A New Hope

Special Edition Laserdisc Side 1 Chapters 7 (partial) and 8

Artoo and Threepio have landed on Tatooine and have been captured by Jawas who’ve now stopped by Uncle Owen’s farm to sell some used droids. Aunt Beru calls to Luke:

B: Luke! Luke! Luke, tell Uncle if he gets a translator, be sure it speaks Bocce!

L: It doesn’t look like we have much of a choice, but I’ll remind him.

O: <Speaking to Threepio> You! I supposed you’re programmed for etiquette and protocol!

T: Protocol? Why, it’s my primary function, sir. Why, I’m well versed in all the customs...

O: I have no need for a protocol droid...

T: Of course you haven’t sir...not in an environment such as this. That is why I have been programmed...

O: What I really need is a droid who understands the binary language of moisture vaporators...

T: Vaporators? Sir, my first job was programming binary load lifters, very similar to your vaporators in most respects.

O: Can you speak Bocce?

T: Of course I can, sir. It’s like a second language to me. I’m as fluent in...

O: All right, shut up. <turning to a Jawa> I’ll take this one.

T: Shutting up, sir!

O: Luke! Take these two over to the garage, will you? I’ll want them cleaned up before dinner.

L: <whining> But I was going into Tosche station to pick up some power converters.

O: You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done. Come on, get to it.

L: All right, come on. <Artoo, who’s being left behind, beeps sadly while Luke points to a different R2 unit> And the red one, come on. Well, come on Red, let’s go!

<As the droids walk away with Luke, Artoo begins to beep in panic and attempts to follow. Threepio turns and looks at Artoo, just as Jawa uses a remote control unit on Artoo, who freezes. Threepio turns his back on Artoo in apparent resignation and starts walking away again. Artoo beeps sadly once more, and then, just in the nick of time, "Red" blows a gasket and shuts down -- clearly a defective piece of machinery.>

L: Uncle Owen!

O: Yeah?

L: This R2 unit has a bad motivator, look!

O: <to Jawa> Hey, what are you trying to push on us? <Jawa jabbers while Artoo begins beeping excitedly. Threepio taps Luke on the shoulder.>

T: Excuse me, sir, but that R2 unit <pointing to Artoo> is in prime condition; a real bargain!

L: Uncle Owen!

O: Yeah?

L: <pointing to Artoo> What about that one?

O: What about that blue one? We’ll take that one.

T: <to Luke> I’m quite sure you’ll be very pleased with that one sir. It really is in first class condition; I’ve worked with him before. Here he comes. <The visual cues and the musical score indicate that Artoo is quite pleased with this turn of events.>

L: OK, let’s go.

T: <to Artoo> Now don’t you forget this. Why I should stick my neck out for you is beyond my capacity.

<Artoo whistles.>

Scene change -- Artoo, Threepio and Luke are in the garage, and Threepio is descending into a vat.

T: Thank the maker! This oil bath is going to feel so good. I’ve got such a bad case of dust contamination, I can barely move.

L: It just isn’t fair. Ahh Biggs is right. I’m never going to get out of here!

T: Is there anything I might do to help?

L: No. Not unless you can alter time, speed up the harvest, or teleport me off this rock.

T: I don’t think so, sir. I’m only a droid. I’m not very knowledgeable about such things. Not on this planet, anyway. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure which planet I’m on.

L: Well, if there’s a bright center to the universe, you’re on the planet that its farthest from.

T: I see, sir.

L: Well, you can call me Luke.

T: I see, Sir Luke.

L: <chuckling> No, it’s just Luke.

T: Oh. And I am C3-PO, human-cyborg relations. And this is my counterpart, R2-D2.

L: <scraping at Artoo> Hello! <Artoo beeps> You have a lot of carbon scoring here, looks like you boys have seen a lot of action.

T: With all we’ve been through, sometimes I’m amazed we’re in as good condition as we are, what with the rebellion and all.

