"Pattern and Web" is the fourth episode of the Return of the Jedi radio drama. It first aired on National Public Radio on November 26, 1996.[1] It adapts events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi depicting the start of the Rebel mission to Endor.
Opening crawl[]
| Episode Four PATTERN AND WEB |
|---|
Plot summary[]
Han reacts to Lando's promotion.
On the Rebel Headquarters Frigate near the Sullust system, the leaders of the Rebel Alliance assemble for a briefing about the new Death Star and the mission to destroy it. Lando Calrissian and Han Solo tease one another about their respective promotions to the rank of general and their leadership roles in the coming fight: Lando will lead the fighter assault into the incomplete Death Star's interior, while Han will lead a team of commandos on the surface of the Forest Moon of Endor to disable the station's deflector shield. During the briefing, Chewbacca, See-Threepio, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker (with Artoo-Detoo) volunteer to join Solo as part of the command crew of the stolen imperial shuttle Tydirium, which they will use to infiltrate the Forest Moon. Lando, meanwhile, will fly in his old ship, the Millennium Falcon.
The crew board the shuttle and prepare to depart. Han asks if Luke wants to take a spare blaster, but he insists on arming himself only with his lightsaber. Trusting in the Force, Luke is confident in the mission's success, but Han is more anxious and fears that he will never see the Falcon again. The Tydirium approaches the Death Star and transmits a transponder code to allow it to land on the moon. Luke senses the presence of Darth Vader as they fly past a Super Star Destroyer. He fears that he is endangering the mission, and now it is Han's turn to reassure him. There is a long, nervous pause, but the shuttle is allowed to proceed.
Soon after landing on Endor, the Rebels encounter a pair of scout troopers. Han and Chewbacca try to outflank them stealthily but are noticed. One of the pair rides away on his speeder bike; Luke and Leia hop on the other bike and ride after him through the trees. When another pair of scouts spot them and give chase, Luke and Leia are separated and Luke knocked off his speeder. He destroys the remaining scout's speeder with his lightsaber, but when he returns to the Rebel commandos, Leia is missing. The Rebels then split up: Han, Chewbacca, and the droids join Luke to search for Leia while Major Derlin leads the others to the Endor shield generator.
Leia, also knocked from her speeder, encounters and quickly befriends a small being, though she had believed that Endor had no intelligent life forms. Another pair of scout troopers discover them; Leia's new companion helps her fight |the first, allowing her to shoot the other with her blaster. Not knowing who or what the being is, Leia calls him an "Endorian" and nicknames him "Short, Round and Furry". After dispatching the troopers, Leia follows him through the forest.
Continuity[]
Some of the additional dialogue in "Pattern and Web" refers to recently-published material from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. During her briefing, Mon Mothma says, "We must adjust our own plans to make up for the losses inflicted on us by Lord Vader at the Battle of the Bajic Shipyards." This is another reference that the radio drama makes to events from the Shadows of the Empire novel, published a few months before the episode aired.[3] The episode follows the Galaxy Guide 5 in identifying Empire Strikes Back character Major Derlin as Han's second-in-command of the Rebel commandos.[4] Leia's surprise that Endor has intelligent life is ironic, since the moon was known to house a vast range of sentient species and was compared to a "desert island" in space.[5]
The script of the radio play, published as Return of the Jedi: The National Public Radio Dramatization, lists two scout troopers as a single character, identified as "Scout #1," and in the episode they may be performed by the same voice actor.[6] These are, first, the trooper who Han Solo tries to sneak up on and, second, the trooper who discovers Princess Leia and is attacked by Wicket the Ewok. The two were later respectively given the names Avarik and Oberk.[7][8] The dialogue, expanding on lines from the film, does not indicate that the two characters are meant to be the same, since the second trooper Oberk is evidently unaware of his comrades' confrontation with the Rebels. This article therefore treats them as separate characters.
Credits[]
| Cast | Uncredited cast | Crew | Uncredited crew | Special thanks |
Cast
Uncredited cast
Crew
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Appearances[]
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
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Droid models
Events
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Locations
|
Organizations and titles
Sentient species
|
Vehicles and vessels
Weapons and technology
Miscellanea
|
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Frederica P. Kushner. "Star Wars". The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio, Christopher H. Sterling, Routledge, 2010. ISBN 0415995337.
- ↑ The New Essential Chronology
- ↑ Shadows of the Empire novel
- ↑ Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi
- ↑ The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
- ↑ Return of the Jedi: The National Public Radio Dramatization
- ↑
Star Wars Customizable Card Game — Endor Limited (Card: Corporal Avarik) (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars Customizable Card Game — Endor Limited (Card: Corporal Oberk) (backup link)