Return of the Jedi

Immediately, the skiff takes another direct hit from the barge's deck gun. Shards of skiff deck fly. Chewie and Han are thrown against the rail.

HAN

Chewie, you okay? Where is he?

The Wookiee is wounded and he howls in pain.

HAN

I'm okay, pal.

For a moment, Luke is distracted, and in that moment, Boba fires a cable out of his armored sleeve. Instantly, Luke is wrapped in a strong cable, his arms pinned against his side, his sword arm free only from the wrist down. Luke bends his wrist so the lightsaber points straight up to reach the wire lasso and cuts through. Luke shrugs away the cable and stands free.

Another blast from the Barge's deck gun hits near Boba and he is knocked unconscious to the deck, next. to where Lando is hanging.

LANDO

Han! Chewie?

HAN

Lando!

Luke is a little shaken but remains standing as a fusillade brackets him. The second skiff, loaded with guards firing their weapons, moves in on Luke fast. Luke leaps toward the incoming second skiff. The young Jedi leaps into the middle of the second skiff and begins decimating the guards from their midst.

Chewie, wounded, tries to lift himself as he barks directions to Han, guiding him toward a spear which has been dropped by one of the guards. Han searches the deck as Chewie barks directions; finally he grabs hold of the spear.

Boba Fett, badly shaken, rises from the deck. He looks over at the other skiff, where Luke is whipping a mass of guards. Boba raises his arm, and aims his lethal appendage.

Chewie barks desperately at Han.

HAN

Boba Fett?! Boba Fett?! Where?

The space pirate turns around blindly, and the long spear in his hand whacks squarely in the middle of Boba's rocket pack.

The impact of the swing causes the rocket pack to ignite. Boba blasts off, flying over the second skiff like a missile, smashing against the side of the huge Sail Barge and sliding away into the pit. He screams as his armored body makes its last flight past Lando and directly into the mucous mouth of the Sarlacc. The Sarlacc burps. Chewie growls a weak congratulations to Han.

INT. SAIL BARGE

Leia turns from the spectacle outside, leaps onto Jabba's throne, and throws the chain that enslaves her over his head around his bulbous neck. Then she dives off the other side of the throne, pulling the chain violently in her grasp. Jabba's flaccid neck contracts beneath the tightening chain. His huge eyes bulge from their sockets and his scum-coated tongue flops out. The Exalted Hutt's huge tail spasms through its death throes and then slams down into final stillness. Leia struggles to free herself of her bondage.

EXT. SKIFF

Luke continues to destroy the aliens on the guards' skiff, as Han extends his spear downward to Lando, who is still dangling precariously from a rope on the prisoner's skiff.

HAN

Lando, grab it!

LANDO

Lower it!

HAN

I'm trying!

A major hit from the barge deck gun knocks the skiff on its side. Han and almost everything else on board slides overboard. The rope breaks, and Lando falls to the side of the Sarlacc pit. Luckily, Han's foot catches on the skiff railing and he dangles above Lando and the pit. The wounded Wookiee holds onto the skiff for dear life as another hit from the deck gun rocks the skiff violently.

HAN

Whoa! Whoa! Grab me, Chewie! I'm slipping.

Chewie grabs hold of Han's feet, holding him upside down, as Han extends the spear toward Lando, who is clutching to the side of the pit.

HAN

Grab it! L-Lando. Grab!

Luke finishes off the last guard on the second skiff. He sees the deck gun blasting away at his helpless companions. Luke leaps from the skiff, across a chasm of air, to the sheer metallic side of the Sail Barge. Barely able to get a fingerhold, he begins a painful climb up the hull, when suddenly an ax smashes through a window an inch from his head. With Jedi agility, Luke grasps the wrist holding the ax and yanks the helpless guard through the broken window and into the deadly pit.

The injured Chewie is reaching over the rail for the dangling Han, who is in turn blindly reaching down toward the desperate Lando. The Baron has stopped his slippage down the sandy slope of the Sarlacc pit by lying very still. Every time he tries to reach for Han, the loose sand moves him closer to his final reward.

HAN

Grab it! Almost... You almost got it!

Another blast hits the front of the tilted skiff, causing Lando to let go of the spear.

LANDO

Hold it! Whoa!

Again Han extends the spear toward Lando.

HAN

Gently now. All... all right. Now easy, easy. Hold me, Chewie.

