A New Hope (3 page)

As the Jawas start to lead the three remaining robots back into the Sandcrawler, Artoo lets out a pathetic little beep and starts after his old friend Threepio. He is restrained by a slimy Jawa, who zaps him with a control box. Owen is negotiating with the head Jawa. Luke and the two robots start off for the garage when a plate pops off the head of the red astro-droid’s head plate and it sparks wildly. LUKE Uncle Owen…

OWEN Yeah?

LUKE This R2 unit has a bad motivator. Look!

OWEN (to the head Jawa) Hey, what’re you trying to push on us? The Jawa goes into a loud spiel. Meanwhile, Artoo has sneaked out of line and is moving up and down trying to attract attention. He lets out with a low whistle. Threepio taps Luke on the shoulder.

THREEPIO (pointing to Artoo) Excuse me, sir, but that R2 unit is in prime condition. A real bargain.

LUKE Uncle Owen…

OWEN Yeah?

LUKE What about that one?

OWEN (to Jawa) What about that blue one? We’ll take that one. With a little reluctance the scruffy dwarf trades the damaged astro-droid for Artoo.

LUKE Yeah, take it away.

THREEPIO Uh, I’m quite sure you’ll be very pleased with that one, sir. He really is in first-class condition. I’ve worked with him before. Here he comes.

Owen pays off the whining Jawa as Luke and the two robots trudge off toward a grimy homestead entry.

LUKE Okay, let’s go.

THREEPIO (to Artoo) Now, don’t you forget this! Why I should stick my neck out for you is quite beyond my capacity!

INTERIOR LARS HOMESTEAD —GARAGE AREA —LATE AFTERNOON. The garage is cluttered and worn, but a friendly peaceful atmosphere permeates the low grey chamber. Threepio lowers himself into a large tub filled with warm oil. Near the battered Landspeeder little Artoo rests on a large battery with a cord to his face.

THREEPIO Thank the maker! This oil bath is going to feel so good. I’ve got such a bad case of dust contamination, I can barely move!

Artoo beeps a muffled reply. Luke seems to be lost in thought as he runs his hand over the damaged fin of a small two-man Skyhopper spaceship resting in a low hangar off the garage. Finally Luke’s frustrations get the better of him and he slams a wrench across the workbench.

LUKE It just isn’t fair. Oh, Biggs is right. I’m never gonna get out of here!

THREEPIO Is there anything I might do to help?

Luke glances at the battered robot. A bit of his anger drains and a tiny smile creeps across his face. LUKE Well, not unless you can alter time, speed up the harvest, or teleport me off this rock!

THREEPIO I don’t think so, sir. I’m only a droid and not very knowledgeable about such things. Not on this planet, anyways. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure which planet I’m on. LUKE Well, if there’s a bright center to the universe, you’re on the planet that it’s farthest from.

THREEPIO I see, sir.

LUKE Uh, you can call me Luke.

THREEPIO I see, sir Luke.

LUKE (laughing) Just Luke.

THREEPIO And I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations, and this is my counterpart, Artoo-Detoo.

LUKE Hello.

Artoo beeps in response. Luke unplugs Artoo and begins to scrape several connectors on the robot’s head with a chrome pick. Threepio climbs out of the oil tub and begins wiping oil from his bronze body.

LUKE You got a lot of carbon scoring here. It looks like you boys have seen a lot of action.

THREEPIO With all we’ve been through, sometimes I’m amazed we’re in as good condition as we are, what with the Rebellion and all. LUKE You know of the Rebellion against the Empire? THREEPIO That’s how we came to be in your service, if you take my meaning, sir.

LUKE Have you been in many battles?

THREEPIO Several, I think. Actually, there’s not much to tell. I’m not much more than an interpreter, and not very good at telling stories. Well, not at making them interesting, anyways. Luke struggles to remove a small metal fragment from Artoo’s neck joint. He uses a larger pick.

LUKE Well, my little friend, you’ve got something jammed in here real good. Were you on a cruiser or…

The fragment breaks loose with a snap, sending Luke tumbling head over heels. He sits up and sees a twelve-inch three-dimensional hologram of Leia Organa, the Rebel senator, being projected from the face of little Artoo. The image is a rainbow of colors as it flickers and jiggles in the dimly lit garage. Luke’s mouth hangs open in awe.

LEIA Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope. LUKE What’s this?

Artoo looks around and sheepishly beeps an answer for Threepio to translate. Leia continues to repeat the sentence fragment over and over.

THREEPIO What is what?!? He asked you a question…(pointing to Leia) What is that?

