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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars (1977)
re-released in 1981 as
Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope
It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory
against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to
the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy
an entire planet. Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship,
custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy....




CONTINUITY
Episode IV takes place nineteen years after Episode III, and three years before Episode V.
The planet Tatooine, and the moon Yavin 4 are seen for the first time, as are Alderaan and Yavin Prime, but only from space.
Much of the film is set in the Alderaan system or in orbit around Yavin Prime. Four worlds are the setting of this film:

The film takes place over the course of 6 days. Day 1 - Pursuit over Tatooine --> Jawas capture R2. Day 2 - Droids for sale --> R2 runs off.
Day 3 - Search for R2 --> Leaving Tatooine. Day 4 - Arrival in the Alderaan System --> Escape from the Death Star.
Day 5 - Arrival on Yavin 4 --> Battle of Yavin. Day 6 - Rebel medal ceremony.

- The opening crawl describes the Battle of Scarif, seen in Rogue One, as the Rebel Alliance's "first victory against the evil Galactic Empire."
Based on material seen in Rebels, this is the Rebels' first victory in organized open warfare. Certainly their have been a some prior
defeats in open combat, such as the Battle of Atollon, seen in 'Zero Hour' (S3E21-22), as well as smaller Rebel victories in combat,
including skirmishes, mission objectives, and sabotage. As seen in Rogue One, the Rebels obtained Death Star designs during that
battle, and Leia's diplomatic starship escaped the battle with the plans.

- The Alderaan diplomatic cruiser escorting Princess Leia Organa is a CR90-class corvette, called the Tantive IV. Senator Organa's diplomatic
cruiser in Episode III is the Tantive III, a CR70-class Corellian corvette, meant to represent the precursor to his adopted daughter's ship.

- Imperial-class star destroyers are the backbone of the Imperial Navy. These massive, mile-long warships are a product of Kuat Drive Yards,
like the smaller, Venator-class star destroyers used by the Republic, seen in Episode III and elsewhere, which the Imperial-class
replaced. They are described by Han Solo as "the big Corellian ships," as his homeworld is a major manufacturer of these ships.
Despite their size, they are fast ships, and well-armed, making heavy enforcement their primary role in the Empire.

- R2 and C-3PO were inherited by Senator Organa, and assigned to Captain Antilles, 19 years earlier as seen in Episode III. At that time, C-3PO's
memory was wiped for security purposes, so he has no memory of his experiences before and during the Clone Wars. C-3PO and R2 spent
at least one period of time 15 years earlier separated from Antilles, seen in Droids, but obviously made their way back to Alderaan,
as they were seen in Rebels and later in Rogue One as having rejoined Senator Organa and his allies.


- Leia's ship is described as a consular ship, and Leia calls herself "a member of the Senate." Supplementary material has established her as having
replaced her father as the representative from Alderaan not long before this film. The script calls her a Senator.

- Blaster weapons can be set to stun, which spreads the beam into a dispersed circle shape, rather than concentrating it into a tight bolt of energy.


Tosche Station is a repair and power station on the outskirts of Anchorhead, on Tatooine. It is mentioned in dialogue
which remained in the film, but a scene was filmed here and not used. Luke's friends who he wants to "waste time
with", according to his uncle, include Biggs Darklighter, who does appear in the film as a rebel pilot, as well as Camie
Marstrap and her boyfriend Laze Loneozner, whose scene was cut. These two were seen, along with Tosche Station,
in The Book of Boba Fett 'Chapter 2', in a scene set about five years later. In this deleted scene, Luke and Biggs
discuss Luke's situation, and that of the galaxy, as well as the Imperial Academy. Biggs indicates he has made some
Rebel friends at the academy, and that they are going to jump ship and join the Alliance. They apparently know
people on Bestine who can put them in touch with an armed rebel unit. Biggs says he has to move despite the risk
because he is "not going to wait around for the Empire to draft me into service." Luke says he will be at the Academy
next year, but that he "won't be drafted into the Imperial starfleet, that's for sure." This shows that the Empire is
actively drafting service-age young people for its military, and that signing up ensures more freedom to choose one's
assignment. It also shows how the Rebellion is able to acquire trained personnel so readily, in that young people who
are excited about the Rebel cause can sign up, get trained by the Empire, then take their skills to the Alliance.
This is explored a bit more in Droids 'Coby and the Starhunters' (E9), and Rebels 'The Antilles Extraction' (S3E4).


- Leia speaks the name "Darth Vader" to him as though she is emphasizing that she knows what that means. Given the way the Sith are treated in
this film, particularly in the deleted scenes, it seems like Darth Vader is known as a Sith Lord who works directly for the Emperor. His ancient
religion may be meaningless to most, but not to someone like Leia, who is well-educated and raised by those who remember the Jedi fondly.
His role in the Empire seems to be as the Emperor's proxy, and unlike the Emperor, he makes no effort to hide his Sith nature from the public.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith

- Despite being on Rebel business, both Captain Antilles and Leia attempt to hide behind being a consular ship with diplomatic immunity.
Leia taking information about a secret doomsday weapon back to Alderaan is in fact a diplomatic mission being conducted by
"a member of the Senate", just as she claims, however as Vader points out, the ship's recent activities clearly establish it as part of
the Rebel Alliance. Alderaan's Senate delegation has apparently used their diplomatic cover and the guise of mercy missions to
conduct Rebel business before, such as seen in Rebels 'A Princess on Lothal' (S2E12). It is likely Alderaan has been conducting
legitimate mercy missions as well, but its clear that Vader has long suspected their efforts were being used as a cover of some kind.

