AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: ENTER LAWRENCE KASDAN!

The other Star Warrior on Empire: talented screenwriter and later film director, Lawrence Kasdan.

The script writing hole left by the passing of Leigh Brackett for The Empire Strikes Back finally looks set to be filled by an all-new talent. Ex-advertising copywriter turned screenplay writer Lawrence Kasdan, recommended to George Lucas by his friend Steven Spielberg (the latter having read the writer’s Continental Divide screenplay), completes his script for the adventure story involving the Lucas created character Indiana Jones (called Raiders of the Lost Ark - a 1930’s period adventure, the first in a series that Lucas plans to make alongside the Star Wars films). With deadlines looming, Kurtz and Lucas now desperately need someone to write the Empire screenplay-someone who can very quickly step in to the process, and who was a good writer. Since George had written the original sequel story anyway, and he was already working with Kasdan on Raiders (the screenwriter having started work on it at the same time Brackett was writing the first draft of Empire)-it is decided that it would be easiest for them to use him on the first Star Wars sequel as well.

The Sequel 'Dream Team' at Elstree, circa April 1979.

Though his background with the science fiction/ fantasy genre is not great, Kasdan’s love and familiarity with the Star Wars source material is, as he recalled: “It (the original film) was jaunty, wise-ass, fast, very modern-sort of a teenaged thing, a polished chrome kind of feel”), and he and Lucas get on extremely well together. Having traveled to San Anselmo to deliver his Raiders script, Kasdan is taken out to lunch by Lucas, who explains the problems of the Empire script with the death of Brackett, and the fact that time is running out before pre-production on the film has to begin. He offers Kasdan the job of handling the Empire script, his stipulation being that he share the screenplay credit for the film with Leigh Brackett so that her estate will benefit from any profits that the film hopefully makes (Lucas does not intend to take any story credit himself (though the film is eventually credits him as 'Story by')). Lucas also tells Kasdan that he can’t pay him much money as an 'up front' fee for the screenplay but guarantees him profit participation from the film’s release.

Amazed to be given the Empire offer, Kasdan delicately suggests to Lucas that he might actually want to read the Raiders screenplay first before making a decision about hiring him for Empire (Kasdan is also worried that he may have to work on two projects simultaneously-fortunately, Spielberg, prior to Raiders, directs his epic World War II comedy 1941 first, and that it will be at least two years before he can handle the first adventure for Indiana Jones). With a laugh, Lucas tells Kasdan that he will cancel the offer that night if the Raiders script stinks, but he is in no doubt that he is the right man for the job.

Before beginning work on Empire, Kasdan goes on vacation, then comes back to work on the script. George hands Kasdan “a very rough draft, somewhere between an outline and a first draft. The structure of the story was all there-it was the skeleton for the movie. What was needed was flesh and muscle” (of which Gary Kurtz recalled to CINEFANTASTIQUE Vol. 28, No. 8 (February 1997): "Leigh had just barely finished her first draft (when she died), up to the two last pages. The pages weren't even typed, but they were done.") Kasdan additionally recalls to STARLOG in 1981: "I only skimmed it (Leigh Brackett's first draft). It was sort of old fashioned and didn't relate to Star Wars. The characters all had the right names, but her story's spirit was different. I'm sure that had Leigh lived, she could have made the changes that George wanted in an excellent way." In a later interview, Kasdan would state that nothing from Leigh Brackett’s draft would end up in the final version of the film, with Lucas telling him: “God bless her, but she wasn’t doing anything like I wanted it.”

Kasdan's various script notes and changes/deletions on selected scenes.

In the first screenplay meetings, Lucas knows exactly what he wants to see in the script (with Kasdan noticing that he has the ideas for the entire saga already mapped out in his head, and which way things were going for the characters) but is widely open to any new interpretations, dialogue and character embellishments, with a lot of room for invention. In one meeting, on August 17th, 1978, Lucas wants Kasdan to inject the film with stronger characterization of the main leads- that they must have a much more complex psychology than they had in the first film.

Things will soon get a little warmer for Han and Leia after their time on the ice planet of Hoth.