L: <very excitedly> You know of the rebellion against the Empire?

T: That’s how we came to be in your service, if you take my meaning, sir.

Artoo beeps.

L: Have you been in many battles?

T: Several, I think. Actually, there’s not much to tell. I’m not much more than an interpreter, and not very good at telling stories, [well, not at making them?] interesting, anyway.

L: <still working on Artoo> Well, my little friend, you’ve got something jammed in here real good...were you on a star cruiser, or...<Suddenly there’s a burst of static, Luke apparently receives a nasty shock, and Princess Leia appears as a hologram projected by Artoo>

PL: Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.

L: What’s this?

Artoo beeps and Threepio responds:

T: What is "what?" He asked you a question! What is THAT?

PL: Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.

T: <Artoo beeps> Oh, he says it’s nothing, sir. Merely a malfunction. Old data. Pay it no mind.

L: Who is she? She’s beautiful.

T: I’m afraid I’m not quite sure, sir.

PL: Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.

T: I think she’s a passenger on our last voyage; a person of some importance, as I believe. Our captain was attached [attaché?] to...

L: Is there any more of this recording?

Artoo beeps.

T: Behave yourself, Artoo. You’re getting us into trouble. It’s all right, you can trust him. He’s our new master.

Artoo beeps.

T: <turning to Luke> He says that he’s the property of "OB-1 Kenobi," a resident of these parts. And it’s a private message for him. Quite frankly sir, I don’t know what he’s talking about. Our last master was Captain Antilles. But with all we’ve been through, this little R2 unit has become a little eccentric.

Artoo beeps.

L: Obi-Wan Kenobi, I wonder if he means old Ben Kenobi.

T: I beg your pardon sir, but do you know what he’s talking about?

L: Well, I don’t know anyone named Obi-Wan, but old Ben lives out beyond the Dune Sea, kind of a strange old hermit...

PL: Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.

L: I wonder who she is. It sounds like she’s in trouble...I’d better play back the whole thing.

Artoo beeps in protest.

T: He says the restraining bolt has short-circuited his recording system. He suggests that if you remove the bolt, he might be able to play back the entire recording.

L: Oh, yeah, well, <he picks up a tool> I guess you’re too small to run away on me if I take this off. <works on Artoo> OK, there you go... <Leia disappears> Wait a minute, bring her back. Play back the entire message.

Artoo beeps.

T: What message? <bangs Artoo on the head, or is it his lid?> The one you’ve just been playing! The one inside your rusty innards!

<Beru’s voice is heard offscreen: Luke! Luke!>

L: All right, I’ll be right there, Aunt Beru.

T: I’m sorry, sir. But he appears to have picked up a slight flutter.

L: <giving tool to Threepio> Here, see what you can do with him. I’ll be right back. <Luke leaves, and Threepio turns to Artoo>

T: Just you reconsider playing that message for him! <Artoo beeps> No! I don’t think he likes you at all. <Artoo beeps questioningly> No, I don’t like you either. <Artoo beeps sadly>

1) Is there any significance to Beru’s desire for a translator droid that speaks Bocce? When we’ve seen Episodes II and III, will this line take on more significance? Probably not, as if this is a need that’s left over from Episode III, it’s a need that has gone unfulfilled for an awfully long time. It’s probably just a throwaway line. Probably. Or maybe we’ll learn in II and III the significance of translating Bocce on Tatooine. And of course the subject could make for a nice laugh in Episode III if we ever meet a newlywed Owen and Beru, and we hear her say, "Now Owen, when are you going to buy me that Bocce translator droid you always promised?" We’d laugh in Episode III, and future audiences would laugh in Episode IV. Of course this particular line almost certainly won’t be included, but the thought helps illustrate that Episodes II and III could change the way we react to parts of the films we’ve already seen.

