Star Wars - Return of the Jedi Page 2
He pushes a button and, before the dancer can flee, a trap door
in the floor springs open and swallows her up. As the door snaps
shut, a muffled growl is followed by a hideous scream. Jabba and
his monstrous friends laugh hysterically and several revelers
hurry over to watch her fate through a grate.
Threepio cringes and glances wistfully at the carbonite form of
Han Solo, but is immediately distracted by a gunshot offscreen.
An unnatural quiet sweeps the boisterous gathering. On the far
side of the room, the crush of debauchers moves aside to allow
the approach of two guards followed by BOUSHH, an oddly cloaked
bounty hunter, leading his captive, Han Solo's copilot, CHEWBACCA
THE WOOKIEE.
Bib takes his place next to his disgusting master, and whispers
into his ear, pointing at Chewbacca and the bounty hunter. Jabba
listens intently, then the bounty hunter bows before the gangster
and speaks a greeting in a strange, electronically processed
tongue (Ubese).
BOUSHH (in Ubese subtitled)
I have come for the bounty on this Wookiee.
THREEPIO
Oh, no! Chewbacca!
JABBA (in Huttese subtitled)
At last we have the mighty Chewbacca.
Jabba lets out a loud, long, blood-curdling laugh and turns to
Threepio, waving him closer. The reluctant droid obeys.
THREEPIO
Oh, uh, yes, uh, I am here, Your
Worshipfulness. Uh... yes!
Jabba continues speaking, as Threepio nervously translates.
Boushh listens, studying the dangerous creatures around the roo m.
He notices BOBA FETT standing near the door.
THREEPIO
Oh. The illustrious Jabba bids you welcome
and will gladly pay you the reward of twenty-
five thousand.
BOUSHH (in Ubese subtitled)
I want fifty thousand. No less.
Jabba immediately flies into a rage, knocking the golden droid
off the raised throne into a clattering heap on the floor. Boushh
adjusts his weapon as Jabba raves in Huttese and Threepio
struggles back onto the throne. The disheveled droid tries to
compose himself.
THREEPIO
Uh, oh... but what, what did I say?
(to Boushh)
Uh, the mighty Jabba asks why he must pay
fifty thousand.
The bounty hunter holds up a small silver ball in his hand.
Threepio looks at it, then looks at Jabba, then back to the
bounty hunter. The droid is very nervous and Jabba is getting
very impatient.
THREEPIO
Because he's holding a thermal detonator.
The guards instantly back away, as do most of the other monsters
in the room. Jabba stares at the silver ball, which begins to
glow in the bounty hunter's hand. The room has fallen into a
tense hush. Jabba stares at the bounty hunter malevolently until
a sly grin creeps across his vast mouth and he begins to laugh.
JABBA (in Huttese subtitled)
This bounty hunter is my kind of scum.
Fearless and inventive.
Jabba continues.
THREEPIO
Jabba offers the sum of thirty-five. And I
suggest you take it.
Bib and the other monsters study the bounty hunter and wait for
his reaction. Boushh releases a switch on the thermal detonator
and it goes dead.
BOUSHH
Zeebuss.
THREEPIO
He agrees!
The raucous crowd of monsters erupts in a symphony of cheers and
applause as the party returns to its full noisy pitch. Chewbacca
growls. As he is led away we spot LANDO CALRISSIAN, disguised as
a skiff guard in a partial face mask. The band starts up and
dancing girls take the center of the floor, to the hoots of the
loudly appreciative creatures.
Boushh leans against a column with gunfighter cool and surveys
the scene, his gaze stopping only when it connects with a glare
from across the room. Boba Fett is watching him. Boushh shifts
slightly, cradling his weapon lovingly. Boba Fett shifts with
equally ominous arrogance.
12 INT DUNGEON CORRIDOR AND CELL 12
Gamorrean guards lead Chewie down the same hallway we saw before.
When a tentacle reaches out at the Wookiee, Chewie's ferocious
ROAR echoes against the walls and the tentacle snaps back into
its cell in terror. It takes all the guards to hurl Chewie
roughly into a cell, slamming the door behind him. Chewie lets
out a pathetic howl and bangs on the iron door.
13 EXT JABBA'S PALACE 13
The palace is sitting in the light of the double sunset. On the
road in front, a large toadlike creature flicks its tongue out
for a desert rodent and burps in satisfaction.
14 INT JABBA'S THRONE ROOM - NIGHT 14
Silence. The room is deserted, only the awful debris of the alien
celebration giving mute witness to the activity here before.