Artoo whistles his surprise as he pretends to just notice the hologram. He looks around and sheepishly beeps an answer for Threepio to translate. Leia continues to repeat the sentence fragment over and over.

LEIA Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.

THREEPIO Oh, he says it’s nothing, sir. Merely a malfunction. Old data. Pay it no mind.

Luke becomes intrigued by the beautiful girl.

LUKE Who is she? She’s beautiful.

THREEPIO I’m afraid I’m not quite sure, sir.

LEIA Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi…

THREEPIO I think she was a passenger on our last voyage. A person of some importance, sir —I believe. Our captain was attached to… LUKE Is there more to this recording?

Luke reaches out for Artoo but he lets out several frantic squeaks and a whistle.

THREEPIO Behave yourself, Artoo. You’re going to get us in trouble. It’s all right, you can trust him. He’s our new master. Artoo whistles and beeps a long message to Threepio. THREEPIO He says he’s the property of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a resident of these parts. And it’s a private message for him. Quite frankly, sir I don’t know what he’s talking about. Our last master was Captain Antilles, but with what we’ve been through, this little R2 unit has become a bit eccentric.

LUKE Obi-Wan Kenobi? I wonder if he means old Ben Kenobi? THREEPIO I beg your pardon, sir, but do you know what he’s talking about?

LUKE Well, I don’t know anyone named Obi-Wan, but old Ben lives out beyond the dune sea. He’s kind of a strange old hermit. Luke’s gazes at the beautiful young princess for a few moments.

LUKE I wonder who she is. It sounds like she’s in trouble. I’d better play back the whole thing.

Artoo beeps something to Threepio.

THREEPIO He says the restraining bolt has short circuited his recording system. He suggests that if you remove the bolt, he might be able to play back the entire recording.

Luke looks longingly at the lovely, little princess and hasn’t really heard what Threepio has been saying. LUKE H’m? Oh, yeah, well, I guess you’re too small to run away on me if I take this off! Okay.

Luke takes a wedged bar and pops the restraining bolt off Artoo’s side.

LUKE There you go.

The princess immediately disappears…

LUKE Well, wait a minute. Where’d she go? Bring her back! Play back the entire message.

Artoo beeps an innocent reply as Threepio sits up in embarrassment.

THREEPIO What message? The one you’re carrying inside your rusty innards!

A women’s voice calls out from another room.

AUNT BERU Luke? Luke! Come to dinner!

Luke stands up and shakes his head at the malfunctioning robot.

LUKE All right, I’ll be right there, Aunt Beru. THREEPIO I’m sorry, sir, but he appears to have picked up a slight flutter.

Luke tosses Artoo’s restraining bolt on the workbench and hurries out of the room.

LUKE Well, see what you can do with him. I’ll be right back. THREEPIO (to Artoo) Just you reconsider playing that message for him. Artoo beeps in response.

THREEPIO No, I don’t think he likes you at all. Artoo beeps.

THREEPIO No, I don’t like you either.

INTERIOR LARS HOMESTEAD —DINING AREA.

Luke’s Aunt Beru, a warm, motherly woman, fills a pitcher with blue fluid from a refrigerated container in the well-used kitchen. She puts the pitcher on a tray with some bowls of food and starts for the dining area.

Luke sits with his Uncle Owen before a table covered with steaming bowls of food as Aunt Beru carries in a bowl of red grain.

LUKE You know, I think that R2 unit we bought might have been stolen. OWEN What makes you think that?

LUKE Well, I stumbled across a recording while I was cleaning him. He says he belongs to someone called Obi-Wan Kenobi. Owen is greatly alarmed at the mention of his name, but manages to control himself.

LUKE I thought he might have meant old Ben. Do you know what he’s talking about? Well, I wonder if he’s related to Ben. Owen breaks loose with a fit of uncontrolled anger. OWEN That old man’s just a crazy old wizard. Tomorrow I want you to take that R2 unit into Anchorhead and have its memory flushed. That’ll be the end of it. It belongs to us now.

LUKE But what if this Obi-Wan comes looking for him? OWEN He won’t, I don’t think he exists any more. He died about the same time as your father.

LUKE He knew my father?

OWEN I told you to forget it. Your only concern is to prepare the new droids for tomorrow. In the morning I want them on the south ridge working out those condensers.

LUKE Yes, sir. I think those new droids are going to work out fine. In fact, I, uh, was also thinking about our agreement about my staying on another season. And if these new droids do work out, I want to transmit my application to the Academy this year. Owen’s face becomes a scowl, although he tries to suppress it.