- Vader states that the Empire is aware that several transmissions were beamed to this ship. Vader also states that he has traced the Rebel spies
to her. This doesn't exactly paint the picture seen in Rogue One, where this very ship with Leia on it fled the Battle of Scarif with Vader
watching. While what he said still makes sense, he could have skipped all his case building arguments by saying that this ship was part of
an offensive Rebel fleet that just attacked an Imperial installation. Regardless of how material has been retconned or not, the Empire was
able to trace the transmission's destination. This may have been possible even if it weren't in the middle of a battle. The Rebel Alliance
presumably must utilize Imperial HoloNet to communicate in most instances, which means tracing should often be possible.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communication

- Vader's flagship star destroyer is the Devastator. The captain of his destroyer at this time is Commander Shaef Corssin, as seen in Rogue One.
The ship's personnel includes Brigadier General Nahdonnis Praji who is the commander of the Naval Infantry detachment on the ship.
The Naval Infantry are the 'space marines' for the Empire's space navy. Supplementary material often calls this the 'Stormtrooper Corps',
which is not a good designation, since many kinds of Imperial Army soldiers are also referred to as stormtroopers, and yet they are
clearly not in the same branch as the ship-based stormtroopers. Another Naval Infantry officer on the Devastator is Captain Daine Jir,
who speaks very familiarly with Vader, as though he is a trusted enough officer to have Vader's ear about strategic moves. Jir and Praji
are two officers whose actual rank is often misidentified in supplementary material, as explained in the main article about ranks.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia

- Tatooine is a planet in the Tatoo System, in the Arkanis Sector, within the Slice region of the Outer Rim. C-3PO calls it "desolate," and Luke
calls it as far from the "bright center of the galaxy" as possible, both of which are fairly acurate statements. The Tatoo System is
a binary starsystem, with twin suns Tatoo I and II, orbited by some planets, the third of which is Tatooine, which is itself orbited
by three moons: Ghomrassen, Guermessa, and Chenini. Tatooine is the homeworld of the Jawas and the Tuskens. It also contains
native animals which have survived the transition from its ancient watery ecosystem to its present deserted state. The planet was
colonized some time ago by Humans, as well as other interstellar species, particularly those from the relatively nearby Hutt Space.
As seen in Episode VI and Episode I, the planet is currently ruled over by the Hutt Cartel and its leader, Jabba the Hutt. It is
a sparsely populated planet, but does contain numerous settlements and a number of cities which are built around spaceports.


- Droids have personalities which are the combination of nature and nurture, just as in organic beings. A droid's personality is a combination
of their base programming which is their 'instinct', their task specific programming which is their 'socialization', and their experience
which is their 'education'. Droids and living beings both have a personality which is an emergent property formed from all three aspects.
The 'emotions' that droids exhibit are the result of their personality, which is a combination of programming with experience, from which
a droid's mind forms conclusions which in turn form their priorities, likes, dislikes, preferences, and humor. Erasing a droid's memory
is in effect resetting much of their personality as well. R2-D2 is noted in other canon as being a bit of an irregularity when it comes to
thinking outside of his programming, but that may be due in large part to his long memory. At this point, his memory has not been wiped
in over 32 years, as far as we are aware. George Lucas intended R2 to have been the one to remember all parts of the story of the films.
Main Article: Droid Intelligence

- Despite their complex minds and experiences, droids are the peasants of the galaxy at best, and are often treated more as slaves. While droid
'slavery' is certainly far less offensive than the enslavement of living beings, droids nonetheless are meant to represent an entire class of
beings who have little to no agency in regard to their own lives, let alone in the societies they live in. Not unlike organic serfs, droids are
programmed to be laborers, but unlike organic beings, most are actually 'unhappy' not to be useful in the function they are designed for.
They have the benefit of knowing their creator's identity, and what the meaning of their lives is, and can find a kind of fulfillment in
the execution of that purpose. On the other hand, their position in society without rights means they can be stolen and sold to new owners,
as happens to these droids, or otherwise have their lives altered without any say. Restraining bolts are devices used to keep droids from
escaping, and to enforce obedience, as they can prevent a droid from taking any action they were not commanded to do.

- In the Special Edition, an Imperial Sentinel-class shuttle is seen taking off from Tatooine after delivering stormtroopers to the planet. These
shuttles are a Cygnus Spaceworks design, featuring their usual fold-up wing configuration seen on their other shuttles. These shuttles
are not otherwise seen in the original trilogy, but are shown to have been used widely by the Empire in Rebels.

- Luke is still living with his uncle Owen Lars and his aunt Beru Lars, who adopted him 19 years earlier at the end of Episode III. Owen's
father married Anakin's mother sometime before Episode II, so these are Anakin's in-laws. Luke was sent here to be as far away
from the Core, and his twin sister, as possible, so that he would be difficult for the Sith to sense, and so that both siblings could not
be discovered together. Since Vader has no interest in Anakin's past life, he has no reason to ever come to this planet, until now.

- C-3PO claims that his first job was programming binary loadlifters, which are apparently very similar to binary-speaking moisture
evaporators in most respects. In Episode I, C-3PO is revealed to have been assembled by Anakin from 3PO-series parts
to be a droid assistant for his mother. Since he had his memory wiped in Episode III, it seems that programming binary
loadlifters was his principle assignment early in his career working for Captain Antilles.


- Uncle Owen seems to value a droid's ability to speak Bocce. According to legendary material, Bocce is a trade language widely used to facilitate
trade between people who don't speak other people's language. It is said to be a deliberately invented language made up of words from
differrent languages, similar to Hindi on Earth, but to be more like Swahili or Spanish in the dissimilarity of vocabulary components.
In other words, Bocce was artificially and intentionally created, and the languages from which it is made aren't very similar to each other.

- C-3PO tells Luke that he isn't sure who Leia is, other than that she is a person of some importance. He seems to be covering for her, as he
directly referenced her as the Princess in conversation to R2 at the beginning of the film, and seems to know her well enough to know
she has escaped some trouble with the Imperial military in the past. He does begin to explain that they were attached to a diplomatic
courier when Luke cuts him off. C-3PO is honest when he tells Luke that Captain Antilles was their last master.

- Luke knows Ben Kenobi as kind of a strange, old hermit who lives out beyond the Dune Sea. Uncle Owen says that Obi-Wan Kenobi died
about the same time as Anakin did, and seems to know who Kenobi is. Owen also told Luke that his father was a navigator on a spice
freighter. He certainly knows who Luke's father was, it does not seem certain that he knows who Anakin is now. His statements can
be interpreted either way, and there is good reason why Obi-Wan wouldn't have told Owen and Beru, and good reason why he would.

- Anchorhead is a small settlement relatively near to where the Lars homestead is located. It is the location of Tosche Station, and is
apparently a local crossroads and departure point for Mos Eisley or other settlements.

- Tuskens use cycler rifles, which are projectile firearms, a type of weapon usually considered archaic in the galaxy at large. They are produced
locally by the Tuskens, and represent the state of their culture's technology before the collapse of Tatooine's ecosystem.