Between August and September 1978, script conferencing gathers pace with Kershner, Lucas, Kurtz and Kasdan at first meeting every two weeks - eventually settling down to a once a week meeting. They'd go over Lucas’s draft and talk about what they want to be in the movie. Kershner thinks about character, George of the actual story, and Kasdan about the dialogue, which ties in with story and character. The group would take the script, page by page and go over every line, every word. Between meetings, Kasdan would make corrections/additions and add new material to the pages as he could. These new pages would then be discussed in the next meeting and so on and so on until the film was shaped in their eyes. Kasdan discovers that George never tells him when he likes something (though it’s tough on him when presenting material for approval, Kasdan appreciates Lucas not doing this from a practical point of view). In those early beginnings, Kasdan would write a fifth of the movie, get back together with Lucas and Kershner (with Kurtz also) and talk about what was written. A draft was finally reached that represented the movie that will be shot, although a few more drafts would be done to iron out detail changes, with Kasdan particularly liking the fact that the sequel starts off with a massive battle that the Rebels lose-a direct contrast to the happy, medal winning spirit of the previous film’s finale-leading to a very strong character based storyline which darkens in a terrifying finale battle between Luke and Vader. It is in those conferences with Kasdan that George reveals that Darth Vader is Luke’s father, and is very excited by this revelation, knowing that the sequence will have to be very carefully structured and written dialogue-wise. The screenwriter also fleshes out the important love triangle between Han, Luke and Leia present in the story.

Old friends in new situations.

Recalled Kasdan to FANTASTIC FILMS magazine: “The first session after we met was the hardest, the first session that I was presenting the pages I had written-the first fifth of the script-a great deal of the emotional basis for the film takes place in that fifth. There are three or four important scenes where the characters are all together. You have to establish the dynamics of the romance that follows and the drama that follows. In fact, you’re not going to have many opportunities later in the film to bring the people together again and have them talk. So you have to figure out how these people feel about each other now on the planet Hoth; what is implied about what happened since we last saw them at the awards ceremony.

"We don’t know what the relationship is between Leia, Han and Luke. Threepio and R2, where did they come down as far as who is their master? They started out one way and ended up another. All these things have to be established immediately. What are Chewie’s feelings about where they are, and is he still impatient to get on about his business or is he devoted to the Rebel Alliance. Han certainly, all his allegiances, what’s he up to now? What does he want to do? Luke broke off his training to be a Jedi Knight when Ben was lost. The question is how important is that to Luke? All of these forces are happening to the characters the second the movie opens. You have to figure out how you are able to communicate what progress has happened between the two movies and how are you going to set up for Empire the kind of dynamics to make the story which we knew was coming, make sense.

Newly arrived in London with George Lucas to see some early Spring filming of Empire, Kasdan watches an ultimately deleted scene moment with the injured Luke. British special effects technician Ron Hone holds the medical droid prop arm. 

"So, in the first 25 pages, there are several confrontations. It was a very rough task. This was my first time writing the Star Wars language and creating long talking scenes. Emotional scenes. Kershner and I had different ideas about the way each of these scenes would go. That first session was a ragged, rugged, many, many hours of figuring out what was the best way to set up the story and communicate what’s happened just prior to the story.”

Chewbacca would receive some additional character depth, not all of which made it to the final screenplay.

Lucas, anxious that Kasdan capture the tone of Star Wars from the beginning, is soon pleased at how quickly he catches on to it; in particular how the characters speak in contrast to the real world dialogue of normal movies, of which certain kinds of words and expressions cannot be used in the film, no references to time, and no earthly kind of remarks, such as referring to someone as “lazy as a sloth.” Kasdan is also asked to develop the screenplay based on his own perceptions of the characters in Star Wars, and what George wanted them to do in the sequel. Marcia Lucas also brings input to the development of the screenplay and Kasdan agrees with a lot of her choices, especially that the film should have more character and story complexity, whist George, whose natural film editing skills/ instincts are an added bonus to its creation, thinks the narrative should be simple in another way, requesting speed and clarity.

