Remember ... the Force will be with you, always. ~ Obi-Wan Kenobi

Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is a 1977 American space opera film. It was the first film released in the Star Wars saga. The film happens 19 years after the formation of the Galactic Empire; construction has finished on the Death Star, a weapon capable of destroying a planet. Princess Leia Organa, leader of the Rebel Alliance, receives the weapon's plans hoping on finding a weakness, but unfortunately for her and the Rebel Alliance, she is captured and taken to the Death Star. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has lived all alone for years on the desert planet Tatooine. After that happens, Luke's home is burned while Beru and Owen Lars (his aunt and uncle) were inside, Obi-Wan begins Luke's Jedi training as they — along with Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 — attempt to rescue the Princess from the Empire.

Written and directed by George Lucas.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... (taglines)

Opening Crawl

The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together. ~ Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire.
    During the battle, Rebel [lowercase "r" in original releases] spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.
    Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy....

Obi-Wan Kenobi

  • Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.
  • I felt a great disturbance in the Force... as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.

Dialogue

[R2-D2 abruptly begins playing Leia's holographic message at Ben Kenobi's house]
Luke Skywalker: I saw part of the message he was...
Obi-Wan Kenobi: I seem to have found it.
Princess Leia Organa: [in a hologram message] General Kenobi. Years ago, you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope. [looks to the side quickly, then crouches to end the message]
Obi-Wan: [to Luke] You must learn the ways of the Force if you're to come with me to Alderaan.
Luke: Alderaan? I'm not going to Alderaan. I've got to go home. It's late, I'm in for it as it is.
Obi-Wan: I need your help, Luke. She needs your help. I'm getting too old for this sort of thing.
Luke: Listen, I can't get involved! I've got work to do! It's not that I like the Empire, I hate it, but there's nothing I can do about it right now. It's such a long way from here.
Obi-Wan: That's your uncle talking.
Luke: Oh, boy, my uncle. How am I ever gonna explain this?
Obi-Wan: [pleading] Learn about the Force, Luke.
Luke: Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead. You can get a transport there to Mos Eisley or wherever you're going.
Obi-Wan: [resigned] You must do what you feel is right, of course.
Cassio Tagge: Until this battle station is fully operational, we are vulnerable. The Rebel Alliance is too well equipped. They're more dangerous than you realize!
Conan Antonio Motti: Dangerous to your starfleet, Commander. Not to this battle station.
Tagge: The Rebellion will continue to gain a support in the Imperial Senate, until...
Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin: [walking in with Darth Vader] The Imperial Senate will no longer be of any concern to us. I have just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently. The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away.
Tagge: That's impossible! How will the Emperor maintain control without the bureaucracy?
Tarkin: The regional governors now have direct control over their territories. Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station.
Tagge: And what of the Rebellion? If the Rebels have obtained a complete technical readout of this station, it is possible — however unlikely — that they might find a weakness and exploit it.
Darth Vader: The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands.
Motti: Any attack made by the Rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they've obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in the universe! I suggest we use it.
Vader: Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.
Motti: Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader. [Vader walks toward Motti, then slowly raises his hand] Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes or given you clairvoyance enough to find the Rebels' hidden fortr–– [grasps his throat as if he is being choked]
Vader: I find your lack of faith disturbing.
Tarkin: Enough of this. Vader, release him!
Vader: As you wish. [drops his hand and Motti's head hits the table as he regains his breath]
Tarkin: This bickering is pointless. Lord Vader will provide us with the location of the Rebel fortress by the time this station is operational. We will then crush the Rebellion with one swift stroke.
[Han is about to leave the cantina to inform Jabba he'll be getting his money soon enough when Greedo intercepts him]
Greedo: [in Huttese] Going somewhere, Solo?
Han Solo: Yes, Greedo. As a matter of fact, I was just going to see your boss. Tell Jabba that I've got his money.
Greedo: It's too late. You should've paid him when you had the chance. Jabba's put a price on your head so large, every bounty hunter in the galaxy will be looking for you. I'm lucky I found you first.
Han: Yeah, but this time I've got the money.
Greedo: If you give it to me, I might forget I found you.
Han: I don't have it with me. Tell Jabba—
Greedo: Jabba's through with you. He has no time for smugglers who drop their shipments at the first sign of an Imperial cruiser.
Han: Even I get boarded sometimes. Did you think I had a choice?
Greedo: You can tell that to Jabba. He may only take your ship.
Han: Over my dead body.
Greedo: That's the idea. I've been looking forward to this for a long time.
Han: Yes, I'll bet you have.
Greedo: I'll end you!
[Greedo and Han fire at each other, with the latter blasting Greedo from under the table with his laser pistol, killing him instantly. Han then gets up from the table and pays the bartender as he leaves the Cantina]
Han: Sorry about the mess.
[Han arrives at Docking Bay 94 and sees a familiar face]
Jabba the Hutt: [in Huttese] Solo! Come out of there, Solo! Solo!
Han Solo: Right here, Jabba. [Jabba and his henchmen turn around to see Han and Chewbacca] I've been waiting for you.
Jabba: Have you now.
Han: You didn't think I was gonna run, did you?
Jabba: Han, my boy, you disappoint me. Why haven't you paid me? And why did you fry poor Greedo?
Han: Look, Jabba, next time you wanna talk to me, come see me yourself. Don't send one of these twerps.
Jabba: Han, I can't make exceptions. What if everyone who smuggled for me dropped their cargo at the first sign of an Imperial starship? It's not good for business.
Han: Look, Jabba, even I get boarded sometimes. [accidentally steps on Jabba's tail, causing Jabba to yelp in pain] Did you think I had a choice? But I got a nice easy charter now; I'll pay you back, plus a little extra. I just need a little more time.
Jabba: Han, my boy, you're the best smuggler I ever hired. So, for an extra 20%...
Han: 15, Jabba, and don't push it.
Jabba: Okay, 15%. But if you fail me again, I'll put a price on your head so big, you won't be able to go near a civilized system.
Han: Jabba, you're a wonderful human being.
Jabba: [orders minions] Come on. [Jabba's gang leaves with bounty hunter Boba Fett following behind.]
Leia: Governor Tarkin. I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought onboard.
Tarkin: Charming to the last. You don't know how hard I found it, signing the order to terminate your life.
Leia: [sarcastically] I'm surprised you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself.
Tarkin: Princess Leia, before your execution, I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now.
Leia: The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.
Tarkin: Not after we demonstrate the power of this station. In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that will be destroyed first. Since you are reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power on your home planet of Alderaan.
Leia: [shocked] No! Alderaan is peaceful. We have no weapons. You can't possibly–
Tarkin: You'd prefer another target? A military target?! Then name the system! [stepping closer to Leia and pinning her against Darth Vader] I grow tired of asking this, so it will be the last time. Where is the Rebel base?
Leia: [looks at Alderaan for a moment, then, resigned] Dantooine. They're on Dantooine.
Tarkin: There. You see, Lord Vader? She can be reasonable. [to assistant] Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready.
Leia: [panicked] What?!
Tarkin: You are far too trusting. Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration, but don't worry. We will deal with your rebel friends soon enough.
Leia: No!
Officer: Commence primary ignition.
[Leia watches in horror as the Death Star fires and destroys Alderaan]
[Luke is training with his lightsaber and a laser remote aboard the Millennium Falcon]
Obi-Wan: Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him.
Luke: You mean it controls your actions?
Obi-Wan: Partially, but it also obeys your commands.
[Luke gets shot by the remote]
Han: [laughs] Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.
Luke: You don't believe in the Force, do you?
Han: Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful Force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny. [Kenobi smiles] Anyway, it's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense.
Obi-Wan: [gets up and takes a blast helmet] I suggest you try it again, Luke. Only this time, let go your conscious self and act on instinct. [puts the helmet on Luke, which covers his eyes]
Luke: But with the blast shield down, I can't even see! How am I supposed to fight?
Obi-Wan: Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them. [remote shoots Luke] Stretch out with your feelings! [Watches Luke succeed in blocking the lasers] You see? You can do it.
Han: I call it luck.
Obi-Wan: In my experience, there is no such thing as luck.
Vader: He is here.
Tarkin: Obi-Wan Kenobi? What makes you think so?
Vader: A tremor in the Force. The last time I felt it was in the presence of my old master.
Tarkin: Surely he must be dead by now.
Vader: Don't underestimate the Force.
Tarkin: The Jedi are extinct. Their fire has gone out of the universe. You, my friend, are all that's left of their religion. [An intercom beeps, which Tarkin answers] Yes?
Intercom: We have an emergency alert in detention block AA23.
Tarkin: The Princess? Put all sections on alert!
Vader: Obi-Wan is here. The Force is with him.
Tarkin: If you are right, he must not be allowed to escape.
Vader: Escape is not his plan. I must face him, alone.
Vader: I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but a learner. Now I am the Master.
Obi-Wan: Only a master of evil, Darth.
[Luke's X-wing is in the trench, and Darth Vader is having trouble getting a lock]
Vader: [Gets a lock] I have you now. [Suddenly, one of Vader's escorts is destroyed.] What?!
Han: YEAH-HOO!!! [The Millennium Falcon arrives on the scene.]
Vader's Escort: Look out! [Vader's surviving escort panics and crashes into the trench, and Vader's TIE Advanced is flung out into space]
Han: You're all clear, kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home! [Luke shoots at the exhaust port and with the help of the Force]
Officer: Stand by.
[The Rebels and the Millennium Falcon fly back to Yavin 4]
Officer: Stand by.
[Just as the Death Star is about to fire, it explodes]
Han: Great shot, kid! That was one in a million!
Obi-Wan: Remember... the Force will be with you, always.

