William Shakespeare's Star Wars (12 page)

LUKE
Alas, poor stormtrooper, I knew ye not,

Yet have I ta’en both uniform and life

From thee. What manner of a man wert thou?

A man of inf’nite jest or cruelty?

A man with helpmate and with children too?

A man who hath his Empire serv’d with pride?

A man, perhaps, who wish’d for perfect peace?

Whate’er thou wert, good man, thy pardon grant

Unto the one who took thy place: e’en me.

HAN
If we may female-giv’n advice avoid,

We should be well upon our merry way.

LUKE
Aye, stand I ready to be gone from here.

[Large sound is heard
.

CHEWBAC.
Auugh!

HAN
—Say, where dost thou go to, Wookiee? Where?

[Han fires
.

LEIA
Thou brute, they shall o’erhear!

HAN
—Pray come thou here,

Chewbacca, else I brand thee cowardly.

LEIA
Now use thine ears and, if thou hast, thy brain:

I know not who thou art or whence thou cam’st,

Yet from this moment, thou shalt heed my words.

HAN
Your Worship, prithee let me be direct:

I have one Lord and Master: ’tis myself,

And only from that one take I commands.

LEIA
A wonder great that thou art still alive!

Now prithee, shall this walking carpet be

Removèd from my path?

HAN
[
aside:
]                        —A saucy wit!

A wicked tongue that will be tam’d, I vow—

No other payment is reward enough.

[They come upon the hangar where the
Millennium Falcon
is held
.

[
To Luke, Princess Leia, and Chewbacca:
] There ’tis.

LUKE
[
into comlink:
]                —C-3PO? Say, art thou there?

C-3PO
[
aside, in comlink:
] Aye, Sir.

LUKE
[
into comlink:
]                        —And art thou safe?

C-3PO
[
aside, in comlink:
]                     —For now, we are.

We are position’d in the hangar just

Across, directly, from the gallant ship.

LUKE
[
into comlink:
] And we are just above thee, so stand by.

LEIA
[
to Han:
] Hast thou come here in that ungainly heap?

Thou art, perhaps, then braver than I thought.

HAN
’Tis well and good, though I need not thy praise.

Now let us hence, and to the ship repair!

CHORUS
The foursome t’ward the ship with swift foot race,

But soon they meet with opposition dire.

Chewbacca goes with Han, both giving chase,

While Luke and Leia to other paths aspire.

HAN
[
running away:
] Fly hence, my friends, and meet us at the ship!

[Exeunt Han Solo and Chewbacca, chasing stormtroopers
.

LEIA
A lion’s share of courage hath he not?

LUKE
[
aside:
] Alas! Now is her heart mov’d unto him?

[
To Leia:
] What help is courage if it leads to death?

But come now, let us flee another way.

CHORUS
The chase is under way as all make haste!

Han—once pursuer—soon becomes pursu’d

When with a mass of stormtroopers he’s fac’d:

He turneth quick as like a man unglu’d.

Meanwhile the princess and young Luke do flee

From troopers coming after them with speed.

They happen on an open door and see

A chasm past which they cannot proceed.

LUKE
Belike we have an errant corner turn’d,

For this deep hole leads not unto the ship!

LEIA
Forsooth, methinks that we shall safer be—

E’en with the pit—behind a door shut fast.

[She shuts door
.

Yet now I see no lock we may employ,

So what for our dear freedom is the key?

[Luke Skywalker shoots door control
.

LUKE
[
aside:
] I take a note from Han and blaster use,

Belike that shall keep enemies at bay.

LEIA
We must o’erleap this deep abyss somehow.

Pray, canst thou use thy sharp and earnest wit

To find a means for lengthening the bridge?

LUKE
O! Now the wisdom of old Obi-Wan

Is proven, for the blaster was too harsh.

LEIA
Do something, prithee, or they shall burst through!

CHORUS
So clever Luke the scene he doth survey

And soon conceives a noble plan to cross.

To take their flight and save them sans delay,

He bares a length of rope as thin as floss.