Some ideas/concepts are sadly lost in the final structuring. Recalled Kasdan to The Empire Strikes Back Notebook: “One story idea I wanted to develop was Chewie’s jealousy of Han and Leia’s relationship. Though that was lost in the final script, I thought it was an interesting idea. Chewie is the classic sidekick, a loyal buddy. But he is also a character who has real feelings. It is suggested in the film, but not as strongly as I had in mind.” Additionally, Kasdan feels that C-3PO, in his version of the script, would end up being pretty superfluous-with Kershner deciding that the droids involvement in the sequel will be sorted out at some point in the filming.

The charm and mystery of Yoda.

The creation of several new characters into the saga also introduces new challenges and problems to be overcome. Kasdan recalls that “creating Yoda’s speech pattern was one of the most difficult problems we encountered in developing the script. George wanted Yoda to talk in a very distinctive way and had settled on an inverted style of style of speaking for the first draft. But Kersh, George and I all had our own ideas about the rhythms of Yoda’s dialogue and had trouble selecting one style. I play around with inversion, rhyme, and sentences in question form. Finally, I found that what I liked best was a repetition of words, a slight inversion of words that had a medieval tone to it.” Additionally, Kasdan has many discussions with Lucas about the nature of the Force, in an attempt to write for the character of Yoda more effectively.

An ominous revelation ahead...

Having been thoroughly involved in scripting and meetings (often taking place at Kershner’s penthouse apartment in Marin County) over a period eventually lasting three months, Kasdan knows that the sequel will deepen the saga, taking it into a larger, darker canvas, with the characters evolving, especially Luke who, spiritually, is changed forever, and Vader, whose rise in the film will vastly alter the audience’s perceptions of the character. Additionally, the fact that Lucas has decided that the story will have a downbeat, to-be-continued ending is very interesting, giving the story texture-if it had a heroic ending it would just be the same as the first film. “Empire deepens the Star Wars saga, taking it to a larger, darker canvas. Luke is changed forever, spiritually. The things that happen to Vader are a logical step from Star Wars and will vastly alter the audience's perception of the character. To me, the fact that the story is downbeat is very interesting and gives the story texture. If it had a heroic ending, Empire would be the same as the first film."

Of other elements of the movie, he recalled: “One of the longest conversations (we) had in our first story conference was on the philosophical background of the Empire story and on the meaning of the Force. Basically, George is for good and against evil, but everyone has his own interpretations of what that means. In my opinion, what emerges about the Force are its similarities to Zen and to basic Christian thought. But in our meeting we didn't talk about specific religions. Instead, George explained to us what he felt the Force was all about…”

Ralph McQuarrie's incredible conceptual work/production paintings continues to inspire Kasdan.

With such a huge undertaking, Kasdan would find creative help from the visual wonders that were Ralph McQuarrie’s conceptual art pieces for the films. Kasdan recalled to FUTURE LIFE magazine in 1980: “All along, Ralph McQuarrie was doing these fantastic paintings from George’s outline. I wouldn’t say that the script had any great influence on McQuarrie but he sure had a big influence on me. I would say that one of the key factors that stoked us all during the creation of the script was McQuarrie’s paintings. They were a constant source of inspiration. At the point we were writing, we didn’t have sets or special effects to work from. In a contemporary film, you can go out and look at a location or see a house and get an idea about how a building is constructed. With Empire, we ran the risk of writing words and not really knowing what they meant physically. McQuarrie’s paintings would immediately show up at that point and give us something to hang on to. “Oh yeah. Now I see.” Many times, they gave use ideas about where to take the action as well.”

By January 1979, the final screenplay was near enough locked down for all necessary behind the scenes parties for the March start of principal photography, with dialogue tweaks and actors improvisations occurring during this phase, most notably by an enthused Harrison Ford with Kershner phase...

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE ICE CASTLES OF HOTH!

Alongside the grim visage of Darth Vader's castle, the 1977 story ideas for Star Wars II being fleshed out by George Lucas and Leigh Brackett saw another intriguing and mysterious set of structures being considered to appear by the time of the film's February 17th, 1977 rough draft script - an incredible abandoned alien castle/spires cityscape partially snow submerged under which the in-hiding Rebels have adapted the interior environment to suit their purposes as the story begins, of which Han strides in on his snow lizard.

