Young Luke Skywalker is filled with longing to leave his home planet of Tattoine. In his words, "If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet it's farthest from." As he chases a runaway R2 unit, he is attacked by Tuscan Raiders, and saved by the old hermit Ben Kenobi. Having been warned about him all his lilfe, Luke is wary, until he learns that not only was Ben a famous Jedi Knight, he was the General Obi-Wan Kenobi who the runaway droid was looking for. Luke soon finds out that Obi-Wan had known Luke's late father, Anakin Skywalker, and had trained the man in the Jedi arts. Luke is offered the chance to train also, but he refuses. Upon returning to his home, however, Luke finds that his aunt and uncle have been brutally murdered by Imperial Storm Troopers under the command of the Empire. Turning to Ben, he agrees to train as a Jedi Knight, and together they realize that the R2 unit contains secret plans that must get to the Rebel Alliance without fail. They enlist a renegade smuggler called Han Solo in their bid to escape the Storm Troopers.

Luke and Obi-Wan

Accompanied by Solo and his co-pilot, a Wookiee named Chewbacca, they escape from the planet, headed for the planet Alderaan, to find the Princess Leia and deliver to her the secret plans.

Princess Leia has been captured by Grand Moff Tarkin and the evil Darth Vader, a Sith Lord who serves the Emperor. Refusing to reveal the location of the Rebel Base under torture, Vader threatens to blow up the entire planet of Alderaan to get her cooperation. With the power of his mighty Death Star behind him, the princess has no choice but to give him the information he wants, naming the planet of Danttoine. As a show of strength, Tarkin commands the destruction of Alderaan, and the Death Star goes into use for the first time.

On board The Millenium Falcon, Obi-Wan senses the deaths of the millions on Alderaan, and upon arriving at the system, they find the planet destroyed, and are captured by the Death Star's tractor beam. As Obi-Wan infiltrates the Death Star in an attempt to cut off the beam, the others discover the Princess on board as a captive and Luke charges off to rescue her.

Han Solo & Chewbacca

With Han and Chewie as reluctant partners, Luke, R2, and C3PO rescue the Princess from the detention block, and make it back to their ship in the hanger. Obi-Wan, meanwhile has managed to cut off the tractor beam, but before reaching the ship, is discovered by Darth Vader, his old apprentice. In a battle witnessed by all, the duel ends with Obi-Wan sacrificing himself, and a grief stricken Luke takes off with his new partners.

Princess Leia

Leia takes the group to a moon of the planet Yavin 4, which is the true Rebel Base, and they begin to analyze the plans in R2, which are plans to the Death Star, searching for a weakness. But the ship was traced, and the Death Star is on it's way to the base. In a desperate bid, the Rebel pilots, with Luke and R2 in their midst, launch an attack on the Death Star, with a target of only 3 meters to aim for.

The space battle rages, and numerous attempts to hit their target fail. Finally, Luke and R2 make their run, and on the Death Star Darth Vader decides to go after him personally. He senses a unusual amount of Force in the young Rebel pilot, and knows he is the only one who can take him on. As Grand Moff Tarkin refuses to evacuate, Luke is chased by Vader, and as Vader closes in for the kill, the mercenary Han Solo has a change of heart, and on his ship The Millenium Falcon, closes on Vader and knocks him off course. Luke hits the target dead on, and as the fleeing and cheering Rebel pilots watch, the Death Star explodes from the inside out.

And so the first installment ends, with a celebration and medals and cheering on the planet's surface, and Darth Vader down but definately not out.

The Millenium Falcon

Heros of the Rebellion