Attack’d, now Leia matches fire with fire,

And so they cross, a’swinging o’er th’abyss.

But ere they fly, the princess doth inspire

More strength in Luke by means of royal kiss.

LEIA
A kiss for luck before our flight, dear friend,

A kiss upon thy cheek from lips of mine,

A kiss to give thee hope and confidence,

A kiss to bring us courage in this time.

Now take this kiss—my gift bestow’d by choice—

And on the other side we’ll soon rejoice.

[Exeunt
.

CHORUS
While droids do worry o’er their Master’s fate,

Han and Chewbacca make their swift escape.

While Luke and Leia now in safety wait,

A mighty, final duel taketh shape.

VADER
For certain, I have waited, Obi-Wan,

And now at last we meet together here:

Our destinies once and for all fulfill’d.

The circle of our lives is now complete—

A student was I when I left thee last,

But now I am the Master over thee.

OBI-WAN
Thou art a Master, Darth, I know ’tis true,

But only evil hast thou Master’d yet.

[They duel
.

VADER
In time thy pow’rs have weak become, old man.

OBI-WAN
And yet thou canst not win, I’ll warrant, Darth.

For if thou strike me down, e’en now, e’en here,

I shall more great and powerful become

Than e’er thou hast imagin’d possible.

VADER
I tell thee plain: thou shouldst not have return’d.

CHORUS
What noble battle passes twixt these men—

Lightsabers rage from Sith and Jedi Knight!

No more courageous battle hath there been:

’Tis like the day does combat with the night.

Now whilst the two in conflict strike their blows,

The others come that they the ship may find.

At first Han Solo with Chewbacca shows,

Then Luke and Princess Leia just behind.

HAN
Did we not just this fright’ning party leave?

Where hast thou been?

LEIA
—We did some old friends meet,

But, finding them unfriendly, have both vow’d

To find far truer, better friends henceforth.

LUKE
Hast thou seen any problems with the ship?

HAN
It seemeth fine, if we may make approach

And get beyond the stormtroopers. Aye, then

My fondest hope is that thine Obi-Wan

Hath vanquishèd the wicked tractor beam.

LUKE
Behold, what ease! The stormtroopers go hence.

C-3PO
Now ’tis our chance, good R2-D2, come.

R2-D2
[
aside:
] Aye, will he now be leading me?

[To
C-3PO:
] Beep, squeak!

HAN
Fly, fly, good friends! Unto the ship make haste.

CHORUS
As ev’ryone unto the ship draws nigh,

Young Luke sees Obi-Wan trade slice with slice.

And Ben Kenobi, catching young Luke’s eye,

Prepares to make a gracious sacrifice.

OBI-WAN
A Jedi is not made of fear or hate,

But must a nobler countenance display.

It is a lesson learn’d in times gone by

That still I teach myself unto this day.

Full many years I’ve spent with thoughts of this—

This instant when Darth Vader I’d confront.

But now my thirst for retribution’s cold,

While sweet forgiveness doth my spirit taste.

I know I cannot win this battle here,

Nor would I wish to slay the kindly man

Who surely still within this black shell lives.

And so, unto this death I’ll go, this sleep,

This sleep that promises the dream of peace.

This undiscover’d galaxy wherein

I’ll know at last tranquility of heart.

But ere I die, I’ll one last lesson teach.

I shall in this—my final moment—set

A keen example for the universe,

That future generations may yet know

The valor and the strength of Jedi Knights.

Put up thy lightsaber now, Obi-Wan,

And show thyself a Jedi to this son.

[Obi-Wan raises lightsaber and is killed by Darth Vader
.

CHORUS
The cry of “Nay!” escapes Luke’s trembling lip

And stormtroopers turn ’round to see them there.

A battle great begins before the ship

As to the
Falcon
these brave souls repair.

But ere the group departs amid the fray,

Luke hears the voice of Obi-Wan inside:

“Pray run, Luke run,” the inner voice doth say,

And Luke the Death Star leaves with Force as guide.

[Exeunt
.