FADE UP:
EXT. LARS HOMESTEAD (TATOOINE) – DAY
Footage from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope begins to play:
1) LUKE SKYWALKER and UNCLE OWEN standing with their new purchases from the JAWAS’ SANDCRAWLER -“Luke, take these two over to the garage, will you?
I want you to have both of them cleaned up before dinner.”
UNCLE OWEN
“You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done.
Now come on, get to it.”
LUKE
(motioning to droids)
“Alright, come on...”
2) Mournful orchestral music swells as LUKE gazes out on the twin suns of his home planet, before turning away and venturing back to his workshop.
FADE TO:
EXT. TOSCHE STATION – NEXT DAY
Brief establishing shot of the locale: a run-down fuelling garage in the middle of the desert with a large painted sign above it which reads, “TOSCHE STATION”.
INT. TOSCHE STATION – SAME TIME
We observe a bored-looking attendant in his early 30s stood idly flicking through a magazine while leaning over the service counter. He is wearing a light blue work-shirt emblazoned with a sew-on patch stating his name. This is KLASH RENDARK, the station’s proprietor.
From his perspective, we see a close-up of the station’s APPOINTMENT DIARY. The current day is marked by a ringed note which reads: “LUKE S – pick up power converters”.
Noting this, KLASH picks up the phone and dials a number. We hear the sound of the ANSWERING MACHINE on the other end as a clock ticks impassively in the background.(V.O.)
“Hi, this is Beru and Owen Lars. We’re not home right now,
but please leave a message after the beep.”
SFX (OVER PHONE): sound of an R2 unit chirping.
- Uh, hey there Luke, this is Klash Rendark calling from
the Tosche Station at Anchorhead.
As he speaks, he eyes two large, unwieldy round metal objects taking up a considerable amount of space on one side of the room.
I’ve got those two power converters here that you ordered in last week – they’re pretty big and are kind of in the way here, so if you could swing by and pick them up whenever you get the chance, that’d be great. Alright, see you later, buddy – ’bye...
He hangs up the phone and continues reading his magazine.
CUT TO:
EXT. TATOOINE – SAME TIME
More footage from A New Hope, intercut quickly:
1) A TUSKEN RAIDER attacking LUKE before startling at the sound of BEN KENOBI approaching;2) LUKE sparking up his father’s lightsaber in BEN’S DWELLING –
“Not as clumsy or random as a blaster;
an elegant weapon, for a more civilised age...”
“Wait, Luke! It’s too dangerous...!”
4) LUKE lowering his head sadly as he observes the burning LARS HOMESTEAD.
CUT TO:
INT. TOSCHE STATION - LATER
From KLASH’s point-of-view, we see a distant billow of black smoke wisping over the horizon as he listens to the telephone’s dial-tone.
At the sound of the R2 unit, he leaves another message.
- Uh, yeah, Luke, buddy, Klash again here from over at the Tosche Station. Listen, I know you’re probably tied up reprogramming those moisture vaporators at the moment, but I could really do with you giving me a hand and grabbing these power converters when you get the chance.
From the adjacent room, we hear the voice of his nagging WIFE.
(O.S.)
“KLASH! Did you get rid of those friggin’ eyesores yet...?!”
(shielding receiver)
- Just a couple of parsecs, honey...!
(back into phone)
- I mean, I wouldn’t normally badger you about it, but it was quite an expensive item to order in, you know – not the king of thing I can really afford to have lying around, especially since the taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems came into effect. I’ve really put a lot on the line here buddy, so just give me a call, yeah? See ya later...
He hangs up.
CUT TO:
More footage from A New Hope:
“Han Solo. I’m captain of the Millennium Falcon.
Chewie here tells me you’re looking for passage to
the Alderaan system...”
2) The MILLENNIUM FALCON hurtling away from DOCKING BAY 94 while being blasted by STORMTROOPERS;
3) HAN, CHEWBACCA, BEN and LUKE in the cockpit of the MILLENNIUM FALCON as it is rocked by laser fire -
“Why are we still moving towards it?!”
HAN
“We’re caught in a tractor beam, it’s pulling us in!”
4) The MILLENNIUM FALCON being drawn into an open port of the DEATH STAR.
CUT TO:
From inside the main service room, we hear the sound of an argument taking place off-screen. Though the door to the adjoining room is closed, we are able to make out the dialogue through the wall:
(O.S.)