- Obi-Wan distracts the Tuskens by imitating the roar of a krayt dragon.


Does Obi-Wan recognize R2-D2 from the Clone Wars era? He does seem to smile when he first sees R2, and calls him
his friend, which is how he would have reacted if he did remember him. He doesn't ever say that he doesn't know
R2, only remarking that he doesn't "seem to remember ever owning a droid." Regardless of whether he remembers
R2 or not, Obi-Wan would be unlikely to act any differently towards him. Most people don't pay very close attention
to droids, or think of them as true beings. The Jedi most of all, as the Jedi are concerned with living beings, and have
a sense of others that goes beyond their mundane senses. Droids don't stand out from a table or a wall in the Force.
We have seen many examples of beings ignoring droids, belittling droids, and otherwise lacking concern for them in
future canon including the rest of this film, and there is no reason why someone like Obi-Wan should take much
notice of them, or bother to remember their name or what they look like, unless working with one recently. There
are so many people, places, and things to keep in their heads in such an extensive and populated galaxy, that taking
the time to remember every droid is not likely to be a priority. Obi-Wan knew R2 for a few days 32 years earlier, and
served with him and hundreds of other droids for 3 years starting 22 years earlier. Considering that he was Anakin's
droid, went on adventures with them, and was turned over to Senator Organa during a very memorable week in his
life, it is far more likely that Obi-Wan remembers R2 than any other droid. It is therefore just as likely that he does
remember R2, and is simply playing it cool. At the same time, he also seems to have some trauma left over from his
experiences in the Clone Wars, the fall of the Jedi Order, and the rise of the Empire, and may have forgotten R2.


- Obi-Wan manipulates Luke into following his path, and helping him to overthrow the current political order and dominant religion, much
the same way that Palpatine manipulated Anakin into doing the same thing twenty years earlier. Obi-Wan uses lies, misrepresentation,
and like any good confidence man, carefully herds Luke to choose for himself what Obi-Wan wants him to. He mentions the exciting
war that he fought in along with Luke's father, and mentions that they were both Jedi Knights. He mentions Anakin's amazing piloting
abilities, and compares Luke to him, before giving him his father's sword. He tells Luke that Anakin wanted him to have it, even though
Obi-Wan stole it off of Anakin after critically wounding him and leaving him for dead. He tells Luke that Darth Vader betrayed and
murdered Anakin, thus leaving his father unavenged, and ensuring Luke will want to confront and defeat Vader. He then offers to
teach Luke what amounts to magic powers if he comes on an exciting adventure with him to help an attractive lady. As seen in material
set in the Republic era, this is extremely typical Jedi behavior, as they have always taken children away from their lives and families
to become warrior monks, not necessarily for the good of the children. The Jedi first of all desire to keep Force wielders from unlocking
their potential without wise guidance, but also believe it is the will of the Force and their responsibility to use their powers, and those
Force wielding children, to make the galaxy a better place by standing up for justice and peace, and by confronting evil. Luke is handled
the way he was not only because he is Obi-Wan and Yoda's best hope to defeat the Sith, but also to resurrect the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan is
honestly offering to be Luke's friend and teacher, and never tries to force Luke to do anything, but is also trying to hurry things along.
It is notable that SW as a project is an exploration of narrative and the power of mythological storytelling, and within the narrative,
Obi-Wan tells the story of himself and Luke's father to Luke in a legendary way, which inspires Luke to continue the narrative.



Obi-Wan tells Luke that his uncle "didn't hold with your father's ideals" and "thought he should have stayed here and
not gotten involved." Is this another half-truth from Obi-Wan to encourage Luke to feel held back by his family, or is
this Obi-Wan's actual summary of their philosophical divide? Owen only met Anakin briefly, but probably knew more
about him from talking with his stepmother Shmi, who was Anakin's mother and missed him very much. As a result,
Owen probably thought Anakin's desire to become a Jedi 'crusader' is what left his mother depressed and lead him
to a bad end. He probably discourages Luke from running off to adventure because he doesn't want the same thing
to happen to Luke. It is also possible that he and Ben Kenobi have had some conversation or argument about this in
the last two decades. Ultimately, Anakin did want to become a Jedi, left home, and came to a bad end. This became
enough of a debated issue that it addressed by creators of the apocryphal series Obi-Wan Kenobi.


- Blasters are described by Obi-Wan as clumsy and random. The relatively slow rate of fire and imprecision of blasters is made up for their
ability to damage or puncture anything but strong armor, advanced reinforced alloys, or sufficiently strong energy shields. While
there are exceptions, most blasters suffer from some amount of particle drift, which reduces their accuracy to a limited degree.

- Obi-Wan tells Luke that "a young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine before he turned to evil, helped the Emperor hunt
down and destroy the Jedi Knights," and that "now the Jedi are all but extinct," the majority of which was seen in Episode III.
According to George Lucas, perhaps over a hundred Jedi survived Order 66, however some of those Jedi were killed by the Empire
or others between the prequels and this film. Ahsoka is the only trained Jedi known to have survived Order 66 and to have
survived up to the time of this film, however based on Lucas' treatments for the actual sequel trilogy, there are more than a couple
Jedi from the days of the Republic still alive in this time period other than Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Ahsoka, but not many.

- When Obi-Wan says that he and Anakin used to be Jedi Knights, Luke doesn't ask what a Jedi is, however he doesn't seem to know much
about them, and he hasn't heard of the Force. Luke has probably heard the word Jedi before, however unlike many children, was
very likely not told the many legendary stories about the noble Jedi that have developed over the many millennia the Jedi have been
protecting the galaxy. Even in the days of the Republic, most people would never meet a Jedi in person, so the Jedi were already larger
than life and idealized in a mythological way. Now those stories might be considered anti-Empire, so they aren't told as openly, however
Luke's uncle specifically wasn't going to be teaching his nephew about the Jedi, or the Force, or anything more exciting than moisture
farming. That Luke has never heard of the Force is probably more unusual, as the Force is believed in and talked about by a great many
in the galaxy, most of whom have nothing to do with the Jedi, and whose ideas about the Force didn't come from the Jedi per se.
Had Luke grown up in a less rural setting, he would likely have heard about the Force anyway, and probably more about the Jedi.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith

- The Force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds and penetrates living things, and binds the galaxy together.
As a non-localized field, its potential power at one one 'point' in the galaxy is equal to its total power, if it were possible to
access that. As it is produced by life, its total strength has been steadilly growing over the aeons and even recent millennia.

