"The Jedi Nexus" is the eleventh episode of the Star Wars radio drama. It first aired on National Public Radio on Monday, May 11, 1981. The episode adapts events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope that take place aboard the Death Star.
Darth Vader tells a skeptical Governor Tarkin that the Force has revealed the presence of Kenobi on the Death Star. But when an alert comes through that Princess Leia has escaped her cell, Tarkin is more inclined to believe that the Jedi is involved. Vader tells him to deal with the other rebels - but he believes that Kenobi's arrival is part of a nexus of events caused by the Force itself, and so he must confront his former master alone.
Back in Docking Bay 327, imperial troops discover the unconscious scanning crew and dead Stormtroopers, with no sign of the rebels. A more thorough search of the area begins. The troops find See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo hiding in a storage locker. Threepio pretends to be an imperial droid frightened by the rebel "madmen". This allows him and Artoo to step away and contact Luke Skywalker. But Luke and the others are still trapped in a rapidly-shrinking garbage compactor. Artoo is able to connect to a computer terminal and shut it down before the humans and Chewbacca are crushed. Luke tells the droids to wait for them by the Millennium Falcon.
Outside the compactor, Luke and Han Solo finally dispose of their stolen stormtrooper armor, keeping only the utility belts. Though they believe themselves to be free and clear, they encounter another group of stormtroopers and have to fight their way back. Han and Chewbacca are separated from Luke and Leia. They escape through a blast door just as it closes, cutting them off from their attackers. Han suggests that they go to the ship and take off without waiting for the others, but Chewbacca rejects the idea.
Luke and Leia hide in a utility compartment and realize they will have to find another route to the docking bay. Leia asks Luke how he got involved in her rescue. Luke explains how Artoo's message brought him to Ben Kenobi and then to the Alderaan system. He expresses condolences for the planet's destruction. Thinking that the troops are gone, they emerge back into the corridor, but they are seen right away. They run to the edge of a core shaft. Luke is able to swing them to safety using a grappling hook on his belt. They reunite with Han and Chewbacca and can see the droids. Han prepares to leave without waiting for Ben, over Luke's protests.
Vader contemplates his master's death.
Nearby, Darth Vader finds Kenobi. Vader asks his old master whether he has deactivated the tractor beam; Ben replies that he has. Both activate their lightsabers and begin to duel. Luke is heard nearby, calling for Ben. To allow Luke and the others to escape, Ben raises his lightsaber in a salute. Vader kills him, and Luke runs to the Falcon. Vader remains at the site of the duel, contemplating his master's now empty robes. Both Luke and Vader hear Kenobi's voice - urging Luke to run, warning Vader that he has now become more powerful.
As the Millennium Falcon flies away, Leia tries to comfort Luke. Luke learns that the man who killed Ben was none other than Darth Vader - whom he knows only as the killer of his father, aunt and uncle. Han announces that a squadron of TIE fighters is pursuing them. He needs Luke to man a quad gun turret and Leia to act as Chewbacca's copilot. Han leads Luke through a brief tutorial on working the gun, and then the fighters are upon them. Han and Luke successfully destroy all four, and Chewbacca and Leia complete the jump to lightspeed.
In a scene added for the radio drama, Luke and Leia hide in a utility compartment, where Luke briefly summarizes his story so far. After they are discovered, the action leads to the scene from the film in which the pair swing over a chasm.
Obi-Wan repeats his warning to Darth Vader after his death: his voice says, "By striking me down, you have made me more powerful than you can possibly imagine." So while it is not shown in the film, in the radio drama Vader hears the spectral voice of his old master's Force ghost.
The space battle between the Millennium Falcon and pursuing TIE fighters is preceded by a short scene where Han leads Luke through a training sequence at the quad gun turret. This serves to help listeners imagine what Luke and Han are doing. In the process, the scene introduces audio simulation - an in-universe explanation for why ships in Star Wars make sounds in outer space.
- Star Wars: The National Public Radio Dramatization
- The Making of Star Wars for Radio: A Fable for the Mind's Eye on archive.org