Several drunk creatures lie unconscious around the room, snoring
loudly.
A shadowy figure moves stealthily among the columns at the
perimeter of the room and is revealed to be Boushh, the bounty
hunter. He picks his way carefully through the snoring, drunken
monsters.
Han Solo, the frozen space pirate, hangs spotlighted on the wall,
his coffin-like case suspended by a force field. The bounty
hunter deactivates the force field by flipping a control switch
to one side of the coffin. The heavy case slowly lowers to the
floor of the alcove.
Boushh steps up to the case, studying Han, then turns to the
controls on the side of the coffin. He activates a series of
switches and, after one last, hesitant look at Han, slides the
decarbonization lever. The case begins to emit a sound as the
hard shell covering the contours of Han's face begins to melt
away. The bounty hunter watches as Han's body is freed of its
metallic coat and his forearms and hands, previously raised in
reflexive protest, drop slackly to his side. His face muscles
relax from their mask of horror. He appears quite dead.
Boushh's ugly helmet leans close to Han's face listening for the
breath of life. Nothing. He waits. Han's eyes pop open with a
start and he begins coughing. The bounty hunter steadies the
staggering newborn.
BOUSHH
Just relax for a moment. You're free of the
carbonite.
Han touches his face with his hand and moans.
BOUSHH
Shhh. You have hibernation sickness.
HAN
I can't see.
BOUSHH
You eyesight will return in time.
HAN
Where am I?
BOUSHH
Jabba's palace.
HAN
Who are you?
The bounty hunter reaches up and lifts the helmet from his head,
revealing the beautiful face of PRINCESS LEIA.
LEIA
Someone who loves you.
HAN
Leia!
LEIA
I gotta get you out of here.
As Leia helps her weakened lover to stand up, the relative quiet
is pierced by an obscene HUTTESE C
ACKLE from the other side of
the alcove.
HAN
What's that? I know that laugh.
The curtain on the far side of the alcove opens, revealing Jabba
the Hutt, surrounded by Bib and other aliens. He laughs again,
and his gross cronies join in a cacophony of alien glee.
HAN
Hey, Jabba. Look, Jabba, I was just on my way
to pay you back, but I got a little
sidetracked. It's not my fault.
Jabba laughs.
JABBA (in Huttese subtitled)
It's too late for that, Solo. You may have
been a good smuggler, but now you're Bantha
fodder.
HAN
Look...
JABBA (cont Huttese subtitled)
Take him away!
The guards grab Han and start to lead him away.
HAN
Jabba... I'll pay you triple! You're throwing
away a fortune here. Don't be a fool!
Han is dragged off, as Lando quickly moves forward and attempts
to lead Leia away.
JABBA (in Huttese subtitled)
Bring her to me.
Jabba chuckles as Lando and a second guard drag the beautiful
young princess toward him. Threepio peeks from behind a monster
and quickly turns away in disgust.
LEIA
We have powerful friends. You're gonna regret
this...
JABBA (in Huttese subtitled)
I'm sure.
Inexorably her lovely face moves to within a few inches of
Jabba's ugly blob of a head, and Leia turns away in disgust.
LEIA
Ugh!
THREEPIO
Ohhh, I can't bear to watch.
15 INT DUNGEON CELL 15
The heavy metal door of the dungeon whines and slowly creaks
open. A guard throws the blinded star captain into the dark cell
and the door slams shut behind him, leaving only a thin sliver of
light from a crack in the door. Han is trying to collect himself
when suddenly a growl is heard from the far side of the cell. He
jumps back against the cell door and listens.
HAN
Chewie? Chewie, is that you?
The shadowy figure lets out a crazy yell and races toward Han,
lifting him off the ground with a big hug that carries them into
the light, revealing Chewie.
HAN
Ah! Chew--Chewie!
The giant Wookiee barks with glee.
HAN
Wait. I can't see, pal. What's goin' on?
Chewie barks an excited blue streak.
HAN
Luke? Luke's crazy. He can't even take care
of himself, much less rescue anybody.
Chewie barks a reply.
HAN
A...Jedi Knight? I--I'm out of it for a
little while, everybody gets delusions of
grandeur.
Chewie growls insistently. He holds Han to his chest and pets his
head.
HAN
I'm all right, pal. I'm all right.
16 INT MAIN GATE AND HALL - JABBA'S PALACE 16
Noisily, the main gate lifts to flood the blackness with blinding
LIGHT and reveal the silhouetted figure of LUKE SKYWALKER. He is
clad in a robe similar to Ben's and wears neither pistol nor
laser sword. Luke strides purposefully into the hallway. Two
giant guards move to block Luke's path. Luke halts.
