Acts II and III of THE REBELLION STRIKES BACK!
ACT II:
Sate Pestage has brought bounty hunters to the Imperial Fleet to enlist their aid in the capture of the Rebel leaders. Boba Fett is mysteriously absent, notes Vader.
The Rebels escape the asteroid field by charging a Star Destroyer and hiding on its hull. Solo cleverly allows the Falcon to float away with the garbage from the larger ship, but is pursued by a bounty hunter in headwraps.
Meanwhile, the heroes discuss their next move. Leia insists on meeting up with the Rebel Fleet to prepare their assault on the shipyards of Had Abbadon, but Han and Lando agree that the safest place for her would be as far away from the Rebels as possible. Lando suggests that Leia accompany him to his homeworld of Bespin, while Toobeefor takes Han to their client on Ord Mantell. Leia consents but only after Han enlists Chewbacca as her bodyguard.
The Falcon lands on Ord Mantell where paradisiacal archipelagos serve as a retirement community for wealthy criminals and a hideout for their most favored grunts. A Mediterranean sun seems to ever be rising or setting, casting soft golden yellows on the matching red and white villas, taverns, and palaces of the roughest luxury retreat in the galaxy.
Han is bound with his hands behind his back by Lando - raising the ire and nearly invoking the rage of Chewbacca - while Toobeefor stands with his blunderbuss leveled at their hostage. Lando apologizes for the inconvenience but insists the precaution is necessary.
As Han steps away from the Falcon with Threepio trailing noisily behind (clumsily carrying luggage and being largely useless otherwise) Han turns to Leia’s direction on the ramp. Leia is crying at the sight of him being led away from her in bondage and Toobeefor is still pointing his weapon at Han’s head, increasing the discomfort of the scene. Chewbacca is holding Leia back but is clearly making up his mind as to whether or not he’s going to violently free his Commander.
Han entreats Chewie to take care of the Princess and a stout howl ensures Han that he will do his best. Leia goes to turn back into the ship but pauses, turning wet-eyed towards Han as the Ord Mantellian sun sets behind them, telling him she loves him.
Han replies: “I know.”
Lando nods to Toobeefor ominously and the droid nods back. Lando closes the Falcon’s ramp while Han backs away from all three of his loves, his eyes and Leia’s never parting until the ramp is closed and the Falcon takes off into the darkening yellow sky. The two droids and Solo march into the darkened but crowded alleyway bazars where Ugnaughts (the diminutive original denizens of Ord Mantell, now relegated to sustenance trinket bartering at best, and indentured servitude at worst by the organized criminal masters who now dominate the world) babble and shout at passers-by to advertise their wares. Threepio says awkwardly: “It may not be the most appropriate time for me to say this, Master Solo, but I too have grown quite fond of you…”
Back to the Imperial Fleet, Vader is accepting an apology for losing the Rebels… by Force choking yet another officer to death.
[The rest of Act II is concerned with Han, Toobeefor, and Threepio on Ord Mantell and Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca on Bespin.]
Bespin is a beautiful gas giant and the Cloud City – once a wartime cloning facility, now a converted Tibanna gas mining colony and burgeoning metropolis – is run by Chieftain Calrissian Kadar of the White Feather Clan, Lando’s clonefather (played by a makeup aged Billy Dee Williams).
Populated mostly by light colored aliens (greatly resembling tall and slender greys, it is later revealed in the expanded universe of Star Wars media that these were the Master Cloners of old who were robbed of their technology and their freedom after a battle with the White Feather Clan. The character said to be responsible for this conflict is believed to be possibly Toobeefor’s ancestor, his creator, or perhaps even Toobeefor himself as a cyborg. Also of note are the semi-reptilian flying stringray-like creatures used as transport by way of a twin-cockpit saddle fitting.) Cloud City is controlled by the White Feather Clan, something of a legitimate mafia family of wealthy clones who – while no longer engaged in much criminal activity per se – are clearly not to be trifled with.
Leia is wined, dined, and courted by Lando while she desperately tries to make contact both with Han and with the Rebel Fleet. She has a bad feeling about her current place of refuge and Chewbacca appears to agree. The Cheiftain is at first furious that Lando brought such infamous fugitives to his doorstep, but quickly attempts to make nice with his “guests” in a way that seems suspicious. Another character introduced is Lando Kadar’s clonesister, Nellith Kadar (played by Vonetta McGee in an identical costume to Lando/Boba Fett’s) who – much to Leia’s chagrin – shares some intimate history with Han Solo as inferred by Lando.
[Nellith Kadar will play the role both of Boba Fett since Lando cannot, and of a female foil for Leia. While the underlying tension between them does involve Han, the conflict shifts in Act IV - thereby passing the Bechdel test and opening the door for more female and minority characters in Star Wars.]
Meanwhile, on Ord Mantell Han Solo is introduced to his captor by being taken into the backroom of a smoky cantina (a disguised David Bowie makes a brief, blink-and-you-missed-it cameo in this scene as a Near-Human member of the cantina band but due to the success of his toy, his character becomes a fan favorite for further exploration in the expanded universe. The character resembles a cross between Ziggy and the Golbin King, but in the Star Wars Universe's dress, hair, and makeup).
We are led to believe at first that the figure in the shadows who hired Lando and Toobeefor to capture Solo and bring him to Ord Mantell is Obi-Wan Kenobi but when he rises and becomes clear it is (Toshiro Mifune in a glorified cameo as) Mace Wen-Du.