Linked to this alien castle, Ralph McQuarrie's primary concept painting idea has characters that look like Han and Chewie treading the snow with the massive environment behind them. Other McQuarrie thumbnail ideas, archived as being from late 1977, show the pair encountering their own 'snow monster' out on the wilderness, though the idea of Luke being attacked at the start of the film had already been conceived by Lucas earlier in the Summer.

By the time that Lawrence Kasdan came aboard to finish the final screenplay for filming by early 1979, both Vader's castle and the original Rebel Base concepts had been scuppered.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: 'STAR WARS II' - THE LEIGH BRACKETT STORY SYNOPSIS

Unused but effective Ralph McQuarrie logo idea.

Enjoy a full synopsis to the original Star Wars II script written by Leigh Brackett, from the story by George Lucas. Draft dated February 17th, 1978, completed by February 23rd.

To give readers a visual flavour of how the film might have looked based on the script, we have included concept art and other production pieces from around 1978 and into early 1979.

A Rebel (presumably Luke) atop a 'snow-lizard'. Art by Joe Johnston.

On a then unnamed ice world, amidst a planetary environment seemingly far more alien, Luke Skywalker, whilst on patrol atop his lizard beast, is attacked by a snow creature. Han Solo, completing his survey mission, returns to the Rebels' base-housed in a natural ice castle-like formation- and is soon drafted into a risky mission by Princess Leia to contact his Stepfather, Oven Marakal of the Transport Guild, in order to aid the Rebels. Han comes on to the Princess after his agreement to go on the mission, but she gets so riled by his behaviour and attitude that she gives him a firm whack in the face!

Meanwhile, Luke (not hung up) recovers to find himself in a cave and confronts the snow creature. With help from an overheard Ben Kenobi he attacks the beast with his saber and escapes into the wilderness, where he is very quickly discovered by Han, Leia and a rescue party quickly dispatched to find him when he hadn’t reported back.

Joe Johnston's early designs for Darth Vader's new Imperial Star Destroyer.

Vader as seen on his Star Destroyer bridge. Art by Ralph McQuarrie.

Far across the universe, on the Imperial administration planet Ton Muund, Darth Vader receives information that an alien smuggler has seen the Rebel forces in the unusual Granida Cluster, which houses a system with the ice planet.

Back at the Rebel base, Luke recovers from his injuries and finds a crystal with info on an alien planet buried in the hilt of his saber, the co-ordinates uncovered by Artoo. The snow creatures enter the base through natural means and attack en masse whilst the Rebels are continuing their ice cave drilling operations. As our heroes go to the main hangar to help they are all attacked by the creatures, who are determined to remove the humans from the planet. Luke, still untrained in the Force, takes on a Wampa but is saved by Han, whilst Chewbacca takes another beast on in hand-to-hand combat, and Leia’s exceptional blaster skills come to the fore once again.

Imperial tanks and ground forces prepare to attack the Rebels. Two art pieces by Joe Johnston.

Vader’s fleet arrives in the system holding the Rebels, and he uses the Force to pinpoint their location-the Imperial war machines quickly dispatched to the ice planet. As the snow creature attacks begin to die down, the Rebels, warned by the Force sensitive Luke, now have to frantically hurry into a new offensive with the arrival of Imperial forces, with many Rebel soldiers buying time for their colleagues to escape in numerous flyers and vehicles. Imperial tanks attack the city/base and Rebel tanks and heavy ground fire are soon retaliating. A young Rebel pilot named 'Sedge' (who may have been a mistakenly mis-spelled Wedge) helps our heroes to escape but he is sadly killed when an ice pipe fractures and bursts onto him. The result of the disintegrating base begins to collapse around the Rebels in the face of the snow creatures and Imperial attacks. Separated from Leia, Luke and Artoo take off in the Princess’s spacer, whilst the Princess, cut off from her own escape ship has to depart with Han and Chewie (the latter carrying the now pipe-ruptured, frozen form of Threepio) to a secret rendezvous.