Taglines

Quotes about Star Wars

  • They don't exactly give you a course in acting in a science fiction movie, At one point I'm supposed to react to seeing my planet blow up. You know, there go my parents, my record collection, everything. What do I see? A hand waving to tell me where to look.
  • Hidden Fortress was an influence on Star Wars right from the beginning. I was searching around for a story. I had some scenes—the cantina scene and the space battle scene—but I couldn’t think of a basic plot. Originally, the film was a good concept in search of a story. And then I thought of Hidden Fortress, which I’d seen again in 1972 or ’73, and so the first plots were very much like it.
    • George Lucas, as quoted in The Secret History of Star Wars (2007) by Michael Kamiski, p. 48.
  • I had the Star Wars project in mind even before I started my last picture, American Graffiti, and as soon as I finished I began writing Star Wars in January 1973... In fact, I wrote four entirely different screenplays for Star Wars, searching for just the right ingredients, characters and storyline. It's always been what you might call a good idea in search of a story.
    • George Lucas, as quoted in Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas (1983) by Dale 2 Pollock, p. 36
  • My main reason for making it was to give young people an honest, wholesome fantasy life, the kind my generation had. We had westerns, pirate movies, all kinds of great things. Now they have The Six Million Dollar Man and Kojak. Where are the romance, the adventure, and the fun that used to be in practically every movie made?

Cast

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