"Way of the Jedi" is the seventh episode of The Empire Strikes Back radio drama. It first aired on National Public Radio on March 28, 1983. The episode adapts events from depicting Luke Skywalker and the crew of the Millennium Falcon as they begin to make their separate ways to Cloud City.
Darth Vader has assembled a group of bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, aboard his flagship to assist in his search for the Millennium Falcon. As he dismisses them, Admiral Piett hurries over to inform Vader that the Star Destroyer Avenger has located the Falcon and is in close pursuit. Aboard the Falcon, Han and Chewbacca once again try and fail to make the jump to lightspeed. With the destroyer bearing down, Han hides the ship by activating its landing claw, attaching to a blind spot on the enemy's hull, and shutting down the engines and lights. Captain Needa of the Avenger goes to Lord Vader to apologize for losing the rebels. Vader chokes him with the power of the Force; he dies begging for his life. Piett reports that the Falcon is lost and likely entered hyperspace.
Yoda tells Luke to do, not to try.
On the planet Dagobah, Yoda leads Luke in an exercise. He is balanced upside-down while Yoda perches on his feet, a way to learn not to rely on muscles alone. Artoo-Detoo interrupts to say that the X-wing fighter is sinking into the marsh. Yoda directs Luke to lift it up with the Force. Luke believes that this cannot be done, and sure enough he is unable. Yoda retorts that "size matters not," and, after describing how the Force connects all things, uses its power to bring the ship to shore.
Han's plan pays off when the Star Destroyer dumps its garbage before flying off into hyperspace. Chewbacca disengages the landing claw, and the Millennium Falcon blends in with the floating junk. With few other options, Han decides to seek help from his old friend Lando Calrissian, a gambler who now manages a floating gas mine called Cloud City.
Back on Dagobah, Yoda puts Luke through another exercise. He uses the Force to lift numerous objects, including Artoo. Yoda tells him to reach out with his mind to see other places and times. Luke sees a vision of Han and Leia suffering in a city in the clouds. Luke desperately wants to find and help them, despite Yoda's admonitions to remain calm and controlled.
Lando pretends to threaten Han.
In the sky over Bespin, the local Cloud City Control gives Han Solo an unfriendly welcome. The Falcon is allowed to land, but with an armed escort. Han hints at unresolved conflicts between himself and Lando, but he tries to stay hopeful. Once they touch down, Lando at first feigns anger over their past, but then he laughs and welcomes them with warmth and charm, promising to "get my people" to work on the broken hyperdrive. He leads them on a brief tour of the facility, during which Threepio gets separated from the others. He wanders into a tech facility, where an unknown man shoots him.
Luke and Artoo are preparing to leave Dagobah. The spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi joins Yoda in urging Luke not to go. Both masters believe that his vision is a temptation from the Dark Side of the Force and possibly a trap from the Emperor. But Luke insists on helping his friends. As he takes off, a dejected Obi-Wan remains with Yoda, saying, "That boy is our last hope;" Yoda replies mysteriously, "No, there is another."
In a scene original with "New Allies," Captain Needa's appeal to Vader is depicted directly, whereas in the film it happened offscreen. It replaces a scene aboard the bridge of his ship, the Avenger. In the radio scene, Needa commends his crew and accepts responsibility for losing the Millennium Falcon. Vader calls him inept, and the captain begs for his life before collapsing, at which point Vader says, "Apology accepted."
- The Empire Strikes Back: The National Public Radio Dramatization
- "Boba Fett: Mystery Man in Not-So-Shining Armor" — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 1