Rescue of Princess Leia

The Alliance to Restore the Republic devised a plan to steal the plans of the Imperial battle station in order to find its weakness and ultimately destroy it, with the goal of destroying the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star.

Princess Leia Organa obtained the stolen schematics and was compelled to flee to the desert planet of Tatooine aboard her diplomatic vessel, the Tantive IV, while being pursued by the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Devastator. When Imperial stormtroopers and the Sith Lord Darth Vader boarded her ship, Organa placed the plans into the memory of the astromech droid R2-D2. The two droids, along with the protocol droid C-3PO, escaped the ship in an escape pod and crash-landed on the planet below.

Jawa scavengers recovered the droids, and Owen Lars eventually purchased them. While cleaning Artoo, Luke Skywalker, Lars' nephew, discovered a holographic recording of the Princess, in which she stated: "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." This message prompted Skywalker to encounter the former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was then using the alias "Ben Kenobi." Kenobi rescued Skywalker from Tusken Raiders and brought him to his hut, where Skywalker repaired the droids and successfully retrieved the remainder of Organa's message. In the message, she pleaded with Kenobi to deliver the astromech droid to her father, Bail Organa, on the planet Alderaan.

Skywalker and Kenobi then sought out a pilot in the spaceport town of Mos Eisley who would be willing to transport them to Alderaan, in order to deliver the Death Star's plans to Organa.

Upon entering Mos Eisley, Skywalker, Kenobi, and the droids were stopped by Imperial stormtroopers, but Kenobi employed a Jedi mind trick to ensure their passage. Skywalker and Kenobi proceeded to a cantina to find a pilot to transport them to Alderaan. Kenobi successfully negotiated a deal with Han Solo, a smuggler, and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca, to fly them to Alderaan for 17,000 credits: 2,000 paid in advance and 15,000 upon arrival.

The group convened at Docking Bay 94, where they boarded the Millennium Falcon, fought off a squadron of stormtroopers, and evaded an Imperial blockade by jumping into hyperspace.

Upon reaching the coordinates of Alderaan, they discovered only an asteroid field; the planet had been destroyed by the Death Star's superlaser. While attempting to comprehend the situation, they observed a solitary TIE/ln space superiority starfighter seemingly heading towards a small moon. While pursuing the fighter towards the moon, Kenobi realized that it was not a moon at all, but rather an enormous space station. Moments later, they were drawn into Docking Bay 327 by its powerful tractor beam.

Once aboard the Death Star, the group concealed themselves within the Millennium Falcon's smuggling compartments, successfully avoiding the initial inspections ordered by Captain Edmos Khurgee. When a scanning crew boarded the ship, they were ambushed. Solo and Skywalker then requested assistance from the two guarding stormtroopers, one of whom was TK-421. They overpowered the two stormtroopers, enabling them to disguise themselves as such.

Solo and Skywalker, disguised as stormtroopers, along with Chewbacca, proceeded to seize control of the hangar's control room, killing two officers in the process. Once inside, Kenobi instructed R2 to access the Imperial network to locate the tractor beam's power supply. From that point, Kenobi departed to disable the tractor beam controls, leaving the others to wait in the control room. However, it was not long before R2 discovered that Princess Organa was being held prisoner on-board and awaiting execution. With some persuasion, along with the promise of a generous reward, Skywalker managed to convince Solo to participate in a rescue attempt. Skywalker's plan was for them, disguised as stormtroopers, to "arrest" Chewbacca as a fake prisoner and attempt to "exchange" Organa for Chewbacca. Chewbacca growled at Skywalker when he attempted to cuff him, resulting in Solo cuffing him instead, realizing what Skywalker was thinking. However, Solo expressed his doubts about the plan actually working.

