'REVENGE OF THE JEDI' - THE ORIGINAL ROUGH DRAFTS: A SYNOPSIS

Unused poster concept art for REVENGE by John Alvin.

'REVENGE OF THE JEDI' - THE ORIGINAL ROUGH DRAFT/REVISED ROUGH DRAFT: A SYNOPSIS

By George Lucas

February 20^th, 1981

THE REBELLION IS DOOMED. SPIES LOYAL TO THE OLD REPUBLIC HAVE REPORTED SEVERAL NEW ARMOURED SPACE STATIONS UNDER CONSTRUCTION BY THE EMPIRE.

A DESPERATE PLAN TO ATTACK THE DREADED IMPERIAL CAPITOL OF HAD ABBADON AND DESTROY THE DEATH STARS BEFORE THEY ARE COMPLETED HAS BEEN PUT INTO EFFECT.

REBEL COMMANDOS, LED BY PRINCESS LEIA, HAVE MADE THEIR WAY INTO THE VERY HEART OF THE GALACTIC EMPIRE: AS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE FINAL BATTLE FOR FREEDOM…. (*)

The two Death Stars! Art: McQuarrie.

The title crawl pans down to reveal Had Abbadon, capital of the Galactic Empire, a huge city covered planet. Darth Vader and Moff Jerjerrod are in an Imperial shuttle discussing Abbadon’s green moon, of which Vader has felt possible Rebel activity there. Meanwhile, Leia disguised as a pilot, and with a covert Rebel team and heavy equipment including an Ion canon weapon, have stolen an Imperial Shuttle and gone to the green moon in order to set up a base. They see the two DEATH STARS under construction in orbit above Had Abbadon. Vader and Jerjerrod, a dangerous new rival to the Dark Lord, meet with the Emperor in his underground throne room, which looks over a fuming lake of red lava. The Emperor knows that Luke Skywalker has become more powerful and must be destroyed. Concerned by Vader’s behavior regarding his son, the Emperor orders Moff Jerjerrod to keep an eye on him: he wants Vader to think that Luke is to be destroyed when in fact the boy will take Vader’s place at his side. The Emperor is also aware of the Rebels planning their imminent attack.

The droids are escorted to Jabba. Art: McQuarrie.

Meanwhile, having heard the thoughts of Darth Vader in a dream, which also has the presence of Ben and Yoda, Luke, staying in a Tatooine peasant hovel, joins Lando, Chewie and the droids in planning Han Solo’s rescue from Jabba the Hutt, scheming to deliver a phony “spice extractor” in exchange for Solo. Artoo and Threepio act as emissaries to Luke and enter the palace to meet Bib Fortuna (**) and Jabba himself. When Lando and Chewie arrive with the extractor, however, they are soon captured and thrown into a cell where a bearded Han Solo resides (having already been taken out of carbon freeze). Han wants to strangle Lando for what happened on Bespin, until the rescue situation is explained. Artoo opens one of his small compartments, giving the pair a blaster each, which they hide on their persons as they are taken to Jabba, where, after a trial alongside the now captured Luke, he orders them to be put in the “Sloth Pit.”

Sail Barge battle. Art: McQuarrie.

Traveling on the desert skiff (***), Luke and the gang fight back, whilst Artoo and Threepio escape the Sail Barge before Artoo’s sabotage makes it explode, sending Jabba, Bib and company into the mouth of the Sloth. Escaping Tatooine in the Falcon, our heroes travel to a Rebel base in the Sice system. On board, Luke falls asleep and dreams of Vader and Yoda. Not sure he can go through with the future, Ben appears in the dream and reveals to Luke that he has a sister-Luke soon understands that it is Leia.

The planet Sicemon. Art: McQuarrie. Planet design later used for STAR WARS REBELS.

Sicemon Rebel base.

Travelling to the base via winged transport.

On one of the planets of Sice, in the city of Sicemon, a Rebel war room meeting takes place with our heroes and General Madine, who briefs them on Leia’s current situation. Aware that Luke has successfully repaired his lightsaber, Yoda appears to tell him his skills as a Jedi are complete and that he is ready for the final test: to face his father. Luke doesn’t feel he is up to the challenge, but when he sees a vision of Leia in danger, and the Rebel mission failing, he has no choice but to follow the path, taking off with the heroes to the green moon, whilst Lando and General Madine, leading the Rebel fleet, await their signal and success.

On the forest moon, Leia meets a race of furry creatures called “Ewaks” and they join forces. Luke, Han, Chewie and the droids arrive, searching for Leia. However, the Falcon has been spotted and reported to Vader, where Luke is caught in a trap (****) and whom, upon Ben’s advice, surrenders to General Veers, resisting the order of Moff Jerjerrod to take him directly to the Emperor on Had Abbadon, and instead following Vader’s orders to have him on his Star Destroyer. Vader offers Luke a second chance to join him but he refuses. An angry Moff Jerjerrod arrives on the Star Destroyer and, seeing him as a continued threat, Vader kills the Imperial. Han, Chewie and the robots meet up with Leia and the Ewaks. As Artoo, Threepio and Wicket go to the Falcon to send a message to the Rebel fleet, Han and the Rebel commandos, with help from their furry friends, attack the Imperial base and facilities, whilst Leia and Rebel Captain Jode knock out Had Abbadon’s communications disk (presumably with the Ion canon). The Rebel fleet soon arrives and the space battle around the two DEATH STARs and the planets begins.

On a journey to the Emperor. Art: McQuarrie.

The volcanic throne room. Art: McQuarrie.

On their way to the throne room on Had Abbadon, Vader and Luke are contacted by Ben, who tries to turn Vader back to the good side of the Force. Vader doesn’t budge and takes Luke to the Emperor. Once there, Ben and Yoda reappear, telling the Emperor that he has overestimated his own abilities. A panicked Emperor orders Vader to kill his own son. The lightsaber by the nearby throne flies into Luke’s hands and the fight begins with Vader and Luke jumping from one rock to another over a bubbling pool of lava. Luke cuts off Vader’s artificial arm. The Emperor has declared Vader old and weak, offering Luke half the power of the Empire if he kills his father. Luke refuses to kill his begging for death father. Luke, having only fought in self-defence, switches off his lightsaber and throws it to his father. The Emperor then orders Vader to kill Luke. As Vader refuses, the Emperor then attacks Luke with Force lightning resulting in Vader, unable to let his son die, rushing the Emperor, grabbing him and both falling dead into a lake of lava.

 

Death Star space battle. Art: McQuarrie.

With the space and ground battles successfully won by the Rebels, Luke tells Leia that she is his sister during the victory celebrations. Han and Leia leave Luke alone; suddenly Ben appears in real flesh and blood and is soon followed by an old man, the good Skywalker. Yoda watches them all celebrate.

(*) Title crawl used from the Revised Rough Draft by George Lucas- June 12th 1981.

(**) Described in the Revised Rough Draft as a "wizened old man".

(***) Described in the Revised Rough Draft as being a bigger version of Luke’s original Landspeeder.

(****) In the Revised Rough Draft, Luke is kidnapped by Imperial spies on Tatooine, just after he, Lando and Chewie have rescued Han.