“I told you, I’ve been calling him but he hasn’t picked up yet!”
WIFE
(O.S.)
“Well that’s just not good enough! It’s almost a week now those things have been hanging round, and I’ve told you before about ordering in expensive parts that never get collected!”
KLASH
(O.S.)
“Honey, I’m trying...!”
WIFE
“How are we going to balance the books again this season with a massive outlay like that lying around? And have you even begun to think about paying the Hutts back for that loan we took out last summer? You know I hate that Rodian bugging me at home...”
CUT TO:
More footage from A New Hope:
1) LUKE bursting into a DEATH STAR DETENTION CELL in his Stormtrooper outfit to greet PRINCESS LEIA –
“Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper...?”
“Huh? Oh, the uniform!”
(removing helmet)
”I’m Luke Skywalker, I’m here to rescue you!”
“You’re who...?”
2) LUKE and LEIA on the broken EXTENSION BRIDGE of a Death Star tunnel as LUKE hooks his utility belt cord onto an outcropping of pipes.
(kissing his cheek)
“For luck!”
3) HAN and CHEWBACCA in the cockpit of the MILLENNIUM FALCON -
HAN
“Okay, hit it!”
The FALCON rockets away from the Death Star.
CUT TO:
INT. TOSCHE STATION – LATER
We hear the sound of the clock ticking again as KLASH leans over the service counter boredly thumbing through another magazine. The power converters are still taking up a disproportionate amount of space in the room.
CUT TO:
Footage from A New Hope:
1) LUKE and HAN in gun turrets of the MILLENNIUM FALCON as TIE-FIGHTERS approach –
“Here they come!”
HAN hits a fighter with his laser-cannon and laughs victoriously.
“There are still two more of them out there!”
LUKE blasts an incoming TIE-FIGHTER as it approaches front and centre.
CUT TO:
INT. TOSCHE STATION – LATER
KLASH enters the main service room through the residence door, and observes a hand-written note left for him on the counter. It reads: “I’M LEAVING YOU. x ”
The clock ticks impassively in the background as his face slumps in dejection.
CUT TO:
Footage from A New Hope:
1) X-WING PILOTS beginning their assault on the DEATH STAR –“All wings report in.”
RED TEN
“Red Ten standing by...”
RED SEVEN
“Red Seven standing by...”
LUKE
“Red Five standing by...”
RED LEADER
“Lock S-foils in attack position...”
The X-WING FIGHTERS descend into the trench of the DEATH STAR.
2) TIE-FIGHTERS pursuing the various REBEL FIGHTERS through the
DEATH STAR TRENCH -
“I can’t manoeuvre!”
GOLD FIVE
“Stay on target...”
GOLD LEADER
“We’re too close!”
GOLD FIVE
“Stay on target...”
GOLD LEADER
“Loosen up!"
He is blasted to smithereens by a pursuing TIE-FIGHTER.
CUT TO:
INT. TOSCHE STATION – KLASH’S KITCHEN
The kitchen is an unholy mess, with dirty dishes and empty food containers strewn around at random. An unshaven, dishevelled-looking KLASH sits at the dining table in his vest and pants, dejectedly sipping from a glass of blue milk.A large WOMP RAT scurries through the room, stopping to nibble at some discarded food on the floor.
- GET...!
CUT TO:
Footage from A New Hope:
1) DARTH VADER ricocheting in his TIE-FIGHTER cockpit as he is spun off course by HAN in the MILLENNIUM FALCON -
“What - ?!”
HAN
“Yeeeeeeaaah-hooo! You’re all clear, kid,
now let’s blow this thing and go home!”
LUKE concentrates on the advancing exhaust port and fires his torpedoes.
2) The DEATH STAR explodes in a blistering supernova as the remaining REBEL FIGHTERS pull away.
CUT TO:
EXT. TOSCHE STATION – SAME TIME
A broken-looking KLASH locks the dilapidated station behind him as he wanders outside. He hangs a sign on the door which says “OUT OF BUSINESS” and begins to mope away.
As he passes the two large power converters – bundled haphazardly outside the main station window with a sign next to them which reads “PLEASE HELP YOURSELF” - he is distracted by the faint sound of a muffled commotion off-screen.
He looks up at the sky, observes the remnants of a large explosion somewhere off in the distance, and dejectedly trudges away.
FIN.
C.C. 23/11/11
