Rescue of Princess Leia / Legends The Rescue of Princess Leia was a pivotal event in 0 BBY leading directly to the Battle of Yavin . It occurred when Luke Skywalker , Obi - Wan Kenobi , Han Solo , Chewbacca , C - 3PO , and R2 - D2 , aboard the freighter " Millennium Falcon " , rescued Princess Leia Organa from the Galactic Empire ' s first Death Star . It also featured the second lightsaber duel of erstwhile Jedi Master and apprentice Obi - Wan and Darth Vader , in which Kenobi sacrificed himself and became one with the Force . Prelude . Rendezvous with destiny . In order to destroy the ultimate weapon of the Empire , the Death Star , the Alliance to Restore the Republic , launched Operation Skyhook , an operation to steal the plans of the Imperial battle station to find out its weakness and to ultimately destroy it . Princess 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 stormtroopers and the Sith Lord Darth Vader , Organa stored the plans into the memory of the astromech droid R2 - D2 . Together with the protocol droid C - 3PO , the two droids escaped the ship in an escape pod and crash - landed on Tatooine . The droids were recovered by Jawa scavengers , and they were eventually bought by Luke Skywalker ' s uncle , Owen Lars . While cleaning Artoo , Skywalker 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 Raiders and took him to his hut , where Skywalker repaired the droids and recovered the rest of Organa ' s message . She implored Kenobi to bring the astromech droid to her father , Bail Prestor Organa , on 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 someone to transport them to the planet Alderaan . Upon entering Mos Eisley , Skywalker , Kenobi and the droids were accosted 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 credits : 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 Zeta Squadron , and escaped an Imperial blockade by jumping into hyperspace . The rescue . Arrival on the Death Star . Upon arriving at the location of Alderaan , 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 starfighter , which appeared to be heading towards a small moon . While they moved towards the moon , also 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 . On board the Death Star , the group hid themselves in the " Millennium Falcon " smuggling compartments , avoiding the initial checks . When Scanning crew BT - 445 came aboard , they were ambushed . Solo and Skywalker then called for assistance from the guarding stormtroopers TK - 421 and TK - 422 . They beat up the two stormtroopers , allowing them to disguise themselves as stormtroopers . Solo and Skywalker , disguised as stormtroopers , along with Chewbacca proceeded to take over the hangar ' s control room , killing several officers , including Pol Treidum and 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 . 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 , although Chewbacca snarled at Skywalker when he attempted to cuff him , resulting in Solo cuffing him instead with Solo telling Chewbacca that he thinks he knows what the young man was actually planning . However , Solo expressed his doubts about the plan working . Leaving the droids in the control room ( with Skywalker and Solo telling them that if the Imperials get suspicious , they lock the door and hope they don ' t have blasters ) , Skywalker and Solo made their way to Detention Block AA - 23 . While in transit , they came across a MSE - 6 - series repair droid on patrol , with Chewbacca proceeding to scare it off by roaring at it . Eventually , they arrived at their destination , 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 cameras , 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 compared to a typical stormtrooper 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 , Imperial Navy trooper s , and IT - O Interrogator droids . Neither of the two men , though , had thought of an escape plan , and over the comlink were informed by C - 3PO — who , with R2 , 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 and 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 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 to 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 , a last attempt by the stormtroopers to prevent the prisoners ' escape . 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 . However , the two droids were delayed in responding as they were hiding from various Imperial patrols , only learning about it when the doors were close to crushing them . Just before they were crushed , however , R2 managed to stop the cycle . After escaping the trash compactor , Skywalker and Solo shed their stormtrooper armor , though 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 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 these 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 , TK - 119 , causing the latter 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 small 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 . Realizing that Vader had obviously sensed his presence long before their encounter , Kenobi began to entertain the notion that he had been allowed to deactivate the station ' s tractor beam as part of a trap . Drawing his weapon , he strode toward his destiny . 