Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was written and directed by George Lucas.  The original title of the film was Star Wars.  It was released in 1977 through 20^th Century Fox.  The movie is the first film of the franchise and the fourth chronological story in the series.  A New Hope grossed upwards of five hundred fifty million dollars during its initial run.  Future showings generated an additional two hundred twenty-five million.  The story continues nineteen years after the events of Revenge of the Sith.

The galaxy has entered a civil war.  The Rebel Alliance wins their first major battle and steals the weapon schematics for the Galactic Empire’s secret Death Star.  Princess Leia Organa attempts to take the plans back to her home planet.  An Imperial I-class Star Destroyer intercepts her ship the Tantive IV over Tatooine.  Stormtroopers flood the vessel and dispatch her private guard.  Darth Vader arrives.  His temper flares.  He kills Captain Antilles.  Princess Leia records a holographic message through R2-D2 and uploads the Death Star plans.

Vader corners Leia and subdues her.  The Princess claims she is on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan.  The Sith Lord does not believe her and marks her as a traitor.  She is taken prisoner.  Vader has his underlings tell the Imperial Senate that the ship was destroyed.  C-3PO and R2-D2 flee to Tatooine in an escape pod.  They argue and split and regroup on a Sandcrawler after Jawa traders scoop them up.  Owen Lars and Luke Skywalker purchase the droids.  Luke cleans out R2-D2 and uncovers the hologram.  Obi Wan is mentioned.  The boy wonders if it is his neighbor Ben Kenobi.

Tatooine

Uncle O tells Skywalker to take R2-D2 to Anchorhead to get its memory wiped.  The little guy escapes.  Luke and C-3PO search the desert.  They find R2 and are attacked by Sand people.  Luke gets sand in his Air Joradans and focuses on his sneakers.  Kenobi saves them from the Sand guys.  He confirms that he is in fact Obi-Wan.  Everyone heads to Kenobi’s house.  Ben hands Luke his father’s lightsaber and tells him the tale of the Jedi order and how they were once the protectors of the galaxy.  He continues and says Darth Vader was his apprentice and fell into darkness and is the one who killed his father.  Luke is pensive as R2 plays Princess Leia’s message.

Obi-Wan asks Skywalker to join him on his journey to Alderaan.  He politely declines and heads home.  The boy and the droids discover the remains of the Jawas and the Sandcrawler.  Stormtroopers are the culprits.  Everyone rushes home.  It is too late.  His uncle and aunt have been murdered too.  Luke is sad and consults Kenobi.  He decides there is nothing left for him on Tatooine and teams up with Ben.  The foursome travels to Mos Eisley to find transport to Alderaan.

Conan Antonio Motti and Cassio Tagge discuss the state of the rebels and future of the galaxy.  Darth Vader enters and states that the emperor has dissolved the senate and the last vestiges of the Old Republic.  Motti claims the power of the Death Star is supreme.  Vader says it is nothing compared to the Force.  Conan mocks him and the Sith Lord chokes him with the Force.  Tarkin convinces the guy in the helmet to stop.  The good guys hire the smuggler Han Solo and his Wookie partner Chewbacca.  Han shoots the bounty hunger Greedo over an old debt and some stormtroopers arrive.  The three humans, two droids and a Wookie escape on the Millennium Falcon.

Death Star

Leia endures torture and refuses to reveal the location of the Rebel’s base.  The bad guys threaten to destroy her home planet.  She tells them the coordinates.  Alderaan is still obliterated.  The Millennium Falcon pulls out of Hypersapce into an asteroid field.  Luke trains with his Lightsaber.  The Death Star pulls their ship towards it with a tractor beam.  The Princess lied about the location.  She is ordered to be executed.

The posse ambushes some stormtroopers.  Luke and Han wear their armor.  Obi-Wan leaves to disable the tractor beam alone.  Everyone else infiltrates the Death Star.  R2-D2 locates Leia.  They save her and jump into a chute that leads to a garbage compactor.  The compactor compacts.  The droids disable it.  Everyone escapes and boards the Millennium Falcon.  A New Hope.  Kenobi sacrifices himself while fighting Darth Vader and becomes one with the Force.  Luke is sad.  They regroup with the Rebels and plan their revenge.

X-wing and Y-wing Rebel starfighters fly towards the Death Star’s weak point.  Most of them are destroyed.  Luke pilots his ship away and redirects towards the target.  Darth Vader attacks in his TIE Advanced fighter.  Han Solo provides supporting fire and the ghost of Obi-Wan guides Luke.  Skywalker fires two proton torpedoes into the exhaust port and the Death Star explodes.  Everyone on the battle station dies.  The Sith Lord escapes.  The Rebels celebrate their victory and Han Solo and Luke Skywalker receive a standing ovation.  Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ends.