Now at the base, realizing Luke has escaped, Vader searches for him through the Forces and attacks him in his ship with a Force choke. Artoo, also on board the ship, retrieves the information crystal and attaches it to the ship's controls, sending the vessel into Hyperspace -which Vader’s powers cannot penetrate- to its new destination of the alien Bog Planet. Vader believes that Luke is dead. The Millennium Falcon, under constant attack from chasing Imperials, manages to get into hyperspace after Han makes some internal repairs- it’s a close call.

An early 'Minch Yoda' art piece by Joe Johnston.

With Luke still unconscious from Vader’s assault, Artoo crash-lands their ship into one of the Bog Planet’s swampy ponds. Artoo and Luke reach shore but Luke collapses unconscious again, waking up to the sight of the frog-like creature Minch (Yoda) now looking down on him- he knows Skywalker’s name and reveals that he once served the Jedi, and that this planet was a training centre for them, including Obi-Wan.

Evading closing-in Imperials, the Millennium Falcon hides in an asteroid field. Art by Ralph McQuarrie.

Arriving at the Rebels pre-determined rendezvous point in deep space, the Falcon runs into a Star Destroyer and TIEs, and has to escape their clutches yet again, with Leia manning the gun turret as it withdraws into a nearby asteroid field.

Luke continues his training on the Bog Planet, under the guidance of Minch Yoda. Art by Ralph McQuarrie.

Luke encounters one of the strange creatures on that world. Art: Ralph McQuarrie.

Not finding what he’s after, and not believing that Minch trained Obi-Wan/Ben, Luke wants to leave the Bog Planet. With a little “help” from his own Force abilities, Minch persuades Luke to use his growing powers to lift the trapped spacer from the swamp so it can be repaired.

The TIE Bomber and escorts. Art by Joe Johnston.

Hidden inside an asteroid cave, Han and Leia begin their romance whilst TIE Bombers begin strafing runs above. On the Bog Planet, Minch reveals himself fully as a Jedi, using Luke’s lightsaber to demonstrate his finely tuned swordplay with the newly arrived shimmering form of Obi-Wan. Obi warns Luke that, as his Force powers further develop, Vader will realize that his attempt to kill him has failed. At Minch’s tiny house, Luke begins his first mental disciplines.

Darth Vader's castle exterior. Art by Ralph McQuarrie.

Darth Vader's castle interior. Art by Ralph McQuarrie.

Vader communicates with the gold robed Emperor. Art by Ralph McQuarrie.

Further Ralph McQuarrie concept ideas for the scene.

Original script scene for The Emperor talking to Vader at his castle.

Within his castle of black iron located on a rock above a crimson sea, Vader, feeding his pet gargoyles, discovers Luke is still alive in the Force and makes a telepathic attack on the boy, who uses his own power against the Dark Lord. Vader laughs when he realizes how afraid the boy is, yet Minch knows that Luke is even more powerful than he or Obi-Wan could have predicted, yet he may also be too dangerous to train, and could be lured to the Dark Side. Vader talks to a gold robed Emperor, who has also detected Luke’s Force presence, and demands Vader find and destroy him.

A visual idea for Lando Kadar by Ralph McQuarrie, who looks very much like American character actor Yaphet Kotto, who ultimately turned down the role due to his work on the other sci-fi movie, Alien.

Lando Kadar and a female aide welcome the new arrivals at Hoth (later named Bespin). Art: Ralph McQuarrie. This art is not linked to the Star Wars II script but used here as potential scene indication.

As Luke’s training continues for several days, the Falcon leaves the asteroid cave, though it’s still pursued by fighters, and leaps to hyperspace, traveling to see the rogue business entrepreneur, Baron Lando Kadar, who may be able to protect them for a while. Kadar, whose family were refugees from the Clone Wars, was a business associate of Solo’s who has now gone respectable on the planet Hoth, a green world with a ruined city, with one of the buildings turned into a traders compound. Departing the landed Falcon, the group are attacked from the sky by tall warrior-like beings riding manta ray flying creatures. The Falcon departs back into the air where it is surrounded by scout ships, then taken peaceably to an orbital city, landing on a concourse of watchful native inhabitants.

Lando Kadar with 'Ethania Eredith' (aka Leia) on a tour of Hoth.