Leaving the droids in the control room, Skywalker and Solo made their way to Detention Block AA-23, where Skywalker attempted to bluff the guards by claiming there was a prisoner transfer from Cell Block 1138. When Shann Childsen, one of the officers, became suspicious of the two "troopers," the three were left with no choice but to blast their way through. After eliminating the guards and destroying security cameras, Solo quickly located the Princess's cell. Skywalker went to retrieve her while Solo stayed to stall on the intercom feigning a weapons malfunction until the operator, Ensign Toos, informed him they would be sending a squad to investigate, Solo tried to stall them with a story of a "reactor leak", but Toos asked for his identification number. Not knowing the number of the slain officer and realizing his cover was blown, Solo blasted the console while making a quip of how fruitless that conversation was, after that he yelled for Skywalker to hurry, while he and Chewie prepared defensive positions. Skywalker soon found Organa and released her from her cell. Skywalker revealed his identity when Organa questioned his height and explained that he was there to rescue her and that he was allied with Kenobi aboard the station.

Simultaneously, a team of stormtroopers breached the door to the cell block, only to be blasted down by Solo and Chewie as they made their way through the narrow opening one by one. However, this advantage was short-lived, and the duo was soon overwhelmed by sheer numbers and forced to retreat to the Princess's cell. The group blasted several stormtroopers and Imperial Navy Troopers. However, neither of the two men had devised an escape plan, and they were informed via comlink by C-3PO—who, along with Artoo, had posed as Imperial droids in order to relocate back to the hangar bay—that there was no way out except for the main entrance. As troopers began pouring into the hallway, pinning them down with blaster fire, Princess Organa took charge and, seizing a blaster from the inexperienced Skywalker, managed to hold off the stormtroopers and proceeded to create her own escape route by blasting through a ventilation shaft to garbage compactor 3263827, quickly ordering her rescuers into the shaft before the stormtroopers regrouped.

Once inside, Skywalker attempted to blast open the door with his rifle, only to discover that it was magnetically sealed. Solo, arriving last, attempted the same approach, unaware of Skywalker's previous attempt, only to make the same discovery. Skywalker was then pulled into the water by a dianoga residing within the compactor and feeding off garbage; Solo shot at it to save him, but not before Skywalker lost the comlink. Furthermore, the dianoga, sensing that the compression cycle was about to commence, abandoned its prey and disappeared deep underwater. No sooner had Skywalker been rescued than the compression cycle began, and the walls started to close in on them. Skywalker desperately searched for the missing comlink as the others attempted to climb out or halt the cycle. Upon finding the missing comlink, Skywalker called for 3PO's help, and just before they were crushed, R2 managed to stop the cycle.

After escaping the trash compactor, Skywalker and Solo shed their stormtrooper armor, but not before appropriating the utility belts, and they set off for the Millennium Falcon. Before long, the group encountered a stormtrooper patrol that had been searching for them. Taking the initiative, Solo and Chewie attacked aggressively (despite Skywalker's protests), forcing the patrol to retreat to another hangar bay where reinforcements were waiting. Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, they were forced to retreat. Meanwhile, Skywalker escorted Organa on an alternate route to the hangar bay. Before long, they encountered another patrol and were forced to take cover behind a blast door.

Seeing no lock, Skywalker blasted the controls, only to discover that they were also the bridge controls, and that, much to their dismay, they were stranded on a ledge above a deep chasm. With it only being a matter of time before the stormtrooper patrol breached the door, and with other troopers firing from nearby ledges, Organa provided covering fire while Skywalker prepared a grappling hook to swing across the chasm, but not before receiving a good luck kiss from Organa. Luke, just beforehand, also shot one of the stormtroopers, causing him to fall down the shaft. The groups eventually rendezvoused in a corridor above the hangar and began discussing how to proceed to the Falcon without being seen by the group of stormtroopers stationed there.

