by Ian Doescher
ANAKIN
Thy words, sweet mother, are like balm to me.
Thus hear my dutiful response: I shall
In ev’ry turn attempt to keep me safe.
[Exit Shmi. Sebulba, aside, breaks a part of Anakin’s podracer.
SEBULBA
Uh-oh … ha ha! [Approaching Anakin:] Bazda wahota, shag.
Dob’ella Nok. Yoka to Bantha pood’.
ANAKIN
Cha skrunee da pat, sleemo.
[Exit Sebulba.
He doth say
This race shall see the end of me, but nay,
Methinks that I shall see the end of it.
QUI-GON
Art thou preparèd, Anakin?
ANAKIN
—Forsooth!
QUI-GON
Then I shall lift thee e’en as thou lift us.
[Qui-Gon lifts Anakin into his podracer.
I prithee, do remember these few things:
Fear not, but concentrate upon the moment,
Be mindful of thy feelings, not thy thoughts,
And utilize what instincts thou dost have.
ANAKIN
Kind sir, I thank thee and shall these obey.
QUI-GON
The Force be always with thee, brilliant boy.
[Exeunt Qui-Gon and Jar Jar as Anakin dons his helmet.
BEED
O grandio lust, amu intoe paren’:
A Jabba o du Hutt.
FODE
—See Jabba here
To start our glorious race.
Enter JABBA OF THE HUTT, aside.
JABBA
—Tam ka chee Boon’
Kee madda hodrudda du wundee na.
Ka bazza kundee hodrudda, ho ho!
BEED
Ya pawa culka doe rundee hazzah!
FODE
With Jabba’s speech the race may now commence!
The power couplings are engag’d, whilst all
Do flee the grid. The race begins anon!
[Exit Jabba.
Enter QUI-GON JINN, PADMÉ, JAR JAR BINKS, and SHMI SKYWALKER above, on balcony, spectating.
SHMI
Are all his nerves beset with fear and angst?
QUI-GON
Methinks he shall do well; be not afeard.
PADMÉ
You Jedi have an undue recklessness.
The queen shall not—
QUI-GON
—Nay, handmaiden, be still.
Presume thou not to speak for thy great queen.
She trusts my judgment, e’en as thou shouldst do.
PADMÉ
Thou dost assume too much, with pride too great.
FODE
Podracers all, give fire unto your engines!
JAR JAR
O dissen be messee, me no watch …
[Courtiers play a fanfare, signaling the start of the podrace. The podracers fly off, exiting, except Anakin Skywalker and Ben Quadinaros.
ANAKIN
Alack, so swift begun and swiftly stopp’d!
The others fly, while I am here assail’d.
My engine runneth down—what foul mischance!
FODE
Ahh, look! Small Skywalker hath stall’d at once.
KITSTER
O, Anakin, be gone—take wing and fly!
ANAKIN
The field flies far beyond me, gone. Fie, fie!
FODE
Ben Quadinaros hath some trouble, too.
ANAKIN
The systems now respond. ’Tis not too late!
Go, vessel swift, and help us reach the goal.
[Anakin’s podracer flies off; exit Anakin.
FODE
Skywalker hath let fly at last. He goes!
Wethinks he’ll find it difficult indeed
To match the others’ speed and take the lead.
QUI-GON
[to Padmé and Jar Jar:] I bid thee, mark the race and bring us news.
[Exeunt Padmé and Jar Jar.
[To Shmi:] My lady, do not fear: all shall be well,
For verily the boy’s a pilot skill’d.
He knoweth well the import of this race
And I believe he shall not fail our hopes.
Enter JAR JAR BINKS.
JAR JAR
Sebulba knockee Mawhonic, oo,
He downee onna grounnee hurtsa.
QUI-GON
And what of Anakin? Hast thou seen him?
JAR JAR
He stilla comin’ from behinnee—
Dey comin’ to da canyon soonee.
[Exit Jar Jar Binks.
QUI-GON
The canyon putteth all of them betwixt
A formidable rock and a hard place.
Enter PADMÉ.
PADMÉ
He pulls ahead with speed superior!
Those farthest back he passeth easily—
Mayhap the lad may still the leaders catch.
They disappear’d unto the dark-fill’d caves,
Some other pod and Anakin withal.
Upon the other side did Anakin
Come forth, yet not the other—maybe he
Some misadventure in the tunnel had.
QUI-GON
I bid thee thanks for this complete report.
[Exit Padmé.
SHMI
He still doth live: thus far, it is enough.
FODE
Some Tusken Raiders are position’d on
The canyon dune turn, there to fire upon
The hapless racers.