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 stated that he had been waiting for him , and arrogantly asserted his own superior power . Kenobi retorted , mocking the Dark Lord with his Sith title , before attacking . Vader took the blow and riposted , speeding up his timing , 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 was out of practice . Though Kenobi ' s age and lack of practice had decreased his combat effectiveness , Vader mused that he needed to conduct himself cautiously if he was to defeat Kenobi . For though Vader knew his skill and power were greater than Kenobi ' s , he had boasted similar advantages during his duel with Kenobi on Mustafar , but had been defeated nonetheless . As such , he refrained from utilizing the same sort of reckless offensive that had resulted in his dismemberment , and adopted a fairly defensive posture . As the duel progressed , Kenobi found that , while he was still able to anticipate Vader ' s attacks and defend himself , he could find no openings in Vader ' s cautious but ruthless assault . As such , all he could do was to simply block Vader ' s cybernetically enhanced blows , the act of which was very rapidly depleting his energy reserves . Vader sensed Kenobi ' s failing strength and derisively taunted the Jedi Master . Kenobi cryptically responded that Vader could not win , that striking him down would only make him more powerful than Vader could possibly imagine . Vader saw this statement as a taunt but refused to be baited . Kenobi lunged again , but Vader was ready , bringing them into a momentary bladelock . Vader shoved hard , breaking the lock , and forced Kenobi to pull back . Vader angled his blade up and stated that Kenobi should not have come back , but Kenobi did not respond . After another exchange , Kenobi saw an opportunity to redirect the duel and began backing away . In 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 chivvy Kenobi into a wall . Just as Vader was about to deliver a finishing strike , Kenobi unleashed a sudden flurry of attacks that forced a surprised Vader to pull back . As they rapidly circled one another , the stormtroopers standing guard over the " Falcon " became aware of their battle and moved to cover the entrance to the hangar . 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 . Understanding that he was doomed but knowing that his defeat might serve to distract Vader , he resolved to end the duel on his terms . He turned to Vader , smiled , and raised his lightsaber so the tip pointed straight up , deliberately lowering his guard . This action was so totally unexpected that Vader stood for a moment in bafflement , trying to reason out how Kenobi ' s apparently suicidal tactic could possibly benefit the Jedi Master . However Vader quickly decided that even if Kenobi was attempting to ensnare him in a trap of some kind , Kenobi would not be fast enough to effectively employ such a tactic . With that , Vader cut hard at Kenobi ' s neck , but just as Vader struck , Kenobi vanished , becoming 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 , and they 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 was quick to lock 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 deactivation of the station ' s tractor beam systems allowed the " Millennium Falcon " to leave the Death Star unhindered . Before leaving the battleground , Vader retrieved his former Master ' s lightsaber as a keepsake , eventually storing it in his personal fortress on Vjun . 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 , and suspected the reason they were allowed to escape was that they were being tracked , although Solo ultimately admitted that he did not care about aiding the Rebels and just wanted payment . However , the rescuers did not know that the Empire had secretly stored a homing droid aboard their ship , which gave the Empire information on the destination of the " Falcon " . R2 - D2 later destroyed it , but was too late to prevent the Empire from learning that the Alliance ' s main base was on Yavin 4 . Aftermath . The " Millennium Falcon " delivered the plans of the Death Star to the Rebel Alliance at Yavin 4 , to which the Empire tracked it . Having found a weakness in the space station , the Rebels launched an attack on the Death Star , which was destroyed by the Force - sensitive Luke Skywalker in an X - wing using a proton torpedo . Vader had gotten a brief glimpse of Skywalker in the Force shortly before the latter ' s escape , and began to suspect that he was the pilot who destroyed the Death Star , and eventually attempted to deduce his identity for months until learning that he was in fact his son , who he believed had not been born due to his wife Padmé Amidala ' s death . Some footage relating to the rescue was transmitted to a facility on Galvoni III , which was later uncovered by Voren Na ' al during a mission to steal data and incorporated into a report on the Death Stars . Behind the scenes . The Rescue on Death Star I 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 . A similar ad - lib occurred earlier when the two characters boarded the elevator , where Luke mentioned he couldn ' t see a thing out of his helmet ( which was due to Mark Hamill admitting he couldn ' t see outside the eyeholes of the Stormtrooper helmet prop while thinking the cameras weren ' t rolling ) . 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 . The event was playable in the video game s " " and " " , both as bonus missions . The former game focused on the escape portion of the mission , whereas the latter game focused on the events of the rescue itself with scenes from the movie interspersed between playable sections . In " Rogue Squadron II : Rogue Leader " , the player mans one of the " Falcon " ' s quad cannons to destroy attacking TIE fighters . As the game throws many more fighters at the player than were seen in the film ( to get the game ' s highest reward , the gold medal ) , this article assumes it is non - canonical . In " Rogue Squadron III : Rebel Strike " , beating this level in the main game results in " " being unlocked for Arcade mode . Additionally , the first game ' s bonus mission was included in the cooperative campaign in the second . The Rescue on Death Star I was also a level in the ambiguously canon 1987 Japanese " Star Wars " game . In it , Luke has to evade prowler droids while locating Princess Leia ' s cell on the massive battle station . In addition , unlike in the original film , he and Vader actually fought each other rather than getting a brief glimpse of each other .