can trust…and if I don’t come back, I want somebody to know.
Luke’s eyes are wide with Biggs’ seriousness and loyalty. LUKE What are you talking about?
BIGGS I made some friends at the Academy. (he whispers)…when our frigate goes to one of the central systems, we’re going to jump ship and join the Alliance…
Luke, amazed and stunned, is almost speechless. LUKE Join the Rebellion?! Are you kidding! How? BIGGS Quiet down will ya! You got a mouth bigger than a meteor crater!
LUKE I’m sorry. I’m quiet. (he whispers) Listen how quiet I am. You can barely hear me…
Biggs shakes his head angrily and then continues. BIGGS My friend has a friend on Bestine who might help us make contact.
LUKE Your crazy! You could wander around forever trying to find them. BIGGS I know it’s a long shot, but if I don’t find them I’ll do what I can on my own…It’s what we always talked about. Luke, I’m not going to wait for the Empire to draft me into service. The Rebellion is spreading and I want to be on the right side —the side I believe in.
LUKE And I’m stuck here…
BIGGS I thought you were going to the Academy next term. You’ll get your chance to get off this rock.
LUKE Not likely! I had to cancel my application. There has been a lot of unrest among the Sandpeople since you left…they’ve even raided the outskirts of Anchorhead.
BIGGS Your uncle could hold off a whole colony of Sandpeople with one blaster.
LUKE I know, but he’s got enough vaporators going to make the place pay off. He needs me for just one more season. I can’t leave him now. BIGGS I feel for you, Luke, you’re going to have to learn what seems to be important or what really is important. What good is all your uncle’s work if it’s taken over by the Empire?…You know they’re starting to nationalize commerce in the central systems…it won’t be long before your uncle is merely a tenant, slaving for the greater glory of the Empire.
LUKE It couldn’t happen here. You said it yourself. The Empire won’t bother with this rock.
BIGGS Things always change.
LUKE I wish I was going…Are you going to be around long? BIGGS No, I’m leaving in the morning…
LUKE Then I guess I won’t see you.
BIGGS Maybe someday…I’ll keep a lookout.
LUKE Well, I’ll be at the Academy next season…after that who knows. I won’t be drafted into the Imperial Starfleet that’s for sure…Take care of yourself, you’ll always be the best friend I’ve got. BIGGS So long, Luke.
Biggs turns away from his old friend and heads towards the power station.
EXTERIOR TATOOINE —ROCK CANYON —SUNSET.
The gargantuan rock formations are shrouded in a strange foreboding mist and the onimous sounds of unearthly creatures fill the air. Artoo moves cautiously through the creepy rock canyon, inadvertently making a loud clicking noise as he goes. He hears a distant, hard, metallic sound and stops for a moment. Convinced he is alone, he continues on his way. In the distance, a pepple tumbles down the steep canyon wall and a small dark figure darts into the shadows. A little further up the canyon a slight flicker of light reveals a pair of eyes in the dark recesses only a few feet from the narrow path.
The unsuspecting robot waddles along the rugged trail until suddenly, out of nowhere, a powerful magnetic ray shoots out of the rocks and engulfs him in an eerie glow. He manages one short electronic squeak before he topples over onto his back. His bright computer lights flicker off, then on, then off again. Out of the rocks scurry three Jawas, no taller than Artoo. They holster strange and complex weapons as they cautiously approach the robot. They wear grubby cloaks and their faces are shrouded so only their glowing eyes can be seen. They hiss and make odd guttural sounds as they heave the heavy robot onto their shoulders and carry him off down the trail.
EXTERIOR TATOOINE —ROCK CANYON —SANDCRAWLER —SUNSET. The eight Jawas carry Artoo out of the canyon to a huge tank-like vehicle the size of a four-story house. They weld a small disk on the side of Artoo and then put him under a large tube on the side of the vehicle and the little robot is sucked into the giant machine.
The filthy little Jawas scurry like rats up small ladders and enter the main cabin of the behemoth transport. INTERIOR SANDCRAWLER —HOLD AREA.
It is dim inside the hold area of the Sandcrawler. Artoo switches on a small floodlight on his forehead and stumbles around the scrap heap. The narrow beam swings across rusty metal rocket parts and an array of grotesquely twisted and maimed astrorobots. He lets out a pathetic electronic whimper and stumbles off toward what appears to be a door at the end of the chamber.
