EPIII Script

[AmShak]

ambitious plans (of galactic conquest) to Vader and the others

that are assembled: his few traitorous lieutenants have betrayed

their superiors and taken control of the Starfleet; his troops

have successfully routed marauding pirates and have begun to

regulate commerce and industry along the shipping lanes; and his

political arrangements with greedy landlords, sadistic gangsters,

and power-hungry governors have made his power absolute. He

explains (that he has told them this to illustrate) that his

control is predicated on his personnel following orders, even at

the cost of their own lives!



Pausing a second time, Palpatine dismisses Valarium, and

orders him to report to the control center. The young prince

agrees and bows slightly, a gesture Palpatine acknowledges with a

perfunctory salute. Then he spins and strides from the room,

leaving the Dark Lord looking from man to man in confused

silence. As Valarium steps into the corridor, he is grabbed and

assassinated by Palpatine's guards.



Darth Vader then nods his understanding as the evil

President reminds: "The fate of those who fail me is DEATH!"

IMMEDIATE CUT TO:

SCENE 21: Jhantor -- Docking-bay

In the docking-bay, the massive evacuation of the

Alderaan Embassy is taking place under tight security. The

humming of elevators and the moving of heavy equipment echo

through the large chamber as the bustling flight crews make ready

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their freighters and the pilots perform final checkouts. Bail

Organa, with the "help" of See Threepio, supervises his men

loading supplies and ammunition, while Artoo Detoo aids the Lady

Arcadia with her two infants. Captain Antilles is suspiciously

nowhere to be found.



Momentarily, the defensive sensors sound alarm - but they

are quickly silenced when the unknown danger is identified as

Obi-Wan Kenobi's approaching starship. Once in the docking-bay,

Kenobi emerges from the craft and informs Bail Organa and his

anxious troops that the Jedi Knights have all been destroyed by

the treachery of President Palpatine and the hand of Darth Vader.

A heart-felt murmur sweeps over the docking-bay, like a swell in

a heavy sea. The last Jedi Knight's second piece of news is even

more grim: the Starfleet, under the command of Palpatine's

forces, have formed a perimeter blockade, and their purpose is to

prevent Organa from leaving and force him to surrender his ground

troops.



Bail Organa curses quietly to himself, recognizing the

futility of further conflict. The great leader - Viceroy and

Senator of the Alderaan system - has fought many battles: he has

fought along side Kenobi and the other Jedi Knights during the

Clone Wars, and has helped to eliminate piracy and slavery - with

the crusading Lady Arcadia - in the formation of the Merchanter's

Guild. But this time, he realizes that he is outmatched! Organa

acquires a comlink from one of his men and begins to broadcast

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surrender orders to his troops.



When, suddenly, dozens of Merchanter's Guild members, of

all species and life-forms, follow Captain Antilles into the

Docking-bay and assemble around Bail Organa. The group of

freighter pilots and navigators is an impressive one: There are

representatives from Mon Calamari, Bespin, Sullest, Correllia,

Mandalore, Kessel, and Alderaan. Some are wearing fatigues,

loaded with weapons and tools, while others are adorned in their

native wear.



"Some of them still have their ships - and the others

will fly anything we can put into the air," Antilles reports, and

the morale of Organa's men is revived again. "And if this action

makes us pirates and outlaws - in the eyes of Palpatine's new

empire - then we're with you one hundred percent!"



As the two groups of men (and aliens) hurry off, cheering

the success of their united departure, Obi-Wan Kenobi approaches

the Lady Arcadia with his painful secret. He reluctantly admits

that his pride (in the Force) may have betrayed Anakin to

Palpatine, and that the man she once loved was now a hideous

monster, more machine than man. She is, at first, taken aback,

chilled by his statement; then, with tears in her eyes, she

confesses that she, too, felt him slipping away - many months

before - and was unable to reach him either.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi and Lady Skywalker exchange a tender

embrace, and recognizing the potential danger they they both

faced, they arrange to separate the children with the hope that

they would be united one day as brother and sister. Kenobi will

take Luke to live with his brother Owen on Tatooine, while

Arcadia will arrange for Leia to live as daughter of Senator

Organa, on Alderaan. This way the children would have a better

chance of survival should one (or the other) be discovered by

Vader!

CUT TO:

SCENE 22: Bridge interior -- Flagship of the Starfleet* in the
Jhantor Star System

Darth Vader emerges from his private shuttle and strides

past a handful of troops in formation. His presence is awesome

and threatening as he approaches the starship captain. Commander

Tarkin bows from the neck down and advises his superior that they

were ready to annihilate anyone who attempts to run the blockade.

Tarkin is over confident in his appraisal of the situation, and

that reflects in his conversation with the Dark Lord.