Lando screams. One of the Sarlacc's tentacles has wrapped tightly around his ankle, dragging him down the side of the pit.

HAN

Chewie! Chewie, give me the gun. Don't move, Lando.

LANDO

No, wait! I thought you were blind!

HAN

It's all right. Trust me. Don't move.

LANDO

All right! A little higher! Just a little higher!

Han adjusts his aim as Lando lowers his head, and the fuzzy-eyed pirate fires at the tentacle. Direct hit. The tentacle releases Lando, and Chewie starts to pull them on board the skiff.

HAN

Chewie, Pull us up! Come on! Okay... up, Chewie, up!

EXT. UPPER DECK

The deck gunners have Chewie and the desperate dangling human chain in their gun sights when something up on deck commands their attention: Luke, standing before them like a pirate king, ignites his lightsaber. The deck gunners have barely reached for their pistols before the young Jedi has demolished them. Immediately, Luke turns to see two more gunners (who have been uncovering a giant gun at the end of the barge) racing for him, firing their laser pistols.

INT. SAIL BARGE – OBSERVATION DECK

Leia is struggling against her chains in desperation as Artoo zips through the tumult of confused monsters to the rescue; the stubby little droid extends a small laser gun and blasts the chain apart.

LEIA

Come on. We gotta get out of here quick.

Artoo and Leia race for the exit, passing Threepio, who is kicking and screaming as Salacious Crumb, the reptilian monkey-monster picks out one of the golden droid's eyes.

THREEPIO

Not my eyes! Artoo, help! Quickly, Artoo. Oh! Ohhh! You beast!

Artoo zips over and zaps Salacious, sending him skyward with a scream, crashing into the rafters as Artoo, Leia, and Threepio (with his eye dangling from a wire) hurry off.

EXT. UPPER DECK – SAIL BARGE

Luke is warding off laser blasts with his lightsaber, surrounded by guards and fighting like a demon. Leia emerges onto the deck as Luke turns to face another guard.

LUKE

(to Leia)

Get the gun! Point it at the deck!

Leia turns toward the barge cannon, climbs on the platform, and swivels the gun around.

LUKE

Point it at the deck!

A laser blast hits Luke's mechanical hand and he bends over in pain, but manages to swing his lightsaber upward and take out the last of the guards. He looks at the wounded hand, which reveals the mechanism. He flexes the hand; it still works.

Near the rail of the upper deck, Artoo and Threepio steady themselves as Threepio gets ready to jump. Artoo beeps wildly.

THREEPIO

Artoo, where are we going? I couldn't possibly jump.

Artoo butts the golden droid over the edge and steps off himself, tumbling toward the sand.

Luke runs along the empty deck toward Leia and the barge gun, which she has brought around to point down at the deck.

LUKE

Come on!

Luke has hold on one of the rigging ropes from the mast. He gathers Leia in his other arm and kicks the trigger of the deck gun. The gun explodes into the deck as Luke and Leia swing out toward the skiff.

EXT. SKIFF

Han leans panting against the rail as Chewie helps Lando onto the deck. Luke and Leia land on the skiff with flair.

LUKE

Let's go! And don't forget the droids.

LANDO

We're on our way.

The Sail Barge is exploding in stages in the distance. Half of the huge craft is on fire.

EXT. SAND DUNE

Threepio's legs stick straight up from the dune where he landed. Next to it, Artoo's periscope is the only thing above the sand. The skiff floats above them and two large electromagnets dangle down on a wire. With a loud CLANG, both droids are pulled from the sand.

EXT. DUNE SEA

The little skiff skips around the burning Sail Barge, which continues its chain of explosions. As the skiff sails off across the desert, the barge settles to the sand and disappears in one final conflagration.

EXT. DUNE SEA – LANDING AREA

A ferocious sandstorm blocks our view. Then, through the ROAR, we HEAR THE VOICES of our heroes. They emerge slowly from the veil of sand, pressing on against the wind. First come Artoo and Threepio, followed by Leia guiding Han, then Luke and Lando come into view, each supporting one side of the towering Chewbacca, who hobbles from his wound.

Soon, they can make out some large vague shapes in the blowing sand. It is the Millennium Falcon and, parked beside it, Luke's trusty X-wing and a two-seated Y-wing. They must shout to be heard.