Rescue of Princess Leia The Rescue of Princess Leia was a mission to rescue Prince ss Leia Organa of Alderaan during the Galactic Civil War . The rescue followed a battle on Tatooine , after which the " Millennium Falcon " made its way to Alderaan so Obi - Wan Kenobi , Luke Skywalker , and R2 - D2 could deliver stolen Death Star plans to the Alliance to Restore the Republic . En route to Alderaan , however , the Galactic Empire destroyed the planet . The " Millennium Falcon " was captured by the Death Star while in the remains of Alderaan , leading the ship ' s crew , Han Solo and Chewbacca , to hide with their passengers . In order to escape , Solo and Skywalker posed as stormtrooper s , allowing the group to make their way to a hiding place within the Death Star . After Kenobi left the group to shut down the station ' s tractor beam , R2 - D2 discovered that Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan , who had provided the droid with the Death Star plans , was aboard the station , being held within Detention Block AA - 23 . The group decided to rescue the princess and made their way to the detention center . They rescued Organa and fought their way throughout the station and back to the " Millennium Falcon " , while Kenobi successfully disabled the tractor beam . Kenobi soon came face to face with Darth Vader , who had been his apprentice , Anakin Skywalker , before falling to the dark side and becoming a Dark Lord of the Sith . The two faced off in one final lightsaber duel , their first encounter since their duel on Mustafar nineteen years prior . Kenobi sacrificed himself to give Skywalker and the others a chance to escape , and achieved eternal consciousness after his death . The " Millennium Falcon " was able to flee the station and was pursued by a group of TIE / ln space superiority starfighter s , which the crew managed to destroy . The Empire was tracking the " Falcon " , however , and followed it to Yavin 4 , leading to the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Death Star . Prelude . Imperial theft . In order to destroy the ultimate weapon of the Empire , the Death Star , the Alliance to Restore the Republic devised an operation to steal the plans of the Imperial battle station to find its weakness and use them to ultimately destroy it . Prince ss Leia Organa gained possession of the stolen schematics and was forced to flee to the desert planet of Tatooine on - board her diplomatic ship , the " Tantive IV " , pursued by the " Imperial I " - class Star Destroyer " Devastator " . When her ship was boarded by Imperial stormtrooper s and the Sith Lord Darth Vader , Organa put the plans into the memory of the astromech droid R2 - D2 . Together with the protocol droid C - 3PO , the two droids fled the ship in an escape pod and crash - landed on the planet below . The droids were recovered by Jawa scavengers , and they were eventually bought by Owen Lars . While cleaning Artoo , Luke Skywalker , Lars ' nephew , came across a holographic recording of the Princess , saying : " " Help me , Obi - Wan Kenobi . You ' re my only hope . " " The message led Skywalker to meet the former Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi , who was then going by the name " Ben Kenobi . " Kenobi rescued Skywalker from Tusken Raider s and took him to his hut , where Skywalker repaired the droids and managed to recover the rest of Organa ' s message . She implored Kenobi to bring the astromech droid to her father , Bail Organa , on the planet Alderaan . Passage to Alderaan . In order to deliver the Death Star ' s plans to Organa on Alderaan , Skywalker and Kenobi then searched in the spaceport town of Mos Eisley for a pilot who would be willing to transport them to Alderaan . Upon entering Mos Eisley , Skywalker , Kenobi and the droids were stopped by Imperial stormtroopers , but Kenobi used a Jedi mind trick so the troopers would let them pass . Skywalker and Kenobi headed into a cantina to look for a pilot to transport them to Alderaan . Kenobi managed to strike a deal with Han Solo , a smuggler , and his Wookiee first mate , Chewbacca to fly them to Alderaan for 17 , 000 credit s : 2 , 000 in advance and 15 , 000 on arrival . The group met at Docking Bay 94 , where they boarded the " Millennium Falcon " and fought off a squadron of stormtroopers , and escaped an Imperial blockade by jumping into hyperspace . The rescue . Arrival on the Death Star . Upon arriving at the Alderaan ' s coordinates , they discovered that there was nothing to be found but an asteroid field ; the planet itself had been destroyed by the Death Star ' s superlaser . While trying to understand what had happened , they spotted a lone TIE / ln space superiority starfighter , which appeared to be heading towards a small moon . While they moved towards the moon , chasing the fighter , Kenobi realized that it was not really a moon ; it was an enormous space station . Moments later , they were pulled into a hangar bay by its powerful tractor beam . The rescue of Princess Leia . Pulled on board the Death Star , the group hid themselves in the " Millennium Falcon " smuggling compartments , managing to avoid the initial checks ordered by Captain Edmos Khurgee . When a scanning crew came aboard , they were ambushed . Solo and Skywalker then called for assistance from the two guarding stormtroopers , including TK - 421 . They beat up the two stormtroopers , allowing them to