Wen-Du was a Near-Human Jedi who left the Order before the Dark Times and is now a (Rick from Casablanca style) cantina owner and something of a broken and reclusive addict-alcoholic. He explains to Solo that he knew Anakkin Solo, and has called him to Ord Mantell to begin his training. Han confesses that he never knew his own father and he has no interest in following in his footsteps or being trained as a Jedi, especially not under duress. Wen-Du is not giving him a choice, Han will become his tool for vengeance against Darth Vader or he will be sold to Jabba the Hutt.
Han begins to learn more as he trains in the ways of the Force (which is nearly too weak in him to be trained out) and practices with the vibrating katanas that Mace uses for training. Mace was a gray Jedi, a rogue, and he explains to Solo that the benefits of exploring the Dark Side of the Force are not to be ignored when attempting to understand the Force as a whole. He calls Obi-Wan Kenobi an idealistic old fool for not utilizing the full power of the "One Complete Force", but when Solo inquires about Yoda, Mace – although shocked, angry, and reticent to share his knowledge at first – admits that Yoda was a great warrior… once.
While Solo swordfights Toobeefor and simultaneously attempts to reflect the blasts of a remote Threepio has gone into the streets to buy supplies. He hears an R2 unit and goes deeper into a darkened alleyway where he is blasted to pieces.
Act III:
The Rebel Fleet, led by Captain Antilles is massing on Dantooine, a grassy world far enough away from Imperial eyes to provide a good temporary cover.
Meanwhile, Leia is reaching her breaking point on Bespin and Lando’s suspicious activity and constant come-ons, not to mention her discomfort with a confident warrior woman who may have once loved Han, has nearly brought her to the brink. Her only solace is Chewbacca who has become not just a guardian, but a very dear friend to her.
On Ord Mantell Solo has become something of a Dark Jedi, albeit a weak and irreverent one. Mace is a cruel taskmaster, but something more is bothering Han: he’s got a bad feeling about this place. He is growing stronger as his impatience with the situation grows.
Since Toobeefor’s discovery of Threepio in the market he has been attempting to repair the droid, but his lack of technological knowledge has made his progress slow. His distaste for the droid is voiced frequently, but this simply makes his new hobby of Threepio repair that much more curious.
Solo is now training directly against Mace who is encouraging him to use a combination of his anger and his control over it at once to lash back at him. Han’s had enough. He throws down his katana and turns to leave but Toobeefor blocks his way with his blunderbuss.
Han glares at the droid and then hears a lightsaber being ignited being his back; he turns to see Mace Wen-Du, red lightsaber in hand, preparing to duel. Threepio’s disembodied head is babbling on incessantly in the background for everyone to simply calm down and discuss the situation peacefully, but Toobeefor commands the droid to “Shut off.”
Han looks over at the table on which his father’s lightsaber lies and lifts his hand to it. It begins to tremble and Mace Wen-Du smiles. Solo struggles to Force lift the weapon into his hand while Mace paces towards him preparing to attack.
Suddenly, Toobeefor’s frame jolts and lights up with blue lightning. His weapon falls to the floor and then he himself falls revealing R2-D2 behind. Threepio cheers for his old counterpart but is of course unable to rush him with reunion. Mace lifts his saber to strike Han down just as Han’s saber flies into his hand. It is ignited just in time to stop Mace’s strike. A third lightsaber ignites off-screen, a blaster shot is fired, and a familiar voice warns: Leave that boy alone, Mace. He is no Jedi. Your quarrel is with me.
Obi-Wan Kenobi steps out of the hallway and into the room followed by the headwrapped bounty hunter – Dengar. The body of one of Mace’s guards falls to the floor in front of them.
Mace replies: With you, yes, Kenobi. And with him. With the Solos… with Vader.
Dengar goes to fire his blaster but the blaster is torn from his hands, shattered, and scattered across the floor by Wen-Du's Force prowess. Dengar is force pushed back into the hallway and Kenobi marches forward, lightsaber drawn at the ready. R2 quickly shovels the pieces of Threepio into a seemingly safe corner and the three Jedi now circle.
Through the exposition in their pre-fight dialogue one can deduce that Darth Vader, Anakkin Solo, and Obi-Wan Kenobi were responsible for Mace’s removal from the Order years before but further information will remain a mystery for this point in the film, as the lightsaber battle begins in earnest, with Mace Wen-Du turning fully to the Dark Side and unleashing his hatred against Kenobi and Solo.
Han performs admirably but Mace’s skill is unmatched and Solo is eventually thrown out a window and onto a ledge outside, rendering the smuggler turned Gray Jedi acolyte unconscious.
Wen-Du appears to battle Kenobi into a corner and knocks away his lightsaber. Just as he lifts his weapon to strike Kenobi down, the old Jedi Master smiles.
Mace Wen-Du: You had your chance to bring Vader to justice, now is my chance to put him to death without trial. Your narrow faith in the superiority of your precious Order is now your undoing, old friend.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: And your arrogance and hatred are now yours…
Mace is confused, but his face wrenches with pain. He turns to reveal both the arrow in his back, and the bowman who launched it: Toobeefor. As Mace struggles to regain his composure Kenobi force grabs his saber from the floor, only to be preempted in his assault by a blaster shot from the opposing window where Han Solo stands silhouetted by the setting sun.
Solo's blaster smokes from the blast that felled Wen-Du and he holsters it as Kenobi shakes his head at him. "So uncivilized..." he quips while Threepio praises R2 and Han Solo force snatches his lightsaber from the floor shrugging mischievously.
Han's limp to the exit while Obi-Wan collects the droids behind coincide with a screen wipe to the Final Act...