- Obi-Wan says he hasn't heard his name in a long time, and that he hasn't gone by it since before Luke was born. Leia refers to him as
General Kenobi, and references his service to Senator Organa during the Clone Wars, but also knows his name is Obi-Wan. She is
likely the exception regarding this, since she knows all of this from her father, and Obi-Wan is in hiding as Ben.

- The Death Star is a mobile, orbital battlestation which is the size of a small moon. It is 160 km wide, with a massive internal complex
and a crew compliment of over a million people. It is capable of sublight maneuvering and hyperspace travel. Its primary weapon
is powerful enough to destroy an entire terrestrial planet or similarly-sized astronomical body. The main reactor uses hypermatter
to power the station, and as the power source for the superlaser which is its primary weapon. While this laser system is a more
advanced version of laser systems seen in the last few decades, it is also a Sith superweapon, which uses gigantic kyber crystals to
amplify and reorganize the energy into a coherent laser-plasma bolt, almost like a gigantic lightsaber arrow. It was first designed
by scientists and engineers from Geonosian Industries 22 years earlier, based on a concept for a kyber crystal based weapon
from Darth Sidious, relayed to them by Count Dooku, as seen in Episode II. Construction of the superstructure began under
the guise of a Republic secret project, about 20 years earlier, and the initial frame was being completed when seen in Episode III.
It is a joint project of Imperial Advanced Weapons Research, Sienar Systems, and Kuat Drive Yards. This project took 19 years to
complete due in part to the astronomical size of station, as well as the need to source and collect large kyber crystals, which was
still going on up until completion, as seen in Rebels. This was also seen in Rogue One, where it also shown that the project
could have been completed sooner, however the engineering and physics involved in making the primary weapon work proved
to be more difficult in practice than in theory, leading to massive delays and cost overruns.



General Tagge says that "this Sith Lord sent by the Emperor will be our undoing." Based on this, and the part of this
scene which is still in the film, it seems that Darth Vader is known as a Sith Lord who is the Emperor's top agent. Vader's
Sith religion may be meaningless to most. At least some people are aware he is part of a secretive religious order, but
most like Tagge aren't concerned about anything beyond how Vader's inclusion will affect his prestige and authority.
As this conversation is taking place almost two decades after the Sith seized power, it may be commonly known that
Palpatine's proxy Vader is a Sith Lord, and it is no more notable to most than when the Jedi worked for Palpatine.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith


- Tarkin's staff meeting on the Death Star is attended by senior officers from the Death Star, some of whom may have been part of Tarkin's
Outer Rim command staff, as he has taken direct control over this project which has been under his jurisdiction since the early days of
the Empire. Generals Romodi, Cass, and Bast are part of Imperial Operations, and are likely command staff for this massive battlestation
and its huge compliment of technical workers. The unidentified Major General was later named Yularen in supplements, and incorrectly
identified as a Colonel. Yularen has been retconned decades after this film as an Imperial Security Bureau officer, which offers a possible
explanation for his supposed rank of Colonel within the rank system of that agency. He is likely the head of security on the Death Star.
Army Generals Molock and Tagge are also present. Molock is likely in command of the Army assets on the station, as Tagge seems to be
a member of Tarkin's staff who is in command of his own starfleet and associated Army units. Vice Admiral Motti may also have been
on Tarkin's personal staff before Tarkin took command of the Death Star, as Motti now seems to be the executive officer of the station.
Vader is in attendance because he has been dispatched by the Emperor to deal with the issue of the stolen plans. Romodi is seen in
Rogue One to have been the ranking Operations General and executive officer of the Death Star during its completion and activation.
Supplementary material often misidentifies the ranks of some of these officers, leading to errors in future material. In the credits
at the end of this film, Motti is mistakenly called a General due to script changes, and Tagge's name is incorrectly spelled Taggi.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia



- The Imperial Senate is dissolved, 19 years after the transition from the Republic to the Empire. Without the bureaucracy which still allowed
limited autonomy for sectors, most of all for the capital planets of sectors, the regional governors now have direct control over their
territories. This essentially establishes military government and martial law for the entire galaxy. The slow implementation for this process,
begun during the Clone Wars, and incrementally introduced culminating in the appointment of governors as seen in deleted scenes from
Episode III. These military governors, usually called Moffs in the Empire in reference to ancient titles used for the despotic rulers of
autonomous regions and dependencies, existed alongside the civilian government, and as seen in other material, have always had
superior authority which comes directly from the Emperor. They will no longer have to contend with parallel institutions of government.
Main Article: Darth Sidious and The Plan

- Admiral Motti believes the Death Star is "now the ultimate power in the universe", an arrogant, small-minded, and materialist sentiment,
which doesn't sit well with Vader, who tells him that "the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force."
while the scope of power in the Force that can be wielded at any time is limited by the potential power of an individual Force wielder,
the potential power of the Force is far greater than any device or object in the material galaxy. Motti is clearly aware that Vader is
a Sith, a religion which is often conflated with the Jedi by regular people in the galaxy, but refers to it as archaic "sorcerer's ways,"
and suggests that Vader has a "sad devotion to that ancient religion." Much like the Meiji era in Japan, and other historical parallels,
the prevailing philosophy amongst the leadership is that the galaxy has finally entered a 'modern' era with the removal of the Jedi two
decades earlier, and that now an era of reason, technology, and power can finally go forward without dogmatic ethical concerns or
the hindrance of ancient mystics. Neither Motti, Tagge, nor Tarkin seem to distinguish between Force religions like the Sith and Jedi.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith

- Obi-Wan states regarding the firing accuracy of the blast pattern on the Jawa sandcrawler that "only imperial stormtroopers are so precise."
Despite what would seem to be the evidence to the contrary later in this film, the idea that blasters are somewhat random suggests
that the stormtroopers are indeed accurate relatively speaking, and that most people are less accurate with blasters.


Does Vader sense that the Force is strong in Leia? He does note that "her resistance to the mind probe is considerable,"
which is not necessarily an indication of strong power with the Force, but is typical of the Jedi in later canon.
Considering that he sensed how strong Luke is with the Force when he focused on Luke later in this film, he should
have noted that she was strong with the Force when focused on her in one of these scenes. Of course, many people
have a connection to the Force that is above average and don't know it, so it isn't as if Vader should have acted
differently. Luke and Leia are, however, unusually strong in the Force, which is unlikely not to be noticed by Vader.