* Special Note: The Starfleet - at this moment in
galactic history - is composed largely of heavy cruisers,
destroyers, and spacecraft carriers, with a full complement of
fighters. There are no Star Destroyers, Death Stars, or TIE
fighters because the Republic's Starfleet was used primarily for
exploration and occasional law enforcement. However, under the
ruthless command of Darth Vader, it is a formidable opponent.

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Organa and his diplomatic party captured alive (if possible) so

that they would face the embarrassment of a public tribunal. And

the Dark Lord adds that he wants Kenobi (!), his voice conveying

the image of a dreadful fate (that would be inflicted) if his

commands were not executed.



Tarkin reluctantly salutes and backs away from him,

angered that their positions were not reversed. He barks several

commands, and his troops spring to battle stations.

DISSOLVE TO:

SCENES 23 TO 27: Jhantor Star System -- Various types of
spacecraft against a backdrop of stars and a
brightly coloured nebulae

Alarms sound full alert as the handful of freighters,

transport ships, blockade runners, luxury cruisers and one-man

fighters approach the armada of the Starfleet. The ships attempt

- first - to cross the blockade with the diplomatic colors and

symbols of Alderaan; but, when that fails, they energize their

main deflector shields and prepare to fight their way through.

(Captain Antilles and Obi-Wan Kenobi hold their groups up as the

first wave attacks.)



Keeping a tight formation, dozens of transport ships and

luxury cruisers move in close to the Starfleet armada - and begin

blasting away, while fifty-or-so small freighters and one-man

fighters race across their surfaces, zipping between laser bolts

as they engage the small pursuit fighters. Their plan is one of

strategic genius: by flying in close, the rebel group emascu-

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lates the fire-power, which is ineffective at close-range, of the

larger ships. Additionally, the erratic and hot-dog flying of

the Merchanter's Guild members confuse and place the military

pilots at a momentary disadvantage! And that disadvantage is

exploited: Antilles and Kenobi launch the second wave of ships

and wait tensely to join the conflict, or make their escape.



However, the heroic efforts (of the rebel flight crews)

are brought to an abrupt halt by the armada as the heavy cruisers

fire broadsides at point-blank range, disregarding their own

safety. The Starfleet's audacious and dangerous move seems to

turn the tide of battle: small one-man fighters scatter, luxury

cruisers reverse their engines, and freighters drop their

additional weapons and accelerate away. But, as the proton beams

take their toll, last-ditch, suicide runs are made by the damaged

rebel craft: a cargo freighter - loaded with weapons and cargo -

heads on a collision course for one of the Destroyers and

explodes, while a transport ship - mortally wounded in combat -

limps at a heavy cruiser and detonates its nuclear engines,

destroying his opponent with him. The balance of the small craft

punch through holes and race for open space!



Captain Antilles, piloting the saucer-shaped freighter

(with Bail Organa, Lady Arcadia, and party aboard), dives into

the chaos, then steers through the battle. Once clear, he

engages his ship's hyperdrive and soars away at light speed.

Several pursuit craft follow - but their weapons are ineffectual

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against his ship's deflector shields and their ion-propelled

engines are no match for his.



In another sector of the battle, Obi-Wan Kenobi's

starship swoops past an engagement and accelerates into space,

pursued by Darth Vader's flagship. Kenobi executes a series of

stunning maneuvers in an effort to lose the Heavy Cruiser, but he

quickly realizes that it will not be easy to shake. Marshalling

the Force around him, the last Jedi prepares for a death-defying

stunt. He then guides his starship into the nebulae; and with

his deflector shields (and the Force) at full intensity, Kenobi

flies through the core of the exploding star.



Darth Vader stands silently on the Bridge of his

starship, gazing in disbelief at the brightly-colored nebulae.

He demands the scanning sensors probe the area for any sign of

the Jedi Knight - but the results are negative! Gravely

disappointed, the Dark Lord orders the Flagship returned to the

fleet and walks away, sensing that they would meet again.



The victory is an incomplete one for Palpatine's forces.

His starfleet has destroyed or captured nearly three dozen

vehicles - but scattered throughout the galaxy were rebelous

pirates and outlaws that he would one day have to deal with!

LAP DISSOLVE TO:

SCENES 28 TO 30: EPILOGUE --

Jhantor -- EMPEROR Palpatine, with Darth Vader, the Dark

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Lord of the Sith, at his side, smiles malevolently and plots his

next move as his assembled troops chant: "Long Live Palpatine!

Long Live the Empire!!"

Alderaan -- Lady Arcadia Skywalker - now a common servant

in the Organa household - sings her daughter to sleep under the

watchful sensors of Artoo Detoo and See Threepio, while Bail

Organa awards Captain Antilles with a commission in his service.

Tatooine -- Obi-Wan Kenobi, the last Jedi Knight,

delivers the infant boy to his brother, Owen Lars, then

disappears into the desert wasteland, awaiting the day when Luke

would claim the light sabre of his father (from him) and become a

man.







FADE OUT.


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