Rough Draft [First of four major
screenplay drafts]
Lucasfilm Ltd.
5/74
1. FADE
IN:
SPACE
A sea of stars is broken by the vast blue
surface of the planet, Utapau. Five
small moons slowly drift into view from
the far side of the planet. The main
titles are followed by a roll-up:
Until the recent Great Rebellion, the Jedi
Bendu were the most feared warriors
in the universe. For one hundred thousand years, generations of
Jedi
perfected their art as the personal
bodyguards of the emperor. They were the
chief architects of the invincible
Imperial Space Force which expanded the
Empire across the galaxy, from the
celestial equator to the farthest reaches
of the Great Rift.
Now these legendary warriors are all but
extinct. One by one they have been
hunted down and destroyed as enemies of
the New Empire by a ferocious and
sinister rival warrior sect, the Knights
of Sith.
A small silver
spacecraft emerges from behind one of the Utapau moons.
The
deadly little
fightercraft speeds past several of the moons, until it finally
goes into orbit
around the fourth moon.
2. WASTELAND - FOURTH MOON - UTAPAU
A harsh gale
blows across the bleak grey surface of the Fourth Moon.
The
leaden sky
presses down on a lone figure, Annikin Starkiller, a tall, heavy-
set boy of
eighteen. He slowly makes his way across the
canyon floor. The
heavy winds
whip at him and make the going extremely difficult. His
face is
covered by a
breath mask and goggles. He stops for a
second to adjust the
shoulder strap
on his chrome multiplelaser rifle. Something
in the sky
catches his
eye, and he instinctively grabs a pair of electrobinoculars from
his belt. He stands transfixed for a few moments, studying
the heavens, then
turns and
rushes back in the direction from which he came.
3. SUPPLY HUT - FOURTH MOON - UTAPAU
A spacecraft,
half buried in the dust, rests next to the remains of an
abandoned
supply shack. Annikin makes his way across
the colorless landscape
and rushes into
the crumbling building. The interior of the
hut is shabby,
but manages to
abate the howling winds. Seated in front of a
thermoheater are
Annikin's
father, Kane, and his young brother, Deak. Kane
is a large, burly
man, wearing
the distinctive robes of a Jedi. Deak is ten
years old, with
dusty blond
hair and a large scratch on his cheek. Annikin
slams the door and
removes his
gear. His ruggedly handsome face is caked
with many layers of
dust.
ANNIKIN
Dad! Dad!...They've found us!
Deak looks up
from a small cube he has been studying. His
father whacks him
across the
shoulder with a braided wire connector.
KANE
Continue with
the problem. Your concentration is worse than
your brother's.
(to Annikin)
How many?
ANNIKIN
Only one this
time. A Banta Four.
KANE
Good. We may not have to repair this old bucket after
all. Prepare yourself.
DEAK
Me too!
KANE
Do you have the
answer?
DEAK
I think it's
the Corbet dictum: "What is, is
without."
Kane smiles. This is the correct answer. Annikin is strapping on a utility
belt with
chrome laserpistols and lasersword. Kane
rises and starts for his
equipment.
DEAK (Con't)
Ahhh, Pop...
KANE
Deak, do you
feel you're ready?
DEAK
Yes, sir. I've outmarked Annikin in twelve disciplines. I'm as good...
KANE
All right, son,
get your gear.
Deak jumps up
with the enthusiasm available only to a ten-year-old and grabs
his gear. His father frowns and shakes his head.
4. WASTELAND BLUFF - FOURTH MOON - UTAPAU
Kane Starkiller
and his two sons carefully make their way up a rock bluff
overlooking the
parked silver Sith spacecraft. Kane inspects
the craft with
his
electrobinoculars.
KANE
No tracks. Bi-lock hasn't been opened....Interior systems are
still on....
ANNIKIN
Are we going to
wait for him to come out?
KANE
He's not in
there....He's baiting us. I'm surprised they
only sent one this
time. We must be wearing them down, or they must think
this knight is
something
special....Stay on guard, and keep hidden. I'm
going to work my way
across the
ridge and call his bluff. Better we meet in
open combat than wait
for him to
ambush us....Keep your guard!
Kane leaves his
two sons and moves off along the obscured
ridge. Annikin and
Deak watch him
intently. Annikin throws down his
multiplelaser rifle in
disgust.
ANNIKIN
He should have
let me go with him....He's getting too old to make an open
challenge.
DEAK
He's not too
old to realize you'd just get in the way.
Annikin ignores
his little brother's remark and sneaks a look over the ridge
at the Sith
spacecraft. Kane moves out of the rocks some
distance away and
starts toward
the starship. Deak moves to the ridge next to
his brother, his
chrome
laserrifle sparkling in the reflected light of Utapau.
DEAK
He's making his
move....
ANNIKIN
Watch your
guard...and cover that weapon. It shines like
a beacon.
Deak
reluctantly move away and watches the other direction.
Kane has almost
reached the
Sith spacecraft and still there is no sign of its occupant.
DEAK
What's
happening?
ANNIKIN
Nothing. I don't like it.
Kane carefully moves to the