William Shakespeare's Star Wars (5 page)

LUKE
Nay, thou art sure misled, O wise one, for

My father hath not fought in any wars.

Full many evenings as I lay abed

Such tales I heard of him I never knew:

A navigator on a freighter ship

Which carried fragrant spices hence to yon

My father was. He kneweth naught of wars.

OBI-WAN
So hath thine uncle told thee. Marry, he

Did not agree with aught thy father told

Of his philosophy and brave ideals.

Thine uncle, tether’d to the land, did not

Believe thy father should become involv’d

In matters of the stars and Empires, nay.

[
Aside:
] What shall I of the father tell the child?

If gentle Luke knew all that’s known to me

I’ll warrant he’d not understand the rhyme

And reason for my words. And yet, what is’t

To lie? To tell the truth, all else be damn’d?

Or else to tell, perhaps, a greater truth?

Is it the truth to tell a boy each fact

And thus deface his father’s memory?

Or have I spoken better truth to Luke

When I about his father speak with pride?

Aye, ev’ry child deserves a champion.

LUKE
Hast thou done battle in the Clone Wars?

OBI-WAN
—Aye.

And once was I a Jedi Knight, the same

As thy dear father.

LUKE
—O, how tears well up

Within me for the loss of that dear man

Whom never I did know, nor do, nor will.

OBI-WAN
I tell thee truly, ’mongst the pilots he

Was e’er the greatest in the galaxy.

He also was a cunning warrior,

And to the last was he a dear, dear friend.

[
Aside:
] And now to play upon his natur’l sense

Of self-importance, so to draw him near

To thoughts of Jedi training for himself.

[
To Luke:
] I hear thou art a pilot skill’d as well.

This calleth to my mind a gift I have

For thee. Thy father hath desir’d that thou

Shouldst have this weapon when thou wert of age.

Thine uncle, though, would none of it, so fear’d

He that thou might adjoin with Obi-Wan

Upon a fool’s crusade or devil’s task

Just as thy father hath when he was young.

C-3PO
Dear Sir, if thou dost need me not, I shall

Shut down upon the present moment, here.

OBI-WAN
[
aside:
] Why speak’st he here when ’tis my time to speak?

These droids of protocol are e’er uncouth:

Of etiquette they know but little, troth!

LUKE
Pray tell, what is’t?

OBI-WAN
—Thy father’s lightsaber.

It is the weapon of a Jedi Knight:

If thou in thine own hand could hold a sun,

Then thou wouldst know the power of this tool.

Not merely random, neither awkward like

A blaster. Nay, the lightsaber maintains

A noble elegance, a Jedi’s pride.

’Tis something for a civiliz’d new age.

CHORUS
Now holdeth Luke the weapon in his hand,

And with a switch the flame explodes in blue.

The noble light Luke’s rev’rence doth command:

That instant was a Jedi born anew.

OBI-WAN
[
aside:
] Now doth the Force begin to work in him.

[
To Luke:
] For many generations Jedi were

The guarantors of justice, peace, and good

Within the Old Republic. Ere the dark

Times came and ere the Empire ’gan to reign.

LUKE
How hath my father died?

OBI-WAN
[
aside:
]                 —O question apt!

The story whole I’ll not reveal to him,

Yet may he one day understand my drift:

That from a certain point of view it may

Be said my answer is the honest truth.

[
To Luke:
] A Jedi nam’d Darth Vader—aye, a lad

Whom I had taught until he evil turn’d—

Did help the Empire hunt and then destroy

The Jedi. [
Aside:
] Now, the hardest words of all

I’ll utter here unto this innocent,

With hope that one day he shall comprehend.

[
To Luke:
] He hath thy Father murder’d and betray’d,

And now are Jedi nearly all extinct.

Young Vader was seduc’d and taken by

The dark side of the Force.

LUKE
—The Force?

OBI-WAN
—The Force.

The Force doth give a Jedi all his pow’r,

And ’tis a field of energy that doth

Surround and penetrate and bind all things

Together, here within our galaxy.

R2-D2
[
aside:
] In hearing this wise man I have almost

My errand quite forgot. Now to my work!

[To
Obi-Wan:
] Beep, meep, meep, squeak, beep, whee, squeak, whistle, meep!

OBI-WAN
And now, my little friend, shall I attempt

To find out whence thou came, and to discern

The reason wherefore thou hast left thy home

For lands unknown, a mission to pursue.

LUKE
He hath a message play’d—

OBI-WAN
—Thus have I found.

Enter
P
RINCESS
L
EIA
,
in beam projected by
R2-D2.

LEIA
Dear General Kenobi, many years

Ago thou serv’d my noble father in

The Clone Wars. Now, he beggeth thee to come

Again and aid him in his struggle with

The Empire. Sadly may I not be there

With thee in person, my request to give.

My ship of late hath fallen under siege

And thus my mission—bringing thee unto

My cherish’d planet Alderaan—hath fail’d.

Yet have I deep within the mem’ry banks

Of this brave R2 unit stor’d the plans

Most vital for rebellion’s victory.

My father can retrieve the plans therein,

But I must ask of thee to take the droid

And bring him unto Alderaan with care.

The desp’rate hour is now upon us—please,

I beg thee, Sir. O help me, Obi-Wan

Kenobi, help. Thou art mine only hope.

[Exit Princess Leia from beam
.

CHORUS
The message ends, then doth a silence fall.

While Obi-Wan his duty contemplates,

Young Luke considers whether Fate doth call.