2) What are binary load lifters and why would little Anakin have wanted Threepio to program them? <Note to self -- rent TPM and watch carefully.> It could easily happen that we’ll learn in Episodes II and III that Threepio was programmed for etiquette and protocol so that he could carry out duties in whatever royal court "Princess" Leia comes from. But "binary load lifters" sounds like something associated with manual labor. Will be interesting to watch the transformation of Threepio from a walking skeleton to a droid who can’t tell an interesting story to a droid that can charm a tribe of Ewoks.

3) Artoo and Threepio exhibit distinct personalities and it’s obvious that prior to ANH they have established an emotional bond -- a friendship that is as close and as complicated as a human friendship. Basically, they exhibit human characteristics, and I think this is very significant regarding what I see as one of the flaws in the ending of the saga: the fact that Anakin never acknowledges these characters in Return of the Jedi (ROTJ). Artoo and Threepio are hugely significant characters -- they’re not talking vacuum cleaners -- and Anakin is Threepio’s creator. When Star Wars consisted of three films, there was no storytelling requirement for Anakin to wax eloquent about his old friends. In fact, when there were only three films, having him acknowledge them would likely have been confusing. But Star Wars is about to become a six-film story, and I’ll tell anyone who’ll listen that the ending of ROTJ as it now exists is a major storytelling blunder. You just don’t spin an epic tale like this and fail to wrap up important plot threads at the end! Dickens knew how to handle this; apparently Lucas doesn’t.

4) Threepio was built on Tatooine, and at the beginning of ANH he returns there but doesn’t know what planet he’s on. If a real world like the Galaxy Far Far Away ( GFFA) really existed, this would not only be possible, but highly likely. But this is a world of fiction, where if Lucas wanted Threepio to know where he was, he’d give evidence that Threepio recognizes Tatooine. So Threepio’s not knowing he’s on his home planet was a conscious decision by Lucas, and it could be very significant to the BS.

So what storytelling requirement does Lucas meet when he has Threepio appear confused not only about his location, but about other things, like his participation in the Rebellion? Let’s see...if blabbermouth Threepio knew where he’d landed, he’d probably have said something like the following to Luke: "Tatooine! It’s so good to be home! You know, a little boy named Anakin Skywalker created me here almost 20 years ago! And your name is Skywalker too! What a coincidence! I wonder if you’re related to my old master? By the Maker, I hope not! He was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force, you know, and now they call him Darth Vader." Nope, that wouldn’t work very well. But the scene as it exists now would make a lot of sense if we learn somewhere in Episode III that Threepio has has his memory wiped, or selectively scrambled.

For a long time I’ve argued against the contention that Lucas would allow the droids’ memories to be tampered with. Seemed like cheating with the story. But now that I think about it some more, it does make a lot of sense, especially if it’s just Threepio’s memory that has been affected. Artoo is cunning, and he talks in a language we can understand only through inflection -- he isn’t going to give away any of Lucas’ plot surprises. Threepio is a different story, and I fully expect to be presented an explanation for his apparent confusion and loss of memory at the beginning of ANH. And, to repeat myself, if a storyteller like Dickens were spinning this tale, Threepio’s memory would be restored at the end so he could celebrate the return of Anakin Skywalker. It’s just one of the emotional payoffs that’s missing from the end of ROTJ.

5) In the film of ANH, Threepio introduces himself and Artoo to Luke as follows: "And I am C3-PO, human-cyborg relations. And this is my counterpart, R2-D2." But in the novelization he says, "I am See Threepio, human-droid relations specialist....That is my companion, Artoo Deetoo." Is there a difference between a cyborg and a droid? I dunno. Seems about the same to me. But more interesting is the difference between "companion" and "counterpart." To me, "counterpart" seems a neutral word, while the novel this time emphasizes the human quality of Artoo and Threepio by calling them "companions." (Later, Threepio again refers to Artoo as his "counterpart," when talking to a stormtrooper on the Death Star.) And also, just what does a human-cyborg or human-droid relations specialist DO? Translate Bocce? Fetch coffee and slippers? I wouldn’t think such a droid would spend a lot of time toiling in the binary load lifter mines. Will be interesting to see if Lucas eventually shows Threepio doing the jobs he claims to have done. I do suspect we’ll see the droids participate in the "action" Luke finds evidence of.