Early costume ideas for Bespin inhabitants, by Ralph McQuarrie.

A Cloud City guard design by John Mollo.

Lando Kadar, a suave, Valentino-esque figure, greets the newly arrived Rebels, and introduces them to Bahiri, chief of the White Bird clan of the Cloud People. With Lando’s people now fixing the damaged Falcon, the gang are taken on a tour into the heart of the city, and Threepio stumbles into the wrong area whilst trying to fetch a wrap for the Princess (who is now known under the disguise name of Ethania Eredith).

Luke meets the Force spirit of his father, not yet named Anakin.

On the Bog Planet, Luke calls to Obi-Wan who appears in ghostly form and tells him that he has moved to a new realm of existence. Obi then introduces Luke to his father (referred to just as Skywalker),who also appears to tell his eager son that he has a sister whose location is secret-the pair being split up and sent to different corners of the universe at their fathers request with the birth of the evil Empire. Skywalker can’t reveal her location to Luke yet in case Vader were to find out. In a scenario like Camelot/King Arthur, the four Jedi all raise their lightsabers and Luke takes the Jedi Oath. Obi-Wan and Skywalker depart, and a slightly fearful Luke knows that his next true test will be to go against Vader.

Vader in flames! Art by Ralph McQuarrie.

Uncomfortable in the eerie world, Artoo is later looking into Minch’s hut as Luke is faced with the inevitable. With Minch’s help, he opens his mind to the Dark Side of the Force, to conjure up a phantom-like version of Vader, which a spirit version of Luke then communicates with. Vader reveals he wants Luke as an ally to rule the Empire with, and offers him great power. Sensing weakness, Vader then taunts Luke about the Princess, saying he will lose her to Han Solo if he fails to show the courage and power to have her. Luke refuses Vader’s lures, but only just, as his ghostly hand, reached out to the stars, now burns as he runs from the still taunting Dark Lord, warns the boy that he can’t escape the power of the Dark Side forever-a power, Luke tells a concerned Minch, that, for a few seconds, he wanted!

The wrecked Threepio is discovered. Art by Ralph McQuarrie.

Back on Cloud City, the remains of Threepio are found chucked in a recycling chute, with Chewie beginning his repair work, determined to get it speaking. Leia senses deceit from Lando- that the Falcon’s repairs are being stalled- and asks Han if his friend is a Clone.

A dinner date with a difference. In the Star Wars II script by Leigh Brackett, there is no Boba Fett. Art by Ralph McQuarrie.

With his spacer restored and his training seemingly complete, an uneasy of his powers Luke departs Minch and the Bog Planet. On Hoth, Lando invites his guests to dinner and reveals to Leia that he is indeed a clone of the Ashardi family. As the dining room doors open, the shocking visage of Vader appears and the Rebel group are captured-open prisoners at the city. At dinner, Han wants to kill Lando, who reveals that he is a citizen of the Empire and instantly recognized Leia. Vader tells them that they are nothing but bait to trap Luke, especially Leia, whom the boy loves.

Flying whales and their alien pilots, in art by Ralph McQuarrie.

The flying whales watched by Twin Pod Cloud Car pilots. Concept painting by Ralph McQuarrie.

In his spacer, Luke uses the Force to try and pinpoint Leia’s whereabouts. He does so but is also aware of Vader’s presence too, whom he has no choice but to confront. Vader has the city cleared of traffic as he awaits the incoming Luke. Luke arrives on Hoth-at the ground ruin site previously touched down by the Falcon. He sees the gathered clans of the Cloud People and is attacked, where he retreats to the protection of his ship. Having given a gesture of peace, Luke then meets with Bahiri, who confirms that the Imperials are on Cloud City with his captured friends. Sensing Luke as a powerful Shaman, the two hatch a plan where they will take the Jedi up as a prisoner whilst Bahiri tries to win over his foster-son Lando. As Luke is handed over, the Cloud People attack the Stormtroopers but they, including Bahiri, are gunned down. Han. Chewie and Leia, with Threepio still damaged, break out from their confines and search for Luke. Luke is saved, however, by Lando, who rebels against the Imperials now that Bahiri is dead.

