PlotThegalaxy is in a state of civil war. Spies for the RebelAlliance have stolenplans to the Galactic Empire's DeathStar, a weaponized spacestation capable ofannihilating an entire planet. Rebel leaderPrincessLeia (CarrieFisher) is in possession ofthe plans, but her ship is captured by Imperial forces under the command of theevil lord Darth Vader (DavidProwse, voiced by JamesEarl Jones). Before she iscaptured, Leia hides the plans in the memory of a droid called R2-D2 (KennyBaker), along with a holographic recording. The small droid escapes tothe surface of the desert planet Tatooine with fellow droidC-3PO (AnthonyDaniels). The droids are quickly captured by Jawa traders, who sell the pair tomoisture farmers Owen and Beru Lars (Phil Brown and Shelagh Fraser)and their nephew, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).While Luke is cleaning R2-D2, he accidentally triggers part of Leia's message,in which she requests help from Obi-Wan Kenobi.The only "Kenobi" Luke knows of is an old hermit named Ben Kenobi (Alec Guiness)who lives in the nearby hills. The next morning, upon finding R2-D2 after heescapes to seek Obi-Wan, Luke meets Ben Kenobi, revealing himself to beObi-Wan. Obi-Wan tells Luke of his days as a Jedi Knight, one of afaction of former galactic peacekeepers who were wiped out by the Empire.Contrary to his uncle's claims, Luke learns that his father Anakin Skywalkerfought alongside Obi-Wan as a Jedi Knight before he was betrayed and killed byVader, Obi-Wan's former pupil who turned to the "dark side of the Force".Obi-Wan views Leia's complete message in which she begsObi-Wan to take the Death Star plans to her home planet of Alderaan for her father to retrieve and analyze.He then asks Luke to accompany him and learn the ways of the Force. Lukeinitially refuses, but changes his mind after discovering that Imperial stormtroopers have destroyed his homeand killed his aunt and uncle in search of C-3PO and R2-D2. Obi-Wan and Lukehire smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford)and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew)to transport them on their ship, the MillenniumFalcon.Upon the Falcon's arrival at Alderaan, they findthat it has been destroyed under the orders of the Death Star's commandingofficer Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing)to demonstrate the Death Star's power. The Falcon is caught bythe nearby Death Star's tractor beam and brought into its hangarbay. While Obi-Wan goes off to disable the tractor beam, Luke discovers thatLeia is imprisoned on board and, with the help of Han and Chewbacca, rescuesher. After several harrowing escapes, they make their way back to the Falcon,though Obi-Wan is killed in a lightsaber duelwith Vader. The Falcon escapes the Death Star but the Empirehas placed a tracking device on the ship to follow them to the rebels' hiddenbase on Yavin IV.The rebels analyze the Death Star plans, disclosing avulnerable exhaust port leading to the station's main reactor. Luke joins theassault team, but Han collects his reward for the rescue and plans to leavedespite Luke asking him to stay. The rebels suffer heavy losses after severalfailed attack runs, leaving Luke one of the few surviving pilots. Vader and agroup of TIE fighters are about to destroy Luke's ship, but HanSolo returns at the last moment