by James Kahn
LUKE
You're wrong. Soon I'll be dead...and you
with me.
The Emperor laughs.
EMPEROR
Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of
your Rebel fleet.
Luke looks up sharply.
EMPEROR
Yes...I assure you we are quite safe from
your friends here.
Vader looks at Luke.
LUKE
Your overconfidence is your weakness.
EMPEROR
Your faith in your friends is yours.
VADER
It is pointless to resist, my son.
The Emperor turns to face Luke.
EMPEROR (angry)
Everything that has transpired has done so
according to my design. (indicates Endor)
Your friends up there on the Sanctuary
Moon...
Luke reacts. The Emperor notes it.
EMPEROR (cont)
...are walking into a trap. As is your Rebel
fleet! It was I who allowed the Alliance to
know the location of the shield generator. It
is quite safe from your pitiful little band.
An entire legion of my best troops awaits
them.
Luke's look darts from the Emperor to Vader and, finally, to the
sword in the Emperor's hand.
EMPEROR
Oh...I'm afraid the deflector shield will be
quite operational when your friends arrive.
91 INT BUNKER - MAIN CONTROL ROOM 91
Han, Leia, Chewie, and the Rebel strike team storm through a door
and enter the main control room, taking all of the personnel
prisoner.
HAN
All right! Up! Move! Come on! Quickly!
Quickly, Chewie.
The Rebel troops herd the generator controllers away from their
panels. Leia glances at one of the screens on the control panel.
LEIA
Han! Hurry! The fleet will be here any
moment.
HAN
Charges! Come on, come on!
Outside, Threepio watches nervously in the bushes as several more
controllers and stormtroopers run into the bunker, leaving guards
at the door.
THREEPIO (to Wicket)
Oh, my! They'll be captured!
Wicket chatters in Ewok language, and then takes off full steam
into the forest.
THREEPIO
Wa-wait! Wait, come back! Artoo, stay with
me.
Inside the bunker, Han looks up from setting charges as an
Imperial commander enters.
COMMANDER
Freeze! You Rebel scum.
Han and Leia spin, to find dozens of Imperial weapons trained on
them and their cohorts. A poised force of Imperial troops
surround them. Even more pour into the room, roughly disarming
the Rebel contingent. Han, Leia, and Chewie exchange looks.
They're helpless.
92 EXT SPACE - ENDOR, DEATH STAR, REBEL FLEET 92
The Death Star and its Sanctuary Moon hang distant in space as
the Rebel fleet comes out of hyperspace with an awesome roar. The
Millennium Falcon and several Rebel fighters are at the front as
the space armada bears down on its target.
93 INT MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT 93
Lando flips switches, checks his screen, and speaks into the
radio.
LANDO
All wings report in.
WEDGE
Red Leader standing by.
GRAY LEADER
Gray Leader standing by.
GREEN LEADER
Green Leader standing by.
WEDGE
Lock S-foils in attack positions.
94 INT REBEL STAR CRUISER - BRIDGE 94
From the bridge of the Rebel Headquarters Frigate, Admiral Ackbar
watches the fighters massing outside his viewscreen.
ACKBAR
May the Force be with us.
95 INT MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT 95
Lando looks worriedly at his alien copilot, Nien Nunb, who points
to the control panel and talks to Lando.
LANDO
We've got to be able to get some kind of a
reading on that shield, up or down. Well, how
could they be jamming us if they don't know
if we're coming.
Lando shoots a concerned look out at the approaching Death Star
as the implications of what he's just said sink in. He hits a
switch on his comlink.
LANDO
Break off the attack! The shield is still up.
RED LEADER (VO)
I get no reading. Are you sure?
LANDO
Pull up! All craft pull up!
The Falcon turns hard to the left. Out the window the stars and
the Death Star move off right.
96 EXT SPACE - DEATH STAR SHIELD 96
The Falcon and the fighters of Red Squad veer off desperately to
avoid the unseen wall.
97 INT REBEL STAR CRUISER - BRIDGE 97
Alarms are screaming and lights flashing as the huge ship changes
course abruptly. Other ships in the fleet shoot by outside as the
armada tries to halt its forward momentum.
ACKBAR
Take evasive action! Green Group, stick close
to holding sector MV-7.
A Mon Calamari controller turns away from his screen and calls
out to Ackbar, quite excited. The Admiral rushes over to the
controller.
CONTROLLER
Admiral, we have enemy ships in sector 47.
On the screen can be seen the moon, Death Star, and the massive
Imperial fleet. Ackbar moves to the comlink.
ACKBAR
It's a trap!
LANDO (over comlink)
Fighters coming in.
There is much excitement on the bridge as the attack begins.
The Millennium Falcon and several squads of Rebel fighters head
into an armada of TIE fighters. The sky explodes as a fierce
dogfight ensues in and around the giant Rebel cruisers.
REBEL PILOT
There's too many of them!
LANDO
Accelerate to attack speed! Draw their fire
away from the cruisers.
WEDGE
Copy, Gold Leader.
The battle continues around the giant cruisers.
98 INT DEATH STAR - EMPEROR'S THRONE ROOM 98
Through the round window behind the Emperor's throne can be seen
the distant flashes of the space battle in progress.
EMPEROR
Come, boy. See for yourself.
The Emperor is sitting in his throne, with Vader standing at his
side. Luke moves to look through a small section of the window.
EMPEROR
From here you will witness the final
destruction of the Alliance, and the end of
your insignificant Rebellion.
Luke is in torment. He glances at his lightsaber sitting on the
armrest of the throne. The Emperor watches him and smiles,
touches the lightsaber.
EMPEROR
You want this, don't you? The hate is
swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon.
Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it.
Give in to your anger. With each passing
moment, you make yourself more my servant.
Vader watches Luke in his agony.
LUKE
No!
EMPEROR
It is unavoidable. It is your destiny. You,
like your father, are now m
ine!
99 EXT FOREST - GENERATOR BUNKER 99
Han, Leia, Chewie, and the rest of the strike team are led out of
the bunker by their captors. The surrounding area, deserted
before, is now crowded with two-legged Imperial walkers and
hundreds of Imperial troops. The situation looks hopeless.
STORMTROOPER
All right, move it! I said move it! Go on!
From the undergrowth beyond the clearing comes a wild series of
beeps and whistles. And --
THREEPIO
Hello! I say, over there! Were you looking
for me?
BUNKER COMMANDER
Bring those two down here!
STORMTROOPER
Let's go!
Artoo and Threepio are standing near one of the big trees. As six
Imperial stormtroopers rush over to take them captive, the two
droids duck out of sight behind the tree.
THREEPIO
Well, they're on their way. Artoo, are you
sure this was a good idea?
STORMTROOPER
Freeze! Don't move!
THREEPIO
We surrender.
The stormtroopers come around the tree and find the two droids
waiting quietly to be taken. As the Imperial troops move to do
that, however, a band of Ewoks drops down from above and
overpowers them.
THREEPIO
Ohhh! Stand back, Artoo.
In a nearby tree, an Ewok raises a horn to his lips and sounds
the EWOK ATTACK CALL. All hell breaks loose as hundreds of Ewoks
throw their fuzzy bodies into the fray against the assembled
stormtroopers and their awesome two-legged walkers.
Biker scouts dart about blasting Ewoks, only to be crushed by a
volley of rocks tossed by Ewoks from the trees above.
In the confusion of the battle, Han and Leia break away and dive
for the cover of the bunker door as explosions erupt around them.
Han goes to the bunker door control panel.
LEIA
The code's changed. We need Artoo!
HAN
Here's the terminal.
LEIA (into comlink)
Artoo, where are you? We need you at the
bunker right away.
Artoo and Threepio are hiding behind a log as the battle rages
around them. Suddenly the stubby little astrodroid lets out a
series of whistles and shoots off across the battlefield.
Threepio, panicked, runs after him.
THREEPIO
Going? What do you mean, you're going. But--
but going where, Artoo? No, what! Artoo! Oh,
this is no time for heroics. Come back!
Biker scouts race around and over the two droids, blasting away
at the little Ewoks as the furries scurry for cover.
A group of Ewoks have moved a primitive catapult into position.
They fire off a large boulder that hits one of the walkers. The
walker turns and heads for the catapult, blasting away with both
guns. The Ewoks abandon their weapons and flee in all directions.
Just as the walker moves in to stomp the catapult, Ewoks drop
vines restraining two huge logs that swing down and smash the
walker's head flat.
A line of Ewoks hang desperately to a vine that is hooked to a
walker's foot. As the walker moves along, the fuzzy creatures are
dragged behind.
Two speeder bikes chase Ewoks through the underbrush. As the
scouts round a tree, they are knocked off their bikes by a vine
tied between two trees.
100 EXT SPACE 100
The Falcon and other Rebel fighters are engaged in a ferocious
combat with Imperial TIE fighters, the battle raging around the
cruisers of the Rebel armada.
101 INT MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT 101
Lando is in radio communication with the pilots of the other
Rebel squads.
LANDO
Watch yourself, Wedge! Three from above!
WEDGE
Red Three, Red Two, pull in!
RED TWO
Got it!
RED THREE
Three of them coming in, twenty degrees!
WEDGE
Cut to the left! I'll take the leader!
They're heading for the medical frigate.
Lando steers the Falcon through a complete flip, as his crew
fires at the TIEs from the belly guns.
NAVIGATOR
Pressure's steady.
The copilot Nien Nunb chatters an observation.
LANDO
Only the fighters are attacking. I wonder
what those Star Destroyers are waiting for.
102 EXT SPACE - IMPERIAL FLEET 102
The giant Imperial Star Destroyer waits silently some distance
from the battle. The Emperor's huge Super Star Destroyer rests in
the middle of the fleet.
103 INT SUPER STAR DESTROYER - BRIDGE 103
Admiral Piett and two fleet commanders watch the battle at the
huge window of the Super Star Destroyer bridge.
COMMANDER
We're in attack position now, sir.
PIETT
Hold here.
COMMANDER
We're not going to attack?
PIETT
I have my orders from the Emperor himself. He
has something special planned for them. We
only need to keep them from escaping.
104 INT EMPEROR'S TOWER - THRONE ROOM 104
The Emperor, Vader, and a horrified Luke watch the aerial battle
fireworks out the window and on the viewscreens. Another Rebel
ship explodes against the protective shield.
EMPEROR
As you can see, my young apprentice, your
friends have failed. Now witness the
firepower of this fully armed and operational
battle station. (into comlink) Fire at will,
Commander.
Luke, in shock, looks out across the surface of the Death Star to
the Rebel fleet beyond.
105 INT DEATH STAR - CONTROL ROOM 105
Controllers pull back on several switches. Commander Jerjerrod
stands over them.
JERJERROD
Fire!
106 INT DEATH STAR - BLAST CHAMBER 106
A button is pressed, which switches on a panel of lights.
A hooded Imperial soldier reaches overhead and pulls a lever. A
huge beam of light emanates from a long shaft. Two stormtroopers
stand to one side at a control panel.
107 EXT DEATH STAR 107
The giant laser dish on the completed half of the Death Star
begins to glow; Then a powerful beams shoots out toward the
aerial battle.
108 EXT SPACE - AIR BATTLE 108
The air is thick with giant ships. In among them, Rebel X-wings
dogfight with Imperial TIE fighters. Now an enormous Rebel
cruiser is hit by the Death Star beam and is blown to dust.
The Millennium Falcon roars over CAMERA, followed closely by
several TIE fighters.
109 INT MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT 109
The ship is buffeted by the tremendous explosion of the Rebel
cruiser. Lando and his copilot are stunned by the sight of the
Death Star firepower.
LANDO
That blast came from the Death Star! That
thing's operational! (into comlink) Home One,
this is Gold Leader.
110 INT REBEL STAR CRUISER - BRIDGE 110
Ackbar stands amid the confu
sion on the wide bridge and speaks
into the comlink.
ACKBAR
We saw it. All craft prepare to retreat.
LANDO
You won't get another chance at this,
Admiral.
ACKBAR
We have no choice, General Calrissian. Our
cruisers can't repel firepower of that
magnitude.
LANDO
Han will have that shield down. We've got to
give him more time.
111 EXT FOREST - GENERATOR BUNKER 111
Artoo and Threepio make it to the door, as Han and Leia provide
cover fire.
THREEPIO
We're coming!
HAN
Come on! Come on!
THREEPIO
Oh, Artoo, hurry!
The little droid moves to the terminal and plugs in his computer