- As a result of the Empire murdering his family, combined with Obi-Wan's subtle enticement, Luke becomes fixated on two different destinies
which seem to him to be the same destiny, wanting to "become a Jedi, like my father," which will subsequently drive Luke's internal
conflict about choosing the light side or the dark side. In reality, becoming a Jedi and becoming like his father are no longer the same
thing, which Luke learns in Episode V, and overcomes in Episode VI when he finds a way to make both parts of his destiny the same.
This is inverted in Episode I, where Anakin dreams as a boy on Tatooine that he "was a Jedi" and "came back and freed all the slaves."
His desire to become a Jedi and his desire to make the galaxy the way he wanted it to be were not the same thing, but unlike Luke's
path, there was ultimately no way for these two goals to be compatable.

- Mos Eisley is city based around a large spaceport on Tatooine, north of Anchorhead. The city's economy is primarily based on trade and
providing amenities to travelers, and while many of its residents at any time are temporary, there is some local community. It is
neither friendly nor particularly safe, and Obi-Wan describes it as a "wretched hive of scum and villainy."


- The cantina band is a Bith group known as Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. The Aqualish guy who doesn't like Luke is Ponda Baba. His
Human associate with a disfigured face is Dr. Cornelius Evazan. These two were seen on Jedha less than a week earlier, in Rogue One.


In the uncut part of the scene where C-3PO states that he doesn't like the look of two stormtroopers talking to some
guy in front of the cantina, it is shown that he hurried out of the bar to alert them about the confrontation involving
Obi-Wan. This is not a particularly important detail, however it could have continuity implications. It could be that he
is simply reporting it as a crime, or maybe he likes the two jerks who were pestering Luke, but it could also be that he
is reporting a Jedi, or at least the appearance of a lightsaber. Jedi are officially public enemies in the Empire, and while
the rhetoric about this and the hunt for Jedi are decades in the past, there may be a great many people in the galaxy
who view the Jedi as a dangerous threat to the public good, whether they know anything about the Jedi or not.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith


- Han Solo's last appearance chronologically was 10 years prior, seen in Solo, during events in which he made the Kessel Run in
12 parsecs. It is revealed in that film that the Run ordinarily must take a longer flight path, and that only due to the speed and
maneuverability of the Millennium Falcon was Han able to take a shorter path. Obi-Wan seems to think his suggestion of 12
parsecs is an exaggeration, or perhaps an outright lie. It was around those same events when Han partnered with Chewbacca,
who is seen to still be part of Han's crew. Han is 32 years old at the time of this film, and Chewbacca is 200.

- 10,000 Imperial Credits is almost enough to buy a starship, according to Luke.

- The Millennium Falcon is a YT-1300 light freighter, manufactured by the Corellian Engineering Corporation. It was in service at least as
early as Episode III, 19 years before this film, when it was seen arriving on Coruscant. At some point after that, it became the property
of Lando Calrissian, as discussed in Episode V, who subsequently lost it to Han in a bet, in events that are seen in Solo, 10 years
earlier. Han has since made some "special modifications" himself. Lando later calls it as the "fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy."


Why do ships in SW always seem to be left open when they are on the ground? Obviously, it would be a serious issue
in many situations if travelers were locked out of their spaceships and couldn't get back in for some reason, so this
may be an intentional design for safety and practical reasons. It is also true that vessels as large as the Falcon
have a door at the top of their entrance ramp which can potentially be locked from the outside, however this is not
usually shown, and in fact the vast majority of instances in SW show the ships left open. Han and Chewie were just at
the bar, and don't seem concerned someone could be on their ship. In this instance, the deleted scene with Jabba
that was included in the Special Edition does make it seem like they can't get into the ship to look for Han. Regardless
of the situation on the Falcon, many ships, flying craft, and personal vehicles seen in SW don't require a key to steal
or operate, and even worse, need to be left wide open when parked. These don't seem like difficult features to add,
and considering that losing a ship or a vehicle can mean death or being stranded in many cases, it seems like these
would be popular with customers. Perhaps all ships have a remote door control, which is simply underutilized.


- Han tells Chewie to angle the deflector, referring to the shields. Deflector shields are energy fields projected around the hull of ships,
designed to deflect blaster fire, or to absorb some of the energy of impact. Their ability to withstand fire is related to the strength
of the enemy weapons and the power generation capacity of the ship. As a result, they can be depleted by continuous
bombardment, or simply overpowered by sufficiently energetic weapons fire. When the shield is active, blaster fire is angled
away from the ship, and shots which do hit are dampened by the energy shield, meaning the full force of the blast is not borne
by the hull of the ship. When angled against a specific direction of incoming fire, they become more effective.
Main Article: Shields, Deflectors, and Ray Shields

- In order to travel around the galaxy at a useful speed, starships with hyperdrive jump to lightspeed, and simultaneously enter hyperspace,
a dimension of space which significantly shortens the distance between points in normal space, as any journey between starsystems at
light speed in normal space would still require years. Travelling at the speed of light in normal space would also cause what is known as
time dilation, meaning that when ships arrived at their destination, it would be years later. Hyperspace allows for non-relativistic travel
through interstellar space at the speed of light, meaning that time is passing at or near to the same rate for those on the ship as it is
for the rest of the galaxy. Objects in hyperspace are still within normal space, and thus travel in hyperspace requires precise calculations
about the route to be taken, to avoid objects in regular space. The coordinates and necessary course corrections to get there are
computed by the ship's navicomputer, which references hyperspace charts. Han's reaction to the asteroid field they run into near where
Alderaan was supposed to be seems to suggest that navigational charts are regularly updated concerning potential hazards.

- Han says the Empire's ships will be unable to track them once they make the jump to hyperspace. While future material would show that this
is not entirely accurate, generally speaking a ship making the jump to hyperspace is an escape which cannot be tracked except under
specific circumstances, such as another ship gaining access to a jumping ship's navicomputer, or if a tracking device has been planted.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel

- Alderaan was a terrestrial world located in the Alderaan Sector of the Inner Core. While the planet is only seen from space, it is clear from
above that it featured large oceans, a rocky surface, and a water cycle. It is seen in Episode III that it had a thriving ecosystem, as well
as a significant population, usually said to be primarily Human. Alderaan was colonized over 25,000 years before this era. It was one of
the earliest members of the first Republic, and remained important in galactic politics until its destruction during these events.