Aye—in this moment, destiny awaits.

OBI-WAN
[
aside:
] The boy doth hear and hath the taste of fire

New burning in his ears. Now shall I play

The part of fuel and gently stoke that fire.

[
To Luke:
] Thou must be taught the Force if thou wouldst come

Away with me, and go to Alderaan.

LUKE
Nay, Alderaan? [
Aside:
] This man hath many charms,

And now it seems to me that I have been

These many hours under some great spell

That he hath cast. [
To Obi-Wan:
] Nay, I must hence back home.

’Tis late, and Uncle Owen shall be vex’d,

If I do not return to him ere long.

OBI-WAN
[
aside:
] And now it must be done or else ’tis lost!

[
To Luke:
] I need all thy good help, Luke—so doth she.

For such adventures I have grown too old.

LUKE
Nay, nay, I should not be involv’d, dear friend.

Much work there is to be completed yet,

And as the seers say true, a crop without

Its harvester is like a dewback sans

Its rider. Verily, I loathe the cruel

And noisome Empire, aye, yet nothing ’gainst

It have I pow’r to do at present. Fie!

’Tis all so far, far distant from this place.

OBI-WAN
Thus speaks thine uncle through thy lips, not thee.

LUKE
Mine uncle, O, mine uncle! How shall I

To him explain this matter? Tell me, how?

OBI-WAN
Come now with me and learn the Force, dear Luke.

LUKE
[
aside:
] Now am I split in twain by Fate’s sharp turns.

Two paths: the one toward adventure leads,

The other taketh me back to my home.

I have, for all my life, long’d to go hence

And now this Obi-Wan hath reason giv’n

Why I should leave my Tatooine and fly

Unto the stars. Aye, he hath told me of

The pow’rful Force. And yet, another force

Doth pull me home: the force of duty and

Responsibility. I would go hence,

Would fly today and ne’er look back again,

Except Beru and Owen are my true

And loyal family. ’Tis settled, then,

I stay on Tatooine until the time

When I may leave with clear, unfetter’d soul.

[
To Obi-Wan:
] I shall take thee as far as Anchorhead.

From there may’st thou find transport to where’er

Thou goest—aye, throughout the galaxy.

OBI-WAN
Thou must hold with thy conscience, it is true,

Whate’er thou thinkest right, thus thou shouldst do.

[Exeunt
.

TAGGE
Until this battle station utterly

Prepar’d and operational shall be,

’Tis plainly vulner’ble to an attack.

The rebels have more resources and are

More dangerous that thou wilt deign to see.

MOTTI
Perhaps of danger to thy star fleet, aye,

But not unto this battle station strong.

TAGGE
Rebellion shall gain more support within

Th’Imperial Senate—

TARKIN
[
aside:
]                —O, these men do talk

And quibble like a brood of clucking hens!

[
To Tagge:
] Th’Imperial Senate, which thou speak’st of here,

No longer any threat to us doth hold.

For truly have I just receivèd word

That our great Emperor himself dissolv’d

The Council—now the final remnants of

The Old Republic fade away like dew.

TAGGE
But marry, ’tis impossible! How shall

The Emperor maintain control without

The crimson cord of vast bureaucracy?

VADER
[
aside:
] O, how these politicians irk me so!

Of governors and territories care

I not! But I retain their company

For mine own purposes, and though their talk

Doth tire my mind I do confess that naught

I’ve found hath on their counsel yet improv’d.

For ev’ry human bond is meaningless:

All family doth leave, and friends betray,

And lovers fail, and teachers turn, and thus

Among the politicians shall I dwell—

Where lies, deceit, and garr’lous talk do make

The universe go ’round. But yet, I vow:

I’ll not be govern’d by the governors,

No policy of politicians heed.

Instead, myself and my dear Emperor

Together shall pursue our destiny.

TARKIN
The governors of all the regions now

Have sole control o’er their especial lands,

And fear shall keep the people all in line—

Fear of this very battle station, aye!

TAGGE
But what, pray tell, of the Rebellion vile?

For if the rebels have the plans to this

Good station stolen, possible it is

They may have found a weakness, which, in haste,

They shall exploit. Pray, Tarkin, mark my words.

VADER
Those plans shall soon recover’d be, fear not.

MOTTI
Attack upon this station pointless is,

Regardless of the data they have found.

I speak not rashly when I here aver:

This station now hath power ultimate

O’er all else in the vast, wide universe!

And now, I prithee, let us see it us’d!

VADER
[
to Motti:
] Nay, peace! I warn thee, man, be not too proud

Of thy great terror technological.

A weapon for the mass destruction of

A planet—even to destroy it whole—

Is no match for the power of the Force.

MOTTI
Thou shalt not ’tempt to frighten us with words

So like a man of magic, Vader. Nay,

Thy sorc’rer’s act is tir’d and overdone.

The sad religion thou dost cling to hath

No pow’r to conjure up the stolen plans.

Nor dost thou have a third-eye’s sight to make—

[Vader begins to choke Motti using the Force
.

CHORUS
The power of the Force is now unveil’d

As Vader holds the Admiral in check.

The Force that Motti with his words impal’d

Now hath a wampa’s hold about his neck.

VADER
I find thy lack of faith disturbing.

TARKIN
—Cease!

No more of this! Good Vader, let him be.

VADER
As is thy will. [
Aside:
] My point hath well been made

Upon his prideful, unbelieving throat.

[Vader releases Motti
.