Return of the Jedi

LUKE

Your overconfidence is your weakness.

EMPEROR

Your faith in your friends is yours.

VADER

It is pointless to resist, my son.

The Emperor turns to face Luke.

EMPEROR

(angry)

Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design.

(indicates Endor)

Your friends up there on the Sanctuary Moon...

Luke reacts. The Emperor notes it.

EMPEROR

(continuing)

... are walking into a trap. As is your Rebel fleet! It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them.

Luke's look darts from the Emperor to Vader and, finally, to the sword in the Emperor's hand.

EMPEROR

Oh... I'm afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive.

INT. BUNKER – MAIN CONTROL ROOM

Han, Leia, Chewie, and the Rebel strike team storm through a door and enter the main control room, taking all of the personnel prisoner.

HAN

All right! Up! Move! Come on! Quickly! Quickly, Chewie.

The Rebel troops herd the generator controllers away from their panels. Leia glances at one of the screens on the control panel.

LEIA

Han! Hurry! The fleet will be here any moment.

HAN

Charges! Come on, come on!

Outside, Threepio watches nervously in the bushes as several more controllers and stormtroopers run into the bunker, leaving guards at the door.

THREEPIO

(to Wicket)

Oh, my! They'll be captured!

Wicket chatters in Ewok language, and then takes off full steam into the forest.

THREEPIO

Wa-wait! Wait, come back! Artoo, stay with me.

Inside the bunker, Han looks up from setting charges as an Imperial commander enters.

COMMANDER

Freeze! You Rebel scum.

Han and Leia spin, to find dozens of Imperial weapons trained on them and their cohorts. A poised force of Imperial troops surround them. Even more pour into the room, roughly disarming the Rebel contingent. Han, Leia, and Chewie exchange looks. They're helpless.

EXT. SPACE – ENDOR, DEATH STAR, REBEL FLEET

The Death Star and its Sanctuary Moon hang distant in space as the Rebel fleet comes out of hyperspace with an awesome roar. The Millennium Falcon and several Rebel fighters are at the front as the space armada bears down on its target.

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON – COCKPIT

Lando flips switches, checks his screen, and speaks into the radio.

LANDO

All wings report in.

WEDGE

Red Leader standing by.

GRAY LEADER

Gray Leader standing by.

GREEN LEADER

Green Leader standing by.

WEDGE

Lock S-foils in attack positions.

INT. REBEL STAR CRUISER – BRIDGE

From the bridge of the Rebel Headquarters Frigate, Admiral Ackbar watches the fighters massing outside his viewscreen.

ACKBAR

May the Force be with us.

INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON – COCKPIT

Lando looks worriedly at his alien copilot, Nien Nunb, who points to the control panel and talks to Lando.

LANDO

We've got to be able to get some kind of a reading on that shield, up or down. Well, how could they be jamming us if they don't know if we're coming.

Lando shoots a concerned look out at the approaching Death Star as the implications of what he's just said sink in. He hits a switch on his comlink.

LANDO

Break off the attack! The shield is still up.

RED LEADER (V.O.)

I get no reading. Are you sure?

LANDO

Pull up! All craft pull up!

The Falcon turns hard to the left. Out the window the stars and the Death Star move off right.

EXT. SPACE – DEATH STAR SHIELD

The Falcon and the fighters of Red Squad veer off desperately to avoid the unseen wall.

INT. REBEL STAR CRUISER – BRIDGE

Alarms are screaming and lights flashing as the huge ship changes course abruptly. Other ships in the fleet shoot by outside as the armada tries to halt its forward momentum.

ACKBAR

Take evasive action! Green Group, stick close to holding sector MV-7.

A Mon Calamari controller turns away from his screen and calls out to Ackbar, quite excited. The Admiral rushes over to the controller.

CONTROLLER

Admiral, we have enemy ships in sector 47.

On the screen can be seen the moon, Death Star, and the massive Imperial fleet. Ackbar moves to the comlink.

ACKBAR

It's a trap!

LANDO

(over comlink)

Fighters coming in.

There is much excitement on the bridge as the attack begins.

The Millennium Falcon and several squads of Rebel fighters head into an armada of TIE fighters. The sky explodes as a fierce dogfight ensues in and around the giant Rebel cruisers.

REBEL PILOT

There's too many of them!

LANDO

Accelerate to attack speed! Draw their fire away from the cruisers.

WEDGE

Copy, Gold Leader.

The battle continues around the giant cruisers.

INT. DEATH STAR – EMPEROR'S THRONE ROOM

Through the round window behind the Emperor's throne can be seen the distant flashes of the space battle in progress.

EMPEROR

Come, boy. See for yourself.

The Emperor is sitting in his throne, with Vader standing at his side. Luke moves to look through a small section of the window.

EMPEROR

From here you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance, and the end of your insignificant Rebellion.

Luke is in torment. He glances at his lightsaber sitting on the armrest of the throne. The Emperor watches him and smiles, touches the lightsaber.

EMPEROR

You want this, don't you? The hate is swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment, you make yourself more my servant.

Vader watches Luke in his agony.

LUKE

No!

EMPEROR

It is unavoidable. It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now mine!

EXT. FOREST – GENERATOR BUNKER

Han, Leia, Chewie, and the rest of the strike team are led out of the bunker by their captors. The surrounding area, deserted before, is now crowded with two-legged Imperial walkers and hundreds of Imperial troops. The situation looks hopeless.

STORMTROOPER

All right, move it! I said move it! Go on!

From the undergrowth beyond the clearing comes a wild series of beeps and whistles. And –

THREEPIO

Hello! I say, over there! Were you looking for me?

BUNKER COMMANDER

Bring those two down here!

STORMTROOPER

Let's go!

Artoo and Threepio are standing near one of the big trees. As six Imperial stormtroopers rush over to take them captive, the two droids duck out of sight behind the tree.

THREEPIO

Well, they're on their way. Artoo, are you sure this was a good idea?

STORMTROOPER

Freeze! Don't move!

THREEPIO

We surrender.

The stormtroopers come around the tree and find the two droids waiting quietly to be taken. As the Imperial troops move to do that, however, a band of Ewoks drops down from above and overpowers them.

THREEPIO

Ohhh! Stand back, Artoo.

In a nearby tree, an Ewok raises a horn to his lips and sounds the EWOK ATTACK CALL. All hell breaks loose as hundreds of Ewoks throw their fuzzy bodies into the fray against the assembled stormtroopers and their awesome two-legged walkers.

Biker scouts dart about blasting Ewoks, only to be crushed by a volley of rocks tossed by Ewoks from the trees above.

In the confusion of the battle, Han and Leia break away and dive for the cover of the bunker door as explosions erupt around them. Han goes to the bunker door control panel.

LEIA

The code's changed. We need Artoo!