SHMI
—Nay? May they do this?
QUI-GON
E’en if they may not, seemeth it they will.
[Ben Quadinaros’s podracer bursts into flame and breaks into pieces.
FODE
The last to start is now the first who’s finish’d:
Ben Quadinaros’ power coupling fails!
Contenders in the ranks now lack by one.
Enter SEBULBA and other PODRACERS on one side. All fly through and quickly exit except ODY MANDRELL, who stops to make repairs to his podracer.
BEED
Chubba ni chees!
FODE
—Sebulba in the lead!
BEED
Ody Mandrell coona wa wunda dung’.
FODE
His droid pit team is slow to make repairs.
And what’s this we behold? One droid is pull’d
Into his engine, and his pod’s destroy’d.
C-3PO
But where is Master Anakin?
R2-D2
—Beep, squeak!
SHMI
Look now, he comes anon. O, Anakin!
FODE
Young Skywalker advanceth in the field!
Enter ANAKIN SKYWALKER and other PODRACERS on one side, flying through and quickly exiting.
KITSTER
Hurrah!
R2-D2
[aside:] —Exciting ’tis, but all’s not won:
Let us not spend our eagerness too soon.
[To C-3PO:] Beep, meep, meep, hoo, squeak, whistle, whistle, beep.
C-3PO
Full two more revolutions he must make?
O dear—I fear ’tis two too many, troth.
Enter JAR JAR BINKS.
QUI-GON
What news canst share? Hath he yet passèd more?
JAR JAR
De bad Gasgano stay in frontee.
No lettee Anakin go passee.
And den Boles Roor did hittee Ani,
But he jes’ flip and pass him over!
QUI-GON
Your words do testify unto his skill.
[Exit Jar Jar Binks.
SHMI
[aside:] O, hear my plea, you fates and fortunes all:
Let not my boy meet his untimely end
Upon this field where injury and death
So speedily consume whome’er they wish.
He is not made for crushing done in haste,
He’d not be
broken by rapidity,
He should not in a hurry meet his end,
He doth deserve a life at his own pace.
Instead, let him return for all that shall
Occur in his most strange and charmèd life.
These strangers to his future hold the key,
’Tis plain to me, though ’tis unknown as yet.
Thus, give him all success for their fond hopes.
Yet even more, my heart’s entreaty is:
Bring him yet safely back into my arms,
That I may tell him of his mother’s love.
Enter PADMÉ.
PADMÉ
More news: Sebulba plied his trickery
Upon a racer, which did make him crash.
The fragments of his podracer ran swift
Past Anakin. Indeed, I thought him gone,
For none could those projectiles large avoid.
Yet I was wrong, the boy did make escape,
And started to draw nearer to the front.
QUI-GON
’Tis wonderful.
PADMÉ
—Nay, I have not told all.
As he approach’d, his cockpit disengag’d
From one of his two engines. This did throw
His pod into some disarray. The last
That I did see, ere hither I return’d,
He had not set his errant pod aright.
FODE
Skywalker spinneth wildly, sans control!
QUI-GON
Go quickly, handmaiden, see what befalls!
[Exit Padmé.
The lad is clever, madam, and shall make
This problem into opportunity.
Pray, mark my words: his instincts shall not fail.
Enter JAR JAR BINKS.
JAR JAR
Be nottee fraydee, he’s okayee!
The little Anakin did usee
A magnet, wowsa powafulla,
He pullee line back to his selfa,
Den reconnect da ting and fixee!
Den back he go, into da canyon.
SHMI
Thank ev’ry mercy that my son is safe.
Full many thanks, sweet Jar Jar, for this news.
QUI-GON
Now thither go again to see what’s next!
JAR JAR
[aside:] Mayhap he should go see it for himself.
Am I his scratching post and eyesight both?
But soft now, Jar Jar, all is for the good:
This boy indeed shall fashion our next steps.
[Exit Jar Jar.
FODE
Alas, I care not where thou hailest from,
Such crash shall put thee in a wretched state.
SHMI
What’s this of “crash”? What doth the creature mean?
QUI-GON
Indeed, I do not know. Belike our true
And loyal messengers shall tell us all.
SHMI
It is the knowing not that maketh me
So ache with fear and anguish for my boy.
Enter PADMÉ.
QUI-GON
What now, what news? We heard some tell of crash.
PADMÉ
’Twas not our Anakin. The Tuskens have
Once more struck from the heights, and with their guns
Did shoot down yet another luckless pod.
By all that’s marvelous, the lad still flies,
And ever nearer to Sebulba draws.
Enter JAR JAR BINKS.
JAR JAR
Behold, iss Anakin. Owooee!
