SYNOPSIS
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Above the arid world of Tatooine, an Imperial Star Destroyer is pursuing a Rebel spacecraft, firing on it. The droids R2-D2 and C-3PO are trying to avoid rebel troopers who take up position at a door. The door explodes and Stormtroopers flood in followed by Darth Vader, who orders his commander to find the stolen plans.

A young woman in a white dress, Princess Leia, is stunned by a squad of stormtroopers. Meanwhile, Artoo enters an escape pod, beeping about a secret mission. Threepio hesitantly follows and the pod ejects towards the planet below.

Leia is brought before Vader, who threatens her to reveal the whereabouts of the stolen data tapes. When she stands her ground, Vader orders one of his commanders to send a detachment down to the planet to retrieve them.

On Tatooine, Artoo and Threepio wander across the Jundland wastes bickering about the direction to travel. They decide to separate. Threepio wanders for a while before seeing a Sandcrawler in the distance. Elsewhere, Artoo gets into some rocks and is captured by a pack of Jawas.

On board the sandcrawler, Artoo and Threepio are reunited. Back at the pod's landing site, a Stormtrooper patrol discovers the tracks of the droids.

Outside the Lars moisture farm, Owen and his nephew, Luke Skywalker, pick out Threepio and R2-D2. Luke begins to clean them up before dinner and finds part of a holographic message for an 'Obi-Wan Kenobi'. He thinks it might be for old Ben.

Luke brings the message up with his aunt and uncle at dinner. His uncle becomes very upset at his mention of the old hermit and orders him to get the droids memories wiped. Luke storms off and Beru chastises Owen for keeping him here. She says there's just too much of his father in him. Owen tells her that's what he is afraid of. Luke discovers Threepio cowering in the garage, worried that he will be blamed for Artoo's escape. Luke notes that the little droid is going to cause him a lot of trouble.

The next morning, Luke and Threepio take the landspeeder to hunt for Artoo. They find him, but are soon attacked by a Sand Person. Luke lays unconscious as the sandpeople ravage his landspeeder. But they are scared off by a monstrous noise, which turns out to be Ben Kenobi. He helps Luke up and admits to being the Obi-Wan that Artoo was looking for. He also admits to never owning a droid, and tells Luke that they should get inside before the Sand People return.

Back at Ben's dwelling, the old man gives Luke his fathers lightsaber and explains to him the concept of the force; the mystical energy field that surrounds, and binds the galaxy together. Ben also tells Luke about how his father was murdered by Darth Vader. He then activates the holographic message inside R2-D2 and a ghostly Princess Leia asks for General Kenobi's help in transporting the little droid to the Rebellion. Ben asks Luke to come with him to Alderaan.

On board the Death Star, a group of Imperial officers are discussing the merits of the battle station. Grand Moff Tarkin interrupts Commander Tagge, letting them know that the Senate has been dissolved and the stolen tapes will soon be back in their hands. Admiral Motti is vocal about his doubts that Vader can conjure up the tapes, but after Vader uses a Force choke on him, he ceases bickering.

Luke returns to his farm to find it on fire and his aunt and uncle dead. While back onboard the Death Star, Darth Vader enters Princess Leia's cell with an interrogation droid and demands the location of the hidden rebel base. Ben tells Luke there was nothing he could have done. Luke agrees and they travel to Mos Eisley Spaceport to find a pilot to take the to Alderaan.

Luke, Ben and the droids drive into Mos Eisley having avoided a squad of Stormtroopers. They enter the Mos Eisley cantina to find a freighter pilot to take them to Alderaan. Ben warns Luke to watch himself, since this place gets a little rough.

Luke soon discovers what he means as a large walrus-like alien begins harassing him in a language he cannot understand. Ben attempts to intervene, but when Luke is struck down, and the aliens bad-tempered partner draws a blaster, Ben ignites his lightsaber and cuts the arm off the walrus alien.

Ben and Luke sit down with Han Solo, the cocky pilot of the Millennium Falcon. After haggling over the price for the trip, Han finally agrees to a price. As Ben and Luke leave, a bug-eyed, green alien named Greedo pulls a blaster on him, demanding his the money owed to his boss, Jabba. Greedo fires but misses and Han blasts him with his own gun. He flips a coin to the bartender for the mess.

Grand Moff Tarkin is surprised by Leia's resistance to the mind probe. He orders the battle station be demonstrated, on her homeworld of Alderaan. In a back alley of the desert city, Threepio and Artoo hide form a passing squad of Stormtroopers.

Luke and Ben sell the landspeeder to a used-speeder dealer to make the money for their trip. They do not see the strange alien observing them. Meanwhile at docking bay 94, Jabba the Hutt and a couple of his associates confront Han about the money he is owed. Han promises he can pay him back, plus a little something extra.

Luke, Ben and the droids make their way to the docking bay of the Millennium Falcon just as a squad of stormtroopers spots them. Han manages to get a couple of shots off as Chewie activates the deflector shields and takes off. A pair of Imperial Star Destroyers guns for them as Han makes the necessary calculations for light speed travel. Just as they lose a deflector shield, Han triggers the controls that launch the ship into hyperspace.