INTERIOR SANDCRAWLER —PRISON AREA.
Artoo enters a wide room with a four-foot ceiling. In the middle of the scrap heap sit a dozen or so robots of various shapes and sizes. Some are engaged in electronic conversation, while others simply mill about. A voice of recognition calls out from the gloom.
THREEPIO Artoo-Detoo! It’s you! It’s you!
A battered Threepio scrambles up to Artoo and embraces him. EXTERIOR TATOOINE —ROCK CANYON —SANDCRAWLER —SUNSET. The enormous Sandcrawler lumbers off toward the magnificent twin suns, which are slowly setting over a distant mountain ridge.
EXTERIOR TATOOINE —DESERT —DAY.
Four Imperial stormtroopers mill about in front of the halfburied lifepod that brought Artoo and Threepio to Tatooine. A trooper yells to an officer some distance away. FIRST TROOPER Someone was in the pod. The tracks go off in this direction.
A second trooper picks a small bit of metal out of the sand and gives it to the first trooper.
SECOND TROOPER Look, sir —droids.
EXTERIOR TATOOINE —DUNES.
The Sandcrawler moves slowly down a great sand dune. INTERIOR SANDCRAWLER.
Threepio and Artoo noisily bounce along inside the cramped prison chamber. Artoo appears to be shut off.
THREEPIO Wake up! Wake up!
Suddenly the shaking and bouncing of the Sandcrawler stops, creating quite a commotion among the mechanical men. Threepio’s fist bangs the head of Artoo whose computer lights pop on as he begins beeping. At the far end of the long chamber a hatch opens, filling the chamber with blinding white light. a dozen or so Jawas make their way through the odd assortment of robots.
THREEPIO We’re doomed.
A Jawa starts moving toward them.
THREEPIO Do you think they’ll melt us down?
Artoo responds, making beeping sounds.
THREEPIO Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! Will this never end? EXTERIOR TATOOINE —DESERT —LARS HOMESTEAD —AFTERNOON. The Jawas mutter gibberish as they busily line up their battered captives, including Artoo and Threepio, in front of the enormous Sandcrawler, which is parked beside a small homestead consisting of three large holes in the ground surrounded by several tall moisture vaporators and one small adobe block house.
The Jawas scurry around fussing over the robots, straightening them up or brushing some dust from a dented metallic elbow. The shrouded little creatures smell horribly, attracting small insects to the dark areas when their mouths and nostrils should be.
Out of the shadows of a dingy side-building limps Owen Lars, a large burly man in his mid-fifties. His reddish eyes are sunken in a dust-covered face. As the farmer carefully inspects each robot, he is closely followed by his slumpshouldered nephew, Luke Skywa lker. One of the vile little Jawas walks ahead of the farmer spouting an animated sales pitch in a queer, unintelligible language.
A voice calls out from one of the huge holes that form the homestead. Luke goes over to the edge and sees his Aunt Beru standing in the main courtyard.
BERU Luke, tell Owen that if he gets a translator to be sure it speaks Bocce.
LUKE It looks like we don’t have much of a choice but I’ll remind him.
Luke returns to his uncle as they look over the equipment for sale with the Jawa leader.
OWEN I have no need for a protocol droid.
THREEPIO (quickly) Sir —not in an environment such as this -that’s why I’ve also been programmed for over thirty secondary functions that…
OWEN What I really need is a droid that understands the binary language of moisture vaporators.
THREEPIO Vaporators! Sir —My first job was programming binary load lifter…very similar to your vaporators. You could say… OWEN Do you speak Bocce?
THREEPIO Of course I can, sir. It’s like a second language for me…I’m as fluent in Bocce…
OWEN All right shut up! (turning to Jawa) I’ll take this one. THREEPIO Shutting up, sir.
OWEN Luke, take these two over to the garage, will you? I want you to have both of them cleaned up before dinner.
LUKE But I was going into Toshi Station to pick up some power converters…
OWEN You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done. Now come on, get to it!
LUKE All right, come on! And the red one, come on. Well, come on, Red, let’s go.