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Star Wars - A New Hope

Page 9

by George Lucas


  LEIA Luke!

  Leia extends a long pipe toward him.

  LEIA Luke, Luke, grab a hold of this.

  LUKE Blast it, will you! My gun's jammed.

  HAN Where?

  LUKE Anywhere! Oh!!

  Solo fires his gun downward. Luke is pulled back into the

  muck by the slimy tentacle.

  HAN Luke! Luke!

  Suddenly the walls of the garbage receptacle shudder and

  move in a couple of inches. Then everything is deathly quiet.

  Han and Leia give each other a worried look as Chewbacca howls

  in the corner. With a rush of bubbles and muck Luke suddenly

  bobs to the surface.

  LEIA Grab him!

  Luke seems to be released by the thing.

  LEIA What happened?

  LUKE I don't know, it just let go of me and disappeared...

  HAN I've got a very bad feeling about this.

  Before anyone can say anything the walls begin to rumble

  and edge toward the Rebels.

  LUKE The walls are moving!

  LEIA Don't just stand there. Try to brace it with something.

  They place poles and long metal beams between the closing

  walls, but they are simply snapped and bent as the giant

  trashmasher rumbles on. The situation doesn't look too good.

  LUKE Wait a minute!

  Luke pulls out his comlink.

  LUKE Threepio! Come in Threepio! Threepio! Where could he be?

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- MAIN GANTRY -- COMMAND OFFICE.

  A soft buzzer and the muted voice of Luke calling out for

  See-Threepio can be heard on Threepio's hand comlink, which is

  sitting on the deserted computer console. Artoo and Threepio

  are nowhere in sight. Suddenly there is a great explosion and

  the door of the control tower flies across the floor. Four

  armed stormtroopers enter the chamber.

  FIRST TROOPER Take over! (pointing to the dead officer) See to him!

  Look there!

  A trooper pushes a button and the supply cabinet door

  slides open. See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo are inside. Artoo

  follows his bronze companion out into the office.

  THREEPIO They're madmen! They're heading for the prison level. If you

  hurry, you might catch them.

  FIRST OFFICER (to his troops) Follow me! You stand guard.

  The troops hustle off down the hallway, leaving a guard to

  watch over the command office.

  THREEPIO (to Artoo) Come on!

  The guard aims a blaster at them.

  THREEPIO Oh! All this excitement has overrun the circuits of my

  counterpart here. If you don't mind, I'd like to take him down to

  maintenance.

  TROOPER All right.

  The guard nods and Threepio, with little Artoo in tow,

  hurries out the door.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- GARBAGE ROOM.

  As the walls rumble closed, the room gets smaller and smaller.

  Chewie is whining and trying to hold a wall back with his giant paws.

  Han is leaning back against the other wall. Garbage is snapping and

  popping. Luke is trying to reach Threepio.

  LUKE Threepio! Come in, Threepio! Threepio!

  Han and Leia try to brace the contracting walls with a

  pole. Leia begins to sink into the trash.

  HAN Get to the top!

  LEIA I can't

  LUKE Where could he be? Threepio! Threepio, will you come in?

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- MAIN FORWARD BAY -- SERVICE PANEL.

  THREEPIO They aren't here! Something must have happened to them. See

  if they've been captured.

  Little Artoo carefully plugs his claw arm into a new wall

  socket and a complex array of electronic sounds spew from the

  tiny robot.

  THREEPIO Hurry!

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- GARBAGE ROOM.

  The walls are only feet apart. Leia and Han are braced against

  the walls. The princess is frightened. They look at each

  other. Leia reaches out and takes Han's hand and she holds it

  tightly. She's terrified and suddenly groans as she feels the

  first crushing pressure against her body.

  HAN One thing's for sure. We're all going to be a lot thinner! (to

  Leia) Get on top of it!

  LEIA I'm trying!

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- MAIN FORWARD BAY -- SERVICE PANEL.

  THREEPIO (to Artoo) Thank goodness, they haven't found them! Where

  could they be?

  Artoo frantically beeps something to See-Threepio.

  THREEPIO Use the comlink? Oh, my! I forgot I turned it off!

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- GARBAGE ROOM.

  Meanwhile, Luke is lying on his side, trying to keep his head

  above the rising ooze. Luke's comlink begins to buzz and he

  rips it off his belt.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- MAIN FORWARD BAY -- SERVICE PANEL.

  Muffled sounds of Luke's voice over the comlink can be heard,

  but not distinctly.

  THREEPIO Are you there, sir?