Enter SEBULBA, ANAKIN SKYWALKER, and other PODRACERS on one side, flying through and quickly exiting.
FODE
Against all expectation, as the lap—
Yea, e’en the final lap—commenceth, ’tis
Sebulba in the front with Skywalker
Near to his heels, and biting at his lead!
KITSTER
O fly, swift Anakin, and make me proud!
PADMÉ
Pray, do not say the word, Qui-Gon: we go
To eagerly behold the final act.
[Exeunt Padmé and Jar Jar Binks.
QUI-GON
I said so ere this, winsome lady, and
Declare once more: I sense the boy shall win,
And when he doth prevail we shall behold
The swift fulfillment of our mighty hope.
SHMI
Your solace is most reassuring, sir,
Yet I maintain: the mother’s sole concern
Is for the son, and not the broader cause.
FODE
Young Skywalker is forc’d to ride upon
The service ramp—unfortunate this turn!
SHMI
First down, then up, and next in danger great.
This racing of the pods is made for souls
Much braver, more courageous than myself.
Enter PADMÉ.
QUI-GON
How now? Art back so soon?
PADMÉ
—’Tis pain t’observe!
With what abusive knocks Sebulba drives
The boy aside, e’en to the limit of
The path. ’Twas nearly more than I could bear.
As Anakin was forcèd far off course,
It seem’d Sebulba had the lead secure,
And nothing could disrupt his triumph sure.
Yet even then all was not lost, in truth—
Another startling turn had Fate to make:
Like some astounding phoenix rising from
The ashes where it recently did burn,
The boy comes swooping o’er the enemy
And in a blaze of fire doth fly ahead.
SHMI
What can this mean?
PADMÉ
—Hear, madam, and believe:
The boy hath ta’en the lead.
SHMI
—Ahh, can it be?
I almost am more shaken by this news
That he could win, than when I did believe
He had but little chance.
FODE
—’Tis Skywalker!
A swift control thrust putteth him on track—
Such flying we’ve not seen for ages. Zounds!
Enter JAR JAR BINKS.
JAR JAR
His podracer is breakee breakee!
QUI-GON
What’s this? [To Padmé:] I prithee, go and see again.
[Exit Padmé.
FODE
Now ’tis some trouble for small Skywalker—
Sebulba hath again reclaim’d the front.
JAR JAR
De bad Sebulba come behindee,
He sneakee up, and Ani scaredee.
Den did a part fall off his shippee,
Dere lotsa smoke, Sebulba coughin’,
But den Sebulba zoom in frontee.
O! Meesa canna take it nowa.
QUI-GON
Divulge yourself, most honor’d, noble Force!
Be seen by ev’ry soul that gathers here
To watch the pods fly o’er this desert course.
Show them the power that the Force doth give,
E’en to a lowly youth as Anakin.
Display the wisdom and experience
That one is heir to in the Force’s sway.
Reveal how weak are those who nothing know
Of your astonishing and awesome strength.
Make known here in the sight of this large crowd,
That none succeed who do not know your name.
Enter PADMÉ.
PADMÉ
Another turn upon another turn!
FODE
The lad again doth chase Sebulba’s tail—
And nearly hath he overtaken him!
BEED
O inkabunga!
FODE
—Mad the human small
Most certain be, to make such desperate
Maneuvers.
BEED
—Punda tah punda.
&n
bsp; FODE
—E’en now
The two are side by side.
BEED
—Bangu du bang’!
PADMÉ
The double-man speaks true! Our Anakin
Had lost his engine—nearly did he wreck—
Yet manag’d he to bring it back online.
As they tore through the canyon, Anakin
Gave chase until he ran not far behind.
Then, with a valor well beyond his years,
Drew he aside Sebulba, and did hook
The Dug’s fleet pod so that they rode as one.
At last, when Anakin had all arrang’d,
He drove his vessel forward, which did blow
Sebulba’s pod into a thousand parts.
A’whining and a’crying in the sand,
Sebulba is defeated! I expect
The swift return of Ani’s pod anon!
QUI-GON
O, thank the Force!
SHMI
—Past expectation, this!
Enter ANAKIN SKYWALKER, crossing the finish line in triumph.
KITSTER
Hurrah!
R2-D2
—Beep, meep, beep, squeak!
C-3PO
—O merry day!
Mine eyes had not believ’d it possible.
[Exeunt Qui-Gon, Shmi, Padmé, and Jar Jar from balcony.
FODE
How all in joy and frenzied mirth do greet
This unexpected, wondrous champion!
The cheer that rises from the thousands here
Is more than we have heard in all our days!