Meanwhile, after shutting down the tractor beam, Kenobi had made his way back to the hanger where the Falcon was being kept, musing suspiciously about how easy it had been to accomplish his objective. Just before reaching the hangar, he came face to face with his former apprentice, Darth Vader. Vader stood at the end of the hall leading to Docking Bay 327, lightsaber already ablaze and awaiting Kenobi. When Kenobi ignited his own weapon, Vader advanced on him, raising his weapon to attack. As Kenobi matched his pose, Vader expressed his pleasure at the chance of a rematch with his old master, boastfully asserting the superiority of his own power.

Kenobi chided the Dark Lord for his arrogance, mocking him with his Sith title, before attacking. Vader took the blow and swiftly riposted, forcing Kenobi to retreat. Kenobi then twirled and blocked a slash, weaving a defensive pattern with his blade. As they fought, Vader reflected that Kenobi still possessed great skill despite his age, but mocked that he was out of practice. Kenobi warned Vader that he could not win, and striking him down would only make him more powerful than his onetime pupil could imagine, mocking him with his Sith title once more. Vader dismissed this cryptic statement as merely a taunt and refused to be baited. Kenobi lunged again, but Vader was ready for it, bringing both combatants into a momentary bladelock. Vader shoved hard, breaking the lock, and forced Kenobi to pull back. Vader angled his blade upwards before declaring Kenobi should never have returned from exile.

Backing away, Kenobi drew the duel into the open, right in front of the entrance to the main hangar. Vader attacked once more and began to push Kenobi towards a wall. Just as Vader was about to deliver a finishing strike, Kenobi unleashed a sudden flurry of attacks that forced Vader to pull back. As Jedi and Sith rapidly circled one another, the stormtroopers standing guard over the Falcon became aware of their battle and moved to watch the fight. This enabled Kenobi's companions, who had been waiting for just such an opportunity, to quickly sneak across the hanger to the Falcon. As they reached the ship, Skywalker noticed Kenobi and Vader standing in the doorway with blades crossed, and moved in for a closer look. Kenobi risked a glance into the hangar, where he saw that his companions had reached the ship. He turned to Vader, smiled wryly, and raised his lightsaber so the tip pointed straight up, deliberately lowering his guard and ceding the duel. Immediately seizing his opportunity, Vader slashed at Kenobi's neck but the Jedi Master vanished just before his blade struck, having become one with the Force.

Luke Skywalker, shocked and distraught by the death of his mentor, cried out in grief. This attracted the attention of the stormtroopers who had been observing the duel, who immediately turned and began shooting at Skywalker. As the firefight commenced, a shocked Vader inspected Kenobi's remains only to find the robes Kenobi had worn piled in a heap; his body had vanished. Skywalker, despite his shock at seeing Kenobi slain, was able to take out most of the stormtroopers guarding the Falcon as Darth Vader turned to the hangar. Seeing this, Skywalker locked out Vader by shooting the blast door's controls at Solo's urging. Though Skywalker, in his anger, was eager to finish off the remaining stormtroopers in the hanger, the disembodied voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi urged Skywalker to board the Falcon and escape. Kenobi's earlier deactivation of the station's tractor beam systems allowed the Millennium Falcon to leave the Death Star unhindered.

As they escaped, the Falcon encountered at least four TIE fighters on patrol. Despite Skywalker's grief, he and Solo were able to destroy the pursuing TIE fighters and finally escape to the Rebels' base on Yavin 4. While Solo congratulated himself on his role in the daring rescue, Princess Organa asserted that it was a ruse and that they were being allowed to escape. However, the rescuers did not know that the Empire had secretly stored a homing beacon aboard their ship, which gave the Empire information on the destination of the Falcon.

The rescue of Princess Leia was initially depicted with the release of the original Star Wars film, A New Hope.

Originally, Obi-Wan survived the duel against Darth Vader and fled aboard the Falcon. George Lucas was encountering difficulties in generating tension in the story, so editor Marcia, who was also Lucas's wife, suggested that Obi-Wan be killed. Lucas eventually concurred that Obi-Wan could be absent from the remainder of the film. Actor Alec Guinness threatened to resign over the change, but Lucas persuaded him that the change would improve the overall story.