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- GARBAGE ROOM.

  LUKE Threepio!

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- MAIN FORWARD BAY -- SERVICE PANEL.

  THREEPIO We've had some problems...

  LUKE (over comlink) Will you shut up and listen to me? Shut down all

  garbage mashers on the detention level, will you? Do you copy?

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- GARBAGE ROOM.

  LUKE Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- MAIN FORWARD BAY -- SERVICE PANEL.

  LUKE (over comlink) Shut down all the garbage mashers on the

  detention level.

  THREEPIO (to Artoo) No. Shut them all down! Hurry!

  Threepio holds his head in agony as he hears the incredible

  screaming and hollering from Luke's comlink.

  THREEPIO Listen to them! They're dying, Artoo! Curse my metal body! I

  wasn't fast enough. It's all my fault! My poor master!

  LUKE (over comlink) Threepio, we're all right!

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- GARBAGE ROOM.

  The screaming and hollering is the sound of joyous relief. The

  walls have stopped moving. Han, Chewie and Leia embrace in the

  background.

  LUKE We're all right. You did great.

  Luke moves to the pressure sensitive hatch, looking for a

  number.

  LUKE Hey...hey, open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number...

  where are we?

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- MAIN FORWARD BAY -- SERVICE PANEL.

  HAN (over comlink) Three-two-six-eight-two-seven.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- TRACTOR BEAM -- POWER GENERATOR TRENCH.

  Ben enters a humming service trench that powers the huge

  tractor beam. The trench seems to be a hundred miles deep. The

  clacking sound of huge switching devices can be heard. The old

  Jedi edges his his way along a narrow ledge leading to a

  control panel that connects two large cables. He carefully

  makes several adjustments in the computer terminal, and

  several lights on the board go from red to blue.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- UNUSED HALLWAY.

  The group exits the garbage room into a dusty, unused hallway.

  Han and Luke r emove the trooper suits and strap on the blaster

  belts.

  HAN If we can just avoid any more female advice, we ought to be able

  to get out of here.

  Luke smiles and scratches his head as he takes a blaster

  from Solo.

  LUKE Well, let's get moving!

 
Chewie begins growling and points to the hatch to the

  garbage room, as he runs away and then stops howling.

  HAN (to Chewie) Where are you going?

  The Dia Nogu bangs against the hatch and a long, slimy

  tentacle works its way out of the doorway searching for a

  victim. Han aims his pistol.

  LEIA No, wait. They'll hear!

  Han fires at the doorway. The noise of the blast echoes

  relentlessly throughout the empty passageway. Luke simply

  shakes his head in disgust.

  HAN (to Chewie) Come here, you big coward!

  Chewie shakes his head "no."

  HAN Chewie! Come here!

  LEIA Listen. I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but

  from now on, you do as I tell you. Okay?

  Han is stunned at the command of the petite young girl.

  HAN Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight! I take

  orders from one person! Me!

  LEIA It's a wonder you're still alive. (looking at Chewie) Will

  somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?

  Han watches her start away. He looks at Luke.

  HAN No reward is worth this.

  They follow her, moving swiftly down the deserted corridor.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- POWER TRENCH.

  Suddenly a door behind Ben slides open and a detachment of

  stormtroopers marches to the power trench. Ben instantly slips

  into the shadows as an Officer moves to within a few feet of

  him.

  OFFICER Secure this area until the alert is canceled.

  FIRST TROOPER Give me regular reports.

  All but two of the stormtroopers leave.

  FIRST TROOPER Do you know what's going on?

  SECOND TROOPER Maybe it's another drill.

  Ben moves around the tractor beam, watching the

  stormtroopers as they turn their backs to him. Ben gestures

  with his hand toward them, as the troops think they hear

  something in the other hallway. With the help of the Force,

  Ben deftly slips past the troopers and into the main hallway.

  SECOND TROOPER What was that?

  FIRST TROOPER Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- HALLWAY.

  Luke, Han, Chewbacca, and Leia run down an empty hallway and

  stop before a bay window overlooking the pirateship. Troopers

  are milling about the ship. Luke takes out his pocket comlink.

  HAN (looking at his ship) There she is.

  LUKE See-Threepio, do you copy?

  THREEPIO (voice) For the moment. Uh, we're in the main hangar across

  from the ship.

  LUKE We're right above you. Stand by.

  Han is watching the dozen or so troops moving in and out of

  the pirateship. Leia moves towards Han, touches his arm and

  points out the window to the ship.

  LEIA You came in that thing? You're braver that I thought.