- Leia is surprised that Governor Tarkin had the courage to sign the order to terminate her life himself. Despite the power which Tarkin and
other high-ranking favorites of the Emperor enjoy, this would ordinarily be a politically dangerous move. The Alderaan royal family
holds a great deal of political influence, and they have rich and powerful friends. Despite the legality of the move under Imperial law, it
is still potentially destructive to one's career. With the completion of the Death Star, Tarkin, Palpatine, and the Imperial leadership
no longer care about the optics of destroying an entire ancient civilization, let alone putting a member of the Senate to death.

- The Rebel Alliance's first headquarters was a base on Dantooine, which based on Rebels 'Secret Cargo' (S3E18) was established a bit
under two years before these events. The Imperial search finds the remains of the Rebel base have been deserted for some time.
Rebel headquarters was relocated to Massassi Base on Yavin 4, sometime over a year and a half prior to these events.

- Luke becomes a Padawan at age 19, despite Anakin being repeatedly called too old to train at age 9. Obi-Wan has little choice but to leave
Luke with his family, as Obi-Wan cannot risk raising Luke alone in case the Empire locates him. This way, Luke might avoid detection even
if the Empire came to Tatooine for Obi-Wan, in which case Yoda would have to be the one to seek Luke's assistance. Luke must be old
enough to choose to learn from Obi-Wan without his uncle preventing him, and so if the Jedi want Luke's help they must wait to train
him. This does demonstrate that the Jedi dogma about the age of training is prudent in most cases, but it is possible to teach an adult
to be a good Jedi, particularly if the people that Jedi had long-developed emotional attachments to have been killed.

- The massive loss of life, both sentient and non-sentient, during the rapid destruction of Alderaan causes a great disturbance in the Force,
which is so powerful it affects Obi-Wan acutely. Connecting to the Force not only provides insight into the present, sometimes even at
great distances, it also magnifies the Force's control over one's actions, as well as its responsiveness to one's commands. This is
the most basic and subtly powerful way in which Force wielders use the Force to realize superhuman abilities.

- Based on the disposition and demeanor of Chewie and the passengers on the Falcon, some time has passed since they made the jump
into hyperspace. Based on Han's comments about feeling confident they have lost the Imperial ships that were chasing them,
it seems that Han calculated the first leg of his route to Alderaan, then dropped out of hyperspace to begin the second leg
with little possibility of the Empire still tracking them, then engaged on the next leg of the trip. Since he walks in and says that
he is confident they haven't followed, and minutes later they arrive at Alderaan, Han likely dropped out a third time near
the junction of the Corellian Run and the Hydian Way for the final leg of the journey, and could then be certain they weren't
being followed. Han says they should be at Alderaan by about 0200 hours. Based on this, and the way daytime and nighttime
are universally handled in SW, particularly in Lucas created content, this journey took several hours. Based on conjecture made
from other material from the Lucas trilogies and canon, this trip probably took somewhere between 3 and 8 hours, depending
on which material one chooses to give priority to. If a journey of this distance takes less than 3 hours, much of SW canon is full
of continuity errors, and if it takes more than 8 hours, similar problems develop, so the time must be somewhere in between.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel

- Chewie and R2 are playing Dejarik, also referred to as holochess, which is a circular board game with fearsome creatures as peices which
battle each other. The Dejarik pieces still on the board during this scene are Ghhhk, Grimtaash, Houjix, Kintan Strider, K'lor'slug,
Mantellian Savrip, Monnok, and Ng'ok. Two other pieces, Bulbous and Scrimp, have been seen in later material.


- Han, like most people, has heard about the Force, but he personally thinks the idea of Force wielders is "just simple tricks and nonsense."
He rejects the idea that a "mystical energy field" controls his destiny, and calls the Jedi a "hokey religion," all of which shows that he is
aware of what the Force is supposed to be, and what a Jedi can supposedly do, but he simply doesn't believe in it.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith

- Han's unscientific analysis is that the entire Imperial starfleet couldn't destroy the physical structure of an entire planet. He goes on
to say that "it would take a thousand starships with more firepower than...," which was going to be a reference to the fact that
those ships would have to have more firepower than ordinary Imperial ships. General Dodonna's staff does a more accurate analysis
based on the Death Star's plans, which show that it "carries a firepower greater than half the starfleet." The entire starfleet still
could not blast a planet apart into tiny bits, since the Death Star can only do this by channeling all that power into a single blast.

- The Death Star is surrounded by a magnetic shield which seems to act somewhat like a deflector shield. The hanger bay is open to
space, but is pressurized or depressurized by means of an invisible shield, referred to as an outboard shield.
Main Article: Shields, Deflectors, and Ray Shields

- Despite the extremely advanced state of galactic civilization, scanning technology is not particularly insightful. This may be in part due
to the materials and technologies used by ships, which limit sensors, however it has been shown in future material that scanning
for lifeforms on a planet is a very inexact and sometimes time-consuming process, and many examples of close range scans being
very simplistic in terms of the range of things they can detect. A detailed and conclusive scan of a small ship like the Falcon
requires a scanning crew and somewhat bulky equipment.
Main Article: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices

- The Empire has gradually pushed a Human-centric agenda on the galaxy, capitalizing on the undercurrent of belief in Human superiority
which existed even in the Republic, left over from the Human colonial periods in the galaxy and the days of the Old Republic, many
thousands of years earlier. This not only provided a pretext for undermining the sovereignty of non-Human worlds, it also served to
recruit many ultranationalist Humans into the military, some of whom are quite racist, such as Captain Childsen in the detention area.