disguise themselves as such . Solo and Skywalker , disguised as stormtroopers , along with Chewbacca proceeded to take over the hangar ' s control room , killing several officers , including a nearby Imperial Navy Trooper , in the process . Once inside , Kenobi instructed R2 to log into into the Imperial network to locate the tractor beam ' s power supply . From there Kenobi left to switch off 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 coaxing , as well as the offer of a generous reward , Skywalker managed to convince Solo to participate in a rescue attempt . Skywalker ' s idea was that they , disguised as stormtroopers , " arrest " Chewbacca as a fake prisoner and attempt to " exchange " Organa with Chewbacca . Chewbacca snarled 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 working . Leaving the droids in the control room , Skywalker and Solo made their way to Detention Block AA - 23 , where Skywalker tried to bluff the guards by saying there was a prisoner transfer from Cell Block 1138 . When Shann Childsen , one of the officers , got suspicious of the two " troopers , " the three had no choice but to blast their way through . After killing the guards and destroying security camera s , Solo quickly located the Princess ' s cell . Skywalker went to retrieve her while Solo stayed to stall on the intercom with a story of a " reactor leak , " until the operator asked for his identification number . Not knowing the identification number of the slain officer , and realizing his cover was blown , Solo blasted the console and yelled for Skywalker to hurry , while he and Chewie prepared defensive positions . Skywalker soon found Organa and let her out of her cell . Skywalker unmasked himself when Organa questioned his height and explained that he was present to rescue her and that he was allied with Kenobi aboard the station . At about the same time , 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 . The advantage was not to last , and soon the duo was overwhelmed by sheer numbers and forced to fall back to the Princess ' s cell . The group blasted several stormtroopers and Imperial Navy Troopers . Neither of the two men , though , had thought of an escape plan , and over the comlink were informed by C - 3PO — who , with Artoo , had posed as Imperial droids in order to relocate back to the hangar bay — that there was no way out , save the main entrance . As troopers started pouring into the hallway , pinning them down with blaster fire , Princess Organa took charge and , grabbing Skywalker ' s blaster , blasted through a ventilation shaft to garbage compactor 3263827 . Once inside , Skywalker tried to blast open the door with his rifle , only to find that it was magnetically sealed . Solo , the last to arrive , tried 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 that was living inside the compactor and feeding off garbage ; Solo managed to shoot it and save him , though not before Skywalker lost the comlink . In addition , the dianoga , sensing that the compression cycle was about to start , 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 tried to climb out or halt the cycle . 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 , though not before appropriating the utility belt s , 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 against their action ) , 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 , though not before receiving a good luck kiss from Organa . Skywalker , 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 . Duel with the Dark Lord . 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 . 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 . Escape . 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 " . Behind the scenes . The rescue of Princess Leia first appeared with the release of the original " Star Wars " film , " " . The scene featured the first lightsaber duel to be shown in the movies , but it was actually the second ( and final ) duel between Obi - Wan and Darth Vader . Their first duel was the Duel on Mustafar in . To gain access to the Princess ' holding cell , Luke and Solo pretend to be stormtroopers and hold Chewbacca " prisoner . " They told the cell block commander they were transferring him from detention block 1138 . This is a reference to George Lucas ' s first film , " THX 1138 " . In addition , the name of the cell was actually unscripted , being ad - libbed by Mark Hamill , Luke ' s actor , during filming , to George Lucas ' disapproval . The first lines for Han Solo while attempting to call a false alarm upon killing the stormtroopers in the detention center were ad - libbed by Harrison Ford , due to his forgetting his lines / failing to read the script . This is the only film in the series where David Prowse did the lightsaber fighting on his own ; he was doubled in the sequels because he kept breaking the poles that stood in for the blades . This switch might explain why Vader pivots on his feet in this film , but not in the others . Originally , Obi - Wan survived the duel against Darth Vader and fled aboard the " Falcon " . George Lucas was having problems generating tension in the story , so editor and Lucas ' s wife Marcia suggested Obi - Wan be killed . Lucas eventually agreed that Obi - Wan could be absent from the rest of the film . Actor Alec Guinness threatened to quit over the change , but Lucas convinced him that the change was better for the overall story .