  HAN Nice! Come on!

  Han gives her a dirty look, and they start off down the

  hallway. They round a corner and run right into twenty

  Imperial stormtroopers heading toward them. Both groups are

  taken by surprise and stop in their tracks.

  FIRST TROOPER It's them! Blast them!

  Before even thinking, Han draws his laser pistol and

  charges the troops, firing. His blaster knocks one of the

  stormtroopers into the air. Chewie follows his captain down

  the corridor, stepping over the fallen trooper on the floor.

  HAN (to Luke and Leia) Get back to the ship!

  LUKE Where are you going? Come back!

  Han has already rounded a corner and does not hear.

  LEIA He certainly has courage.

  LUKE What good will it do us if he gets himself killed? Come on!

  Luke is furious but doesn't have time to think about it for

  muted alarms begin to go off down on the hangar deck. Luke and

  Leia start off toward the starship hangar.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- SUBHALLWAY.

  Han chases the stormtroopers down a long subhallway. He is

  yelling and brandishing his laser pistol. The troops reach a

  dead end and are forced to turn and fight. Han stops a few

  feet from them and assumes a defensive position. The troops

  begin to raise their laser guns. Soon all ten troopers are

  moving into an attack position in front of the lone

  starpirate. Han's determined look begins to fade as the troops

  begin to advance. Solo jumps backward as they fire at him.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- SUBHALLWAY.

  Chewbacca runs down the subhallway in a last-ditch attempt to

  save his bold captain. Suddenly he hears the firing of laser

  guns and yelling. Around the corner shoots Han, pirate

  extraordinaire, running for his life, followed by a host of

  furious stormtroopers. Chewbacca turns and starts running the

  other way also.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- SUBHALLWAY.

  Luke fires his laser pistol wildly as he and Leia rush down a

  narrow subhallway, chased by several stormtroopers. They

  quickly reach the end of the subhallway and race through an

  open hatchway.

  INTERIOR DEATH STAR -- CENTRAL CORE SHAFT.

  Luke and Leia race through the hatch onto a narrow bridge that

  spans a huge, deep shaft that seems to go into infinity. The

  bridge has been retracted into the wall of the shaft, and Luke

  almost rushes into the abyss. He loses his balance off the end

  of the bridge as Leia, behind him, takes hold of his arm and

  pulls him back.

  LUKE (gasping) I think we took a wrong turn.

  Blasts from the stormtroopers' laser guns explode nearby

  reminding them of the oncoming danger. Luke fires back at the

  advancing troops. Leia reaches over and hits a switch that

  pops the hatch door shut with a resounding boom, leaving them

  precariously perched on a short piece of bridge overhang.

  Laserfire from the troopers continues to hit the steel door.

  LEIA There's no lock!

  Luke blasts the controls with his laser pistol.

  LUKE That oughta hold it for a while.

  LEIA Quick, we've got to get across. Find the control that extends

  the bridge.

  LUKE Oh, I think I just blasted it.

  Luke looks at the blasted bridge control while the

  stormtroopers on the opposite side of the door begin making

  ominous drilling and pounding sounds.

  LEIA They're coming through!

  Luke notices something on his stormtrooper belt, when

  laserfire hits the wall behind him. Luke aims his laser pistol

  at a stormtrooper perched on a higher bridge overhang across

  the abyss from them. They exchange fire. Two more troops

  appear on another overhang, also firing. A trooper is hit, and

  grabs at his chest.

  Another trooper standing on the bridge overhang is hit by

  Luke's laserfire, and plummets down the shaft. Troopers move

  back off the bridge; Luke hands the gun to Leia.

  LUKE Here, hold this.

  Luke pulls a thin nylon cable from his trooper utility

  belt. It has a grappler hook on it. A trooper appears on a

  bridge overhang and fires at Luke and Leia. As Luke works with

  the rope, Leia returns the laser volley. Another trooper

  appears and fires at them, as Leia returns his fire as well.

  Suddenly, the hatch door begins to open, rev
ealing the feet of

  more troops.

  LEIA Here they come!

  Leia hits one of the stormtroopers on the bridge above, and

  he falls into the abyss. Luke tosses the rope across the gorge

  and it wraps itself around an outcropping of pipes. He tugs on

  the rope to make sure it is secure, then grabs the princess in

  his arms. Leia looks at Luke, then kisses him quickly on the

  lips. Luke is very surprised.

  LEIA For luck!

  Luke pushes off and they swing across the treacherous abyss

  to the corresponding hatchway on the opposite side. Just as

 

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