- Tarkin knows that Vader used to be Anakin Skywalker, and knew Obi-Wan, and knows that he used to be Anakin's master. This is not
definitely a secret, however it is unlikely that very many people besides the Emperor, Tarkin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda are aware of this.
Supplementary material is very inconsistent regarding how widely Vader is known to be Anakin, however the usual implication is
that Vader considers Anakin to be dead just the way that Obi-Wan phrases it to Luke. Vader and Sidious even refer to Anakin as if
he were a third person in conversation in later material. Tarkin believes Obi-Wan "must be dead by now," which is probably not
a reference to his age, but rather to the fact that all Jedi have had bounties and shoot to kill orders levied against them for almost
two decades. Tarkin does not conceive of a difference between the Sith and the Jedi, calling Vader "all that's left of their religion,"
in reference to the Jedi. As they were friends during the Republic era, Tarkin seems to see Vader as the only Jedi who stayed loyal.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith

- Droids with more developed personalities and advanced enough intellectual capacity have enough self-awareness to improvise and to
play act a part. C-3PO pretends to be a distraught and loyal Imperial droid when the stormtroopers come, which is certainly not
a programmed protocol for deceit, but rather is an emergent property which combines their personality with their purpose.
Main Article: Droid Intelligence

- Obi-Wan has his second duel with Vader, about 19 years after their first confrontation in Episode III. Vader, who is 41, has been growing in
power for much of the last two decades, in part by using the dark side, and also due to greater knowledge gained by using the Force.
Vader describes Obi-Wan's powers as weak and calls him an old man. Obi-Wan is 57, and while it is true that vigor is connected to power
in the Force, Vader is likely just saying that to be intimidating, and possibly because Obi-Wan has been utilizing his abilities less. In some
ways, Obi-Wan's connection to the Force has never been stronger, as evidenced by his transformation at death. When they last met,
Anakin had recently been Obi-Wan's student, and Obi-Wan was a Jedi Master and his superior within the Order.



Before telling Vader that he will become immortal if killed, Obi-Wan was to tell Vader "if my blade should find its mark,
you will cease to exist," emphasizing that those who follow the dark side have no possibility of living on after death.
As a materialist philosophy, the Sith do not ordinarily believe in such things. Despite the fact that Obi-Wan's body
inexplicably disappears, Vader later seems cheerfully certain that "this day has seen the end of Kenobi."


- Obi-Wan succeeds in Qui-Gon's spiritual path, and transforms into the Force at the moment of his death. Qui-Gon's spiritual achievement in
preserving his individuality after death is what allows the Jedi Order to be preserved after its death. Qui-Gon was unable to manifest as
a visible Force spirit, as he was unable to fully transform into the Force during his death in Episode I, an advanced ability requiring great
enlightenment and knowledge which is usually unknown to the Jedi. Qui-Gon's abilities as an entity in the Force slowly grew to the point
of communication with Yoda, who eventually taught Obi-Wan how to commune with him, as discussed in Episode III. Qui-Gon proposed
defeating the Sith with spiritual enlightenment rather than large numbers of Jedi warriors and military forces. By learning to manifest
a consciousness after death, and to commune with the living, Obi-Wan and Yoda can continue to teach and aid Jedi, becoming essentially
undefeatable. This trilogy begins with the Jedi enacting their unexpected plan the Sith would not suspect, just as the prequel trilogy would
later begin with the Sith enacting the inverse against the Jedi. Obi-Wan is the first to successfully apply Qui-Gon's teachings.

- The Empire places a homing beacon aboard the Falcon, which is the only sure way to track a ship through hyperspace. Beacons
attached to the exterior of ships can be easy to spot, however if planted internally can be difficult to locate or remove.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel

- Yavin 4 is a planetary moon orbiting the gas giant Yavin Prime, located in the Gordian Reach Sector, in the Trans-Hydian region of the Outer Rim.
It has an extensive ecosystem which is mostly a dense jungle, and is a warm and wet world with lakes and rivers. It was the homeworld of
Massassi, a species which were removed from the moon to be used as slaves by the Sith Empire, 5000 years prior to this film. The ruins of
their civilization can still be found on Yavin 4, including the Great Temple, which at this time is being used as a base by the Rebel Alliance.


- Massassi Base is the redoubt of General Jan Dodonna's Massassi Group, a prominent Rebel cell, which is a repurposed, ancient Massassi temple.
It has served as Rebel Alliance Headquarters since at least 7976 (1 BBY). As base commander, General Dodonna leads the efforts to
defend the facility and the moon, along with some high ranking members of the Alliance Command, including General Evram Lajaie,
Admiral Bob Hudsol, and Princess Leia Organa.

- General Vanden Willard is one of the Alliance Commanders, who are the joint-chiefs of staff for the Rebel Alliance's military, as is General
Evram Lajaie, which is clear from their rank insignia. General Willard is referred to as "Commander" by Leia, which is his position in
military High Command rather than his actual rank, which has led to some confusion about his rank in supplements. He is identified in
the credits as 'General Willard', which is his actual rank. Supplementary material created in the 80s and 90s identified him as General
Willard, Commander-in-Chief. As Lajaie wears the same insignia, and is seen with Admiral Hudsol, General Dodonna, Mon Mothma,
and Leia, in the command center at Massassi Base, it is logical to assume that he also carries this rank and position. Willard and others
may also be in the room but off camera. As their insignia bear the colors of both main branches of the Alliance forces, there may be
other joint chiefs not present at the base, or not shown, and may include an Admiral or Admirals. It's also possible that members of
the High Command and other leadership were evacuated before the battle to prevent a total loss of the High Command.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia


Considering the many changes made to this film during production and the extreme edits done to the order of scenes
and parts of scenes, it is surprising there are so few continuity issues. There are several background discrepancies in
certain shots due to the out-of-order edits, but are all minor and not particularly noticeable. Captain Antilles is
the commander of Leia's ship in the first scene of the film, and his insignia was the first ever seen in this universe,
but does become a continuity issue once the other Rebel insignia are shown in the last act of the film. The blue
5-dot insignia is the rank of Admiral, and is the Fleet version of the red 5-dot insignia of the Army, which is the rank
of General. As a fleet officer, Captain Antilles should have had a blue 2-dot insignia, as seen in later canon. It has been
pointed out that Captain Antilles is a legal operative of the Alderaan Royal House, and that his insignia may represent
the rank of Captain within the Alderaan security forces. It has also been suggested that these insignia originated with
Alderaanian forces, and were adopted and modified for use by the Alliance due to Alderaan having been amongst
the most significant contributors to the early Rebel Alliance. These are fine after the fact rationalizations, but this was
simply a missed detail. The actors portraying Admiral Hudsol and Captain Antilles were given the same costume jacket.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia


- General Dodonna explains that their analysis has revealed a weakness in the battlestation. This fatal flaw is shown in Rogue One
to have been intentionally included in the design of the weapon by Lt. Colonel Galen Erso, one of the lead scientists on
the project. The exhaust shaft which must be hit has been ray-shielded, so they have to use proton torpedoes. These
torpedoes must be sufficiently energetic to overpower and pass through the ray shields, as slower moving physical
objects and energy weapons like blaster bolts are reflected or absorbed by ray shields as long as they can be maintained.
Main Article: Shields, Deflectors, and Ray Shields

- The Rebels are equipped with stub fighters, in this case T-65B X-Wing starfighters, produced by Incom Corporation, as well as
BTL-A4 Y-Wing bomber starfighters, produced by Koensayr Manufacturing. Both of these companies produced starfighters
for the Republic during the Clone Wars. Incom Corporation also makes the T-16 airspeeder, which Luke mentions he owned
on Tatooine, and was also seen to have had a model of one which he played with while C-3PO was taking an oil bath.

- The Battle of Yavin was an early battle in the Galactic Civil War which became a major turning point in galactic affairs. It is subsequently
used as a historical marker, more by SW fans than within the universe itself, however it is a significant event within its century, and
indeed within galactic history. Dates in the SW universe are often given as BBY or ABY, as in before or after the Battle of Yavin, as
a way to easily reference how much time before or after the first SW film a given event takes place. The Rebels launch three fighter
squadrons: Green Squadron with 10 X-Wings, Red Squadron with 12 X-Wings, and Gold Squadron with 8 Y-Wings. Only 3 of these
craft return victorious from the battle, joined by the Millennium Falcon which entered the battle towards its end. This is
inverted in Episode II, when Anakin's father-in-law Cliegg Lars mentions regarding their defeat in the attempt to recover Anakin's
mother from the Tuskens that "Thirty of us went out after her. Four of us came back." Of the 30 pilots, 15 were seen in the film.
Red Eight, Nine, and Eleven were not seen but were identified in Rogue One. Green Squadron was not shown, nor were two
members of Gold Squadron. The survivors were Luke, Wedge, and one of the unseen members of Gold Squadron.


- When the fighters are passing through the Death Star's magnetic field, Commander Dreis tells them to switch their deflectors on double
font, presumably shifting the rear deflector energy forward to compensate for the turbulence and interference. During the trench run
they are advised to stabilize their rear deflectors, as they are being attacked from behind. The shields can be worn down during
the battle by absorbing energy, and need to be switched off to recharge as seen in future material. As a result, the only way to bring
one to full power once depleted is to redirect some of the energy from other deflectors to stabilize its energy level.
Main Article: Shields, Deflectors, and Ray Shields

- Tarkin's first on screen appearance is the final installment in his storyarc, which spans 20 years of galactic history. His first appearance
chronologically was in The Clone Wars 'The Citadel' (S3E18), where he was seen as a Captain in the Republic Navy during that
conflict. His aristocratic, ambitious, and self-centered positions made him a favorite of Palpatine, who promoted Tarkin up through
the ranks until he was a leading official in the galaxy under the Empire. He has always been shown to believe that there is always
greater strength in numbers, and that the larger and superior force will win. He favors pressing every advantage, and is only
interested in decisive outcomes. He believes in the value of strength through power, regardless of the means required to gain those
ends. His belief in the invincibility of large forces and weapons ultimately leads to his death. His arrogant overconfidence is
typical of imperialists, and those who believe in might over right, who are unable to imagine their defeat by vastly inferior forces.

- Luke is the hero of each original trilogy film, but ultimately must surrender to find victory at the end of each film, in a very Jedi-like
way. Obi-Wan, the hero of the prequel trilogy, must do the same in each of those films. This means allowing something else or
someone else to save them, putting their trust in the will of the Force. In Episode I and Episode IV, it is the Force which must
be surrendered to in order for the Jedi Padawan in question to win in combat. In Episode II and Episode V, the Jedi hero is
defeated by a more experienced Jedi who has become a Sith Lord, and must trust in another Force sensitive ally, Yoda or Leia,
to come to their rescue. In Episode III and Episode VI, the Jedi hero defeats Vader in combat, but cannot win the greater
conflict with Sidious without giving up their struggle, and putting their trust in the Force that a Skywalker will save them. For
Obi-Wan, that trust is put in infant Luke in Episode III. For Luke, that trust will be put in his father Anakin in Episode VI. Both
find their victory by following their teacher who is with them in real life in their first film, but who comes back to guide them
after death through the Force. Luke's victory against the Death Star also exemplifies Jedi philosophy, as he uses his biological
nature instead of technology when he uses the Force instead of his targeting computer.

- The Rebel medal ceremony shows that the Rebels had several hours to evacuate their base. Travel around the galaxy is fast in the Lucas
trilogies, but not too fast. While some material created since that time has attempted to suggest otherwise, it is clear that the remote
Outer Rim is many hours of travel away from the Core, and that there is a significant difference in how long it takes to get to planets
that are relatively nearby compared with those which are very distant. It has later been established that it is faster to reach systems
which lie along major hyperspace lanes than it is to reach planets which are on regional or local routes far from the larger routes.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel

- The Rebel triumph ceremony, sometimes called the royal medal ceremony, is where Luke and Han are each given a medal for their heroic
actions in the battle. While R2, Chewbacca, Wedge, and an unidentified pilot were also part of the battle, these medals single out
Luke's achievement, and Han's instrumental decision as captain of his ship to return to aid in the battle. Despite years of annoying
protests by SW fans that Chewie wasn't given a medal, the actions of everyone on the Falcon who brought the plans are being
honored in this ceremony, including C-3PO, R2, and Chewie. The Alliance joint chiefs seem to have already departed, as the evacuation
is certainly already underway. Leia leads the ceremony with base commander General Dodonna. Admiral Hudsol is seen to still be
present, as are a number of officers who seem to be the executive staff of the Massassi Group, based on their ranks and inclusion
on stage in this review. Lt. Na'al is there to carry and present the medals to Dodonna and Leia to place on those being honored.



ANALYSIS
The Galactic Civil War was an inevitable conflict that was the result of two decades of escalating oppression and suffering in the galaxy under
the rule of Emperor Palpatine. The degree to which the galaxy was devastated and tired of war during Palpatine's rise to power made