OWEN You mean the next semester before harvest? LUKE Sure, there’re more than enough droids.

OWEN Harvest is when I need you the most. Only one more season. This year we’ll make enough on the harvest so I’ll be able to hire some more hands. And then you can go to the Academy next year. Luke continues to toy with his food, not looking at his uncle.

OWEN You must understand I need you here, Luke. LUKE But it’s a whole ‘nother year.

OWEN Look, it’s only one more season.

Luke pushes his half-eaten plate of food aside and stands. LUKE Yeah, that’s what you said last year when Biggs and Tank left. AUNT BERU Where are you going?

LUKE It looks like I’m going nowhere. I have to finish cleaning those droids.

Resigned to his fate, Luke paddles out of the room. Owen mechanically finishes his dinner.

AUNT BERU Owen, he can’t stay here forever. Most of his friends have gone. It means so much to him.

OWEN I’ll make it up to him next year. I promise. AUNT BERU Luke’s just not a farmer, Owen. He has too much of his father in him.

OWEN That’s what I’m afraid of.

EXTERIOR TATOOINE —LARS HOMESTEAD.

The giant twin suns of Tatooine slowly disappear behind a distant dune range. Luke stands watching them for a few moments, then reluctantly enters the doomed entrance to the homestead.

INTERIOR LARS HOMESTEAD —GARAGE.

Luke enters the garage to discover the robots nowhere in sight. He takes a small control box from his utility belt similar to the one the Jawas were carrying. He activates the box, which creates a low hum, and Threepio, letting out a short yell, pops up from behind the Skyhopper spaceship. LUKE What are you doing hiding there?

Threepio stumbles forward, but Artoo is still nowhere in sight.

THREEPIO It wasn’t my fault, sir. Please don’t deactivate me. I told him not to go, but he’s faulty, malfunctioning; kept babbling on about his mission.

LUKE Oh, no!

Luke races out of the garage followed by Threepio. EXTERIOR TATOOINE —LARS HOMESTEAD.

Luke rushes out of the small doomed entry to the homestead and searches the darkening horizon for the small triped astrorobot. Threepio struggles out of the homestead and on the salt flat as Luke scans the landscape with his electrobinoculars. THREEPIO That R2 unit has always been a problem. These astro-droids are getting quite out of hand. Even I can’t understand their logic at times.

LUKE How could I be so stupid? He’s nowhere in sight. Blast it!

THREEPIO Pardon me, sir, but couldn’t we go after him? LUKE It’s too dangerous with all the Sandpeople around. We’ll have to wait until morning.

Owen yells up from the homestead plaza.

OWEN Luke, I’m shutting the power down for the night. LUKE All right, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Boy, am I gonna get it. He takes one final look across the dim horizon. LUKE You know that little droid is going to cause me a lot of trouble.

THREEPIO Oh, he excels at that, sir.

INTERIOR LARS HOMESTEAD —PLAZA.

Morning slowly creeps into the sparse but sparkling oasis of the open courtyard. The idyll is broken be the yelling of Uncle Owen, his voice echoing throughout the homestead. OWEN Luke? Luke? Luke? Where could he be loafing now!

INTERIOR LARS HOMESTEAD —KITCHEN.

The interior of the kitchen is a worm glow as Aunt Beru prepares the morning breakfast. Owen enters in a huff.

OWEN Have you seen Luke this morning?

AUNT BERU He said he had some things to do before he started today, so he left early.

OWEN Uh? Did he take those two new droids with him? AUNT BERU I think so.

OWEN Well, he’d better have those units in the south range repaired be midday or there’ll be hell to pay!

EXTERIOR TATOOINE —DESERT WASTELAND —LUKE’S SPEEDER —DAY. The rock and sand of the desert floor are a blur as Threepio pilots the sleek Landspeeder gracefully across the vast wasteland.

INTERIOR/EXTERIOR LUKE’S SPEEDER —DESERT WASTELAND —TRAVELING —DAY. Luke leans over the back of the speeder and adjusts something in the motor compartment.

LUKE (yelling) How’s that.

Threepio signals that is fine and Luke turns back into the wind-whipped cockpit and pops the canopy shut.

LUKE Old Ben Kenobi lives out in this direction somewhere, but I don’t see how that R2 unit could have come this far. We must have missed him. Uncle Owen isn’t going to take this very well. THREEPIO Sir, would it help if you told him it was my fault. LUKE (brightening) Sure. He needs you. He’d probably only deactivate you for a day or so…