6) Artoo appears to know who Leia is, but Threepio seems to have a less clear idea. Is Threepio fudging the truth? He doesn’t seem to be the type to do that. Perhaps this is more evidence of a memory erasure. I’m afraid it’s possible we will we see our old friends Artoo and Threepio appear in ANH without ever receiving an explanation of how they got from wherever they were at the end of Episode III to the ship upon which Leia was a passenger at the beginning of Episode IV.

Why does Threepio refer to "our last voyage?" Who are the implied "we?" Just Artoo and Threepio, or are others in the group? And will we know? Also, who was the captain that Threepio almost told about? Will we learn the specifics of why Leia seems to trust this particular R2 unit? Being thrust into the middle of an attack was a great way to start the Star Wars saga in 1977, but when the first three films in the story have been completed, ANH won’t be the first of anything. If it is not connected to the film that came before it, there will be the appearance of a great hole in the middle of the series.

Perhaps that hole would work, and perhaps it wouldn’t. My opinion is that it would work -- Episode III seems likely to end when Luke and Leia are infants, and the Anakin we know and love has ceased to exist, and there will be a never-investigated gap of about 18-20 years in which Luke and Leia grow up while Vader develops into the devil he becomes, and Obi-Wanders in the desert like John the Baptist, waiting for the Messiah. (Oooooh! Yesssss!) Then when future audiences are dropped into the middle of the action at the beginning of ANH, they’ll be no more and no less confused than audiences in 1977. I like it. But I still contend Lucas ought to provide an explanation for Threepio’s confusion.

7) Threepio seems unsure about the number of battles he’s been through. His vocal inflection when he says "several, I think" seems significant, as he really seems unsure. And if this is significant, what does it mean? Would Lucas in 1976 have been so confident of success (and sequels) that he would have directed Anthony Daniels to give the line an inflection that indicates Threepio’s memory has been tampered with? Or is this just a throwaway line. I contend it’s the former, and that Lucas really was that confident. Will be interesting to find out.

8) Artoo and Threepio do a nice comedy routine when the hologram of Leia appears. Threepio treats Artoo like a child, or a dog, but it’s obvious that Artoo is the smarter of the pair. Artoo uses cunning to pique Luke’s interest and gain his assistance, while never revealing Leia’s secret message. Threepio tries to convince Artoo that Luke is their master, but Artoo insists that he is the property of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Is this more evidence that at some point blabbermouth Threepio’s memory was tampered with, and that Artoo remembers everything?

9) In the film, Threepio says that their last master was Captain Antilles, but in the novelization he says their last master was Captain Colton. Since for purposes of this exercise I’m considering the films to be the only canon, we’ll ignore the "Colton" business and wonder who this "Antilles" fellow is. I don’t think it’s Wedge Antilles, one of Luke’s fighter pilot friends -- if it were, why wouldn’t this fact be brought out by the droids when Wedge appears near the end of ANH? Could be Wedge’s father, I suppose, though if that’s the case the connection would be so lost on most people that including it would make little sense. And besides, isn’t Captain Antilles the poor fellow Vader chokes and dashes to the floor at the beginning of ANH? The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) doesn’t list a Captain Antilles as a character, and it does list a LOT of characters in ANH. So I dunno. This one’s a mystery. Or maybe something of a continuity error.

10) When Artoo and Threepio are alone, they don’t whisper secrets about tracking down Obi-Wan. Threepio really does seem ignorant of their mission, and Artoo seems to go along with him in a humorous way, all the while staying focused on his orders from Leia. I see this as more evidence that Threepio isn’t quite all there.