Luke Skywalker confronts the man who killed his father!

Meeting up with the gang, Luke and Lando join them in a bid for the Falcon. They run into Stormtroopers and Luke gets to show his incredible new fighting skills with a lightsaber (which especially impress Solo). The young Jedi then decides to confront Vader in the Dark Lord’s apartment. Vader is soon impressed with Luke’s abilities during the start of their epic duel. After a firefight, Han and his group get to the Falcon and take off before the enemy can send rocket launchers at them- he and Chewie turn the ship facing towards the enemy as its engines blow out the blast door shielding behind them.

Luke Skywalker in one of the underground parts of Cloud City. Art by Ralph McQuarrie.

In a ventilator shaft near the city’s main reactor, Vader is now winning the fight against Luke, who has worn himself out after being taunted by his opponent into using unfocused Dark Side energies against him. Trapped by the shaft, and narrowly avoiding Vader’s ‘saber death stroke, Luke leaps off the protective rails and descends into the seemingly bottomless shaft, only just catching a protruding metal bar on his way down, and swinging his body into a vent hole. Now at the Cloud City’s underside, Luke sees the Falcon, which has travelled down to his location so as to evade Imperial firepower, and uses his lightsaber to cut through the vents mesh protection. He then leaps onto the Falcon’s hull and is rescued by Chewbacca. Now happily re-united, the ship and its crew escape Hoth.

In retreat on the beautiful planet of Besspin Kaalida, old friends soon say goodbye, as Han and Chewie depart on their dangerous mission to help win the allegiance of Han’s step-father, Ovan Marekal, to the Rebels.

Final scene: 

INT-CORRIDOR-BUILDING 

A lift opens. Leia, Luke, Lando, Threepio and Artoo get out and walk onto a garden balcony rich with flowers. They stand waiting. The Falcon takes off, rising into the starry sky on a plume of flame. They watch it diminishing against the starry sky. We see their faces. The ‘droids. Leia, with all heart and soul in her eyes, watching the man she loves vanish into unknown dangers. And Luke…older, wiser, and more humble abut his shortcomings, still loving Leia but in a different way. Abruptly he unsheathes his lightsaber and activates, holding it in a position of salute for the departing Falcon. 


THE END 

SCRIPT NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS: All of the film's characters, including some nice support cameos (like General Willard), are, for the most part, still in their personality modes from
the original Star Wars -until his confrontation with Vader at the script’s end, Luke is still very much the gosh and golly child of the first film, whilst the Han and Leia relationship/love affair is not exactly subtle in its handling. Additionally, Luke doesn’t lose his lightsaber hand, Boba Fett does not yet appear in the story, Minch (Yoda) is not fully formed as a character, there is the introduction of both Luke’s father and the mention of his sister (not yet Leia) which would be held over and changed for Return of the Jedi, and the sad departure of Han Solo at the story’s end on a dangerous mission he may not return from (a deliberate move by Lucas as he was unsure whether he wanted the character back, or, even more importantly, whether Ford would actually return for a third film). The key “I am your Father” revelation by Vader, who is just as vicious and taunting in this script as he would be in the filmed version of TESB, would still be locked away in George Lucas’s 'TOP SECRET' mind at that point, still likely being researched for its potential psychological impact on young viewers', and not yet ready for unleashing.

This early script feels very old school sci-fi, of which Brackett was one of the key writers of that genre’s classic 'golden age', a factor that proved both a good and bad thing. Despite some strong dialogue and nicely described ideas (the intriguing Cloud People of Hoth have similarities to an alien race (the S'kitri) that appeared a year later in MARVEL's 1979 Star Wars Annual One - The Long Hunt, written by Chris Claremont), there’s also lots of unnecessary exposition, with scenes that would need to be compressed or cut in order to give the film a more visual dynamic and a greater sense of urgency. Larry Kasdan’s later complete script overhaul, alongside Lucas, proves more filmic-lean and mean and not overly expositional.

https://www.starwars.com/news/7-little-known-facts-about-the-making-of-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back

Random Musings about the Empire Strikes Back Draft Script - Original Trilogy

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE FIRST SCREENWRITER!

Respected film writer and author Leigh Brackett.

With Lucas finishing his overall story outline for Star Wars II by the end of November 1977, his  search, alongside Gary Kurtz, for the film's ultimate screenwriter is underway, their choice soon revealed to be another respected veteran of the Hollywood system: Leigh Brackett.

Discovering her work as a science fiction pulp novelist through a friend (who, upon giving him a specific book, tells Lucas: “Here’s someone who wrote the cantina scene in Star Wars better than you did”), the 61 year old veteran writer Brackett is a no-nonsense lady who looks as if she might run a rural hardware store, her home situated in Los Angeles with her husband, Edmond Hamilton (also a science fiction writer). Asked to come aboard as screenwriter of Star Wars II. Brackett, who had just completed the screenplay of The Long Goodbye for Robert Altman (the Director having also recommended her to Lucas and Kurtz), it finally connects with Lucas that this is the same Leigh Brackett who also wrote for Howard Hawks on the classic films Rio Bravo, The Big Sleep and Eldorado. After talking to Brackett, who loves the idea of the Star Wars characters and is known for her strong storytelling sense and crackling dialogue, Lucas and Kurtz soon realize that she is the best person for the job, possessing the right sensibility for space as an adventure genre.

From 28th November to around 2nd December, 1977, Brackett enthusiastically begins the STAR WARS II screenplay based on Lucas’s ring binder of hand written notes and his original story/ transcript of their story conferences (the plan being that she will do the first two screenplay drafts and a polish for Lucas). With the scripting stages underway, director Irvin Kershner decides to not be involved in the input of the story until after a first draft is properly completed, though Lucas and Kurtz are very confident in Brackett’s abilities (recalling her being very easy to work with) and eagerly await the first draft, expecting that she would then go on to the customary re-write process. Tragically, Brackett, recently diagnosed with cancer, is seriously ill, but, for reasons of privacy, does not divulge this information to Lucas.

Working out potential filming problems, the possibility of Sir Alec Guinness not returning to the movie as Obi-Wan Kenobi is discussed, of which Brackett and Lucas toy with the idea that Luke finds a crystal in the hilt of his lightsaber that shows him the location of the swamp world of the 'Bog Planet'. One part of the story which is not discussed with Brackett or is present in her treatment, however, is the revelation involving Darth Vader and Luke’s parentage- Lucas elects not to bring these ideas up yet, not wanting the writer locked down in the complications of that storyline. Additionally, he doesn’t yet know if he wants it for this film as an important reveal or for use in a future installment, instead.

By 23rd February, 1978, Leigh Brackett would finish the first draft of the script entitled 'Star Wars Sequel, from the Adventures of Luke Skywalker by George Lucas' and pass it on to Lucas (who recalled to Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays: "Writing has never been something I have enjoyed, and so, ultimately, on the second film I hired Leigh Brackett. Unfortunately, it didn't work out; she turned in the first draft, and then she passed away. I didn't like the first script, but I gave Leigh credit because I liked her a lot. She was sick at the time she wrote the script, and she really tried her best. During the story conferences I had with Leigh, my thoughts weren't fully formed and I felt that her script went in a completely different direction.")

Two weeks after completing the first draft of Star Wars II, 14th March, 1978 brings devastating and totally unexpected news to Lucas. Having made a call to Brackett to schedule a further meeting to discuss the script polishing/next draft he sadly finds out that she has entered the hospital and is suffering from cancer, dying quite suddenly from the disease four days later.

Now immersed in the STAR WARS universe, incoming director Irvin Kershner meets Lucas at his Parkway home in San Anselmo, as well as other key behind the scenes people so far assigned, to discuss the first screenplay draft. Kershner ultimately doesn’t like the initial draft script when it comes in and, like his colleagues, is sad that Brackett never had the opportunity to do the rewriting herself. Lucas realizes that he will have to undertake a new draft of the STAR WARS II script on his own, adjusting its emphasis and making modifications to flesh it out more. Eventually, however, a new writer will have to be found for the final script polish-especially as the Executive Producer will soon be involved with Kurtz and Kershner in heavy pre-production duties and decision-making...