Luke raises his hand and points at the puzzled guards, who
immediately lower their spears and fall back. The young Jedi
lowers his hand and moves on down the hallway.
Bib Fortuna appears out of the gloom. He speaks to Luke as they
approach each other, but Luke doesn't stop and Bib must reverse
his direction and hurry alongside the young Jedi in order to carry
on the conversation. Several other guards fall in behind them in
the darkness.
LUKE
I must speak with Jabba.
Bib answers in Huttese, shaking his head in denial. Luke stops
and stares at Bib; he raises his hand slightly.
LUKE
You will take me to Jabba now!
Bib turns in hypnotic response to Luke's command, and Luke
follows him into the gloom.
LUKE
You serve your master well.
Bib responds.
LUKE
And you will be rewarded.
17 INT JABBA'S THRONE ROOM 17
Jabba is asleep on his throne, with Leia lying in front of him.
Salacious sits by Jabba's tail, watching it wriggle. Leia is now
dressed in the skimpy costume of a dancing girl; a chain runs
from a manacle/necklace at her throat to her new master, Jabba
the Hutt. Threepio stands behind Jabba as Bib comes up to the
gangster slug.
THREEPIO
At last! Master Luke's come to rescue me.
BIB
Master.
Jabba awakens with a start and Bib continues, in Huttese.
BIB
...Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight.
JABBA (in Huttese subtitled)
I told you not to admit him.
LUKE
I must be allowed to speak.
BIB (in Huttese subtitled)
He must be allowed to speak.
Jabba, furious, clobbers Bib and shoves him away.
JABBA (in Huttese subtitled)
You weak-minded fool! He's using an old Jedi
mind trick.
Luke stares hard at Jabba.
LUKE
You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee
to me.
JABBA (in Huttese subtitled)
Your mind powers will not work on me, boy.
LUKE
Nevertheless, I'm taking Captain Solo and his
friends. You can either profit by this... or
be destroyed! It's your choice. But I warn
you not to underestimate my powers.
Jabba's laugh is mean and loud. Threepio attempts to warn Luke
about the pit.
THREEPIO
Master Luke, you're standing on...
JABBA (in Huttese subtitled)
There will be no bargain, young Jedi. I shall
enjoy watching you die.
Luke reaches out, and a pistol jumps out of a guard's holster and
flies into Luke's hand. The bewildered guard grabs for it as
Jabba raises his hand.
JABBA
Bascka!
The floor suddenly drops away, sending Luke and the hapless guard
into the pit. The pistol goes off, blasting a hole in the
ceiling. Jabba laughs and his courtiers join in. Leia starts
forward but is restrained by a human guard-- Lando, recognizable
behind his mask. She looks at him and he shakes his head "no."
18 INT RANCOR PIT 18
Luke and the guard have dropped twenty-five feet from a chute
into the dungeonlike cage. Luke gets to his feet as the guard
yells hysterically for help. A crowd gathers up around the edge
of the pit as the door in the side of the pit starts to RUMBLE
open. The guard screams in panic. Luke looks calmly around for a
means of escape.
THREEPIO
Oh, no! The Rancor!
At the side of the pit, an iron door rumbles upward and a giant,
fanged RANCOR emerges. The guard runs to the side of the pit and
tries futilely to scramble to the top. The hideous beast closes
in on him.
The Rancor moves past Luke, an
d as the guard continues to
scramble, the Rancor picks him up and pops him into its slavering
jaws. A few screams, and the guard is swallowed with a gulp. The
audience cheers and laughs at the guard's fate.
The monster turns and starts for Luke. The young Jedi dashes away
just ahead of the monster's swipe at him, and picks up the long
arm bone of an earlier victim. The monster grabs Luke and brings
him up to his salivating mouth. At the last moment, Luke wedges
the bone in the monster's mouth and is dropped to the floor. The
monster bellows in rage and flails about, hitting the side of the
pit, causing an avalanche.
The monster crushes the bone in its jaws and sees Luke, who
squeezes into a crevice in the pit wall. Luke looks past the
monster to the holding cave beyond. On the far side of the
holding cave is a utility door--if only he can get to it. The
Rancor spots Luke and reaches into the crevice for him. Luke
grabs a large rock and raises it, smashing it down on the
Rancor's finger.
19 HOLDING TUNNEL - RANCOR PIT 19
The Rancor lets out a loud howl as Luke makes a run for the