A New Hope ( Shimmer Book ) A New Hope is a young readers adaptation of the , written and illustrated by Ken Steacy . The book was released by Fun Works on January 1 , 1997 and features 24 fully - colored pages . Publisher ' s summary . " Strikingly colorful foil brings Luke Skywalker and the characters from the " Star Wars " epic to life on the pages of this amazing storybook . " Plot summary . After stealing the Death Star plans , Princess Leia and her Rebel friends are fleeing from Darth Vader , a servant of the evil Empire . Just before being captured by Vader , Leia gives the plans to the droid R2 - D2 , who along with his friend C - 3PO , manages to escape to the planet below . On the planet , the droids are quickly captured by Jawas who sell them to Luke Skywalker . While cleaning R2 - D2 , Luke stumbles across the first part of a message from Princess Leia , but R2 - D2 would only play the rest of the message for someone named Obi - Wan Kenobi . That night , R2 - D2 sets across the Dune Sea to deliver the message himself . The next morning Luke and C - 3PO take off after R2 - D2 in Luke ' s landspeeder . They catch up to R2 - D2 , but are suddenly attacked by Sand People . Fortunately , Ben Kenobi , also known as Obi - Wan , appears and frightens the Sand People away . Back at Ben ' s dwelling , R2 - D2 plays Leia ' s desperate message . Ben explains to Luke that he and Luke ' s father had once been Jedi Knights , warriors who had guarded the galaxy for centuries . Their strength came from the Force , an energy field that unites all living beings in the galaxy . He gives Luke his father ' s lightsaber and encourages him to join the fight against the Empire . At a cantina in the Mos Eisley spaceport , Luke and Ben arrange a trip to Leia ' s home planet , Alderaan , aboard the " Millennium Falcon " . The pilot was a rogue named Han Solo , and the copilot a large , hairy Wookiee named Chewbacca . When Luke accidentally annoys one of the strange creatures at the bar , the alien wants to fight . In less than a heartbeat , Ben ' s lightsaber flashes in the darkness , putting an end to the confrontation . Meanwhile , the princess had been taken to the Death Star , where she refused to tell Darth Vader and Governor Tarkin the location of the Rebel base . Deciding that there is only one way to get her to talk , Tarkin commands the Death Star to fire upon Alderaan . Leia begs for mercy , but is too late , and Alderaan is destroyed . When the " Millennium Falcon " pops out of hyperspace , Luke and his friends discover that Alderaan is gone . However , before they can change course , they are captured by a tractor beam and dragged onto the Death Star . Luke , Han , and Chewbacca manage to outwit the Imperial stormtroopers and rescue Leia after a fierce blaster battle . Meanwhile , Ben frees the " Millennium Falcon " from the tractor beam and goes to rejoin his friends , but he is stopped by Darth Vader . The old foes attack each other with grim determination , and Ben sacrifices himself to ensure the safe getaway of his friends . Quickly , Luke and his friends make their way to the secret Rebel base . There Luke and Leia prepare for the final battle , knowing that if they fail , darkness would descend over the entire galaxy . Every Rebel pilot except for Han and Chewbacca takes part in the attack on the Death Star . When the Death Star is only seconds away from firing on the Rebel base , Luke lines up his shot and he hears Ben ' s voice urging him to use the Force . At that moment , Darth Vader moves his fighter into position directly behind Luke . At the last possible second , Han returns in the " Millennium Falcon " and blasts Darth Vader off course . Luke fires at the Death Star , blowing it to pieces . A great ceremony is held back at the Rebel base . The newly polished C - 3PO and R2 - D2 gleam as brightly as the medals Leia awards to Luke and Han . Luke and his friends had saved the Rebel Alliance and won a major battle in the fight to free the galaxy from the evil Empire . Continuity . " A New Hope " is a standalone , direct adaptation of the 1977 film , the first installment of the " Star Wars " original trilogy . Released twenty years after the film , the book is targeted towards young readers , and it uses simplistic language and pictures to suitably convey the story .