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