Pattern and Web

"Pattern and Web"

Opening crawl[]

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there came a time of revolution, when rebels united to challenge a tyrannical empire. Now, the final act of this cosmic struggle races towards its climax. The Empire's new and more powerful Death Star nears completion, preparing to unleash planet-crushing power and give its overlords ironclad dominion over the galaxy. But around the planet Sullust, the total resources of the Rebel Alliance have been marshaled for one ultimate, desperate attempt to smash the imperial juggernaut. From Sullust, there can be no going back. After Sullust, there can only come freedom or oblivion.Aboard the Headquarters Frigate, flagship of the Alliance Fleet, the Rebels await their briefing for the great assault, among them, a group of friends just back from Tatooine. And if there has been little time for rest and recuperation, still, the layover at Sullust has brought about some definite changes.

Plot summary[]

On the RebelHeadquarters Frigate near theSullust system, the leaders of theRebel Alliance assemble for a briefing about thenew Death Star and the mission to destroy it.Lando Calrissian andHan Solo tease one another about their respective promotions to the rank ofgeneral and their leadership roles in the coming fight: Lando will lead the fighter assault into the incomplete Death Star's interior, while Han will lead a team of commandos on the surface of theForest Moon of Endor to disable the station'sdeflector shield. During the briefing,Chewbacca,See-Threepio,Leia Organa, andLuke Skywalker (withArtoo-Detoo) volunteer to join Solo as part of the command crew of the stolenimperial shuttleTydirium, which they will use to infiltrate the Forest Moon. Lando, meanwhile, will fly in his old ship, theMillennium Falcon.

The crew board the shuttle and prepare to depart. Han asks if Luke wants to take a spare blaster, but he insists on arming himself only withhis lightsaber. Trusting inthe Force, Luke is confident in the mission's success, but Han is more anxious and fears that he will never see theFalcon again. TheTydirium approaches the Death Star and transmits atransponder code to allow it to land on the moon. Luke senses the presence ofDarth Vader as they fly past aSuper Star Destroyer. He fears that he is endangering the mission, and now it is Han's turn to reassure him. There is a long, nervous pause, but the shuttle is allowed to proceed.

Soon after landing on Endor, the Rebels encounter a pair ofscout troopers. Han and Chewbacca try to outflank them stealthily but are noticed.One of the pair rides away on hisspeeder bike; Luke and Leia hop on the other bike and ride after him through the trees. When another pair of scouts spot them and give chase, Luke and Leia are separated and Luke knocked off his speeder. He destroys theremaining scout's speeder with his lightsaber, but when he returns to the Rebel commandos, Leia is missing. The Rebels then split up: Han, Chewbacca, and the droids join Luke to search for Leia whileMajor Derlin leads the others to theEndor shield generator.

Leia, also knocked from her speeder, encounters and quickly befriends asmall being, though she had believed that Endor had no intelligent life forms. Another pair of scout troopers discover them; Leia's new companion helps her fight|the first, allowing her to shoot the other with her blaster. Not knowing who or what the being is, Leia calls him an "Endorian" and nicknames him "Short, Round and Furry". After dispatching the troopers, Leia follows him through the forest.

Continuity[]

Some of the additional dialogue in "Pattern and Web" refers to recently-published material from theStar Wars Expanded Universe. During her briefing, Mon Mothma says, "We must adjust our own plans to make up for the losses inflicted on us by Lord Vader at theBattle of the Bajic Shipyards." This is another reference that the radio drama makes to events from theShadows of the Empire novel, published a few months before the episode aired.^[3] The episode follows theGalaxy Guide 5 in identifyingEmpire Strikes Back character Major Derlin as Han's second-in-command of the Rebel commandos.^[4] Leia's surprise that Endor has intelligent life is ironic, since the moon was known to house a vast range of sentient species and was compared to a "desert island" in space.^[5]

The script of the radio play, published asReturn of the Jedi: The National Public Radio Dramatization, lists two scout troopers as a single character, identified as "Scout #1," and in the episode they may be performed by the same voice actor.^[6] These are, first, the trooper who Han Solo tries to sneak up on and, second, the trooper who discovers Princess Leia and is attacked by Wicket the Ewok. The two were later respectively given the namesAvarik andOberk.^[7][8] The dialogue, expanding on lines from the film, does not indicate that the two characters are meant to be the same, since the second trooper Oberk is evidently unaware of his comrades' confrontation with the Rebels. This article therefore treats them as separate characters.

Credits[]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

• Return of the Jedi: The National Public Radio Dramatization

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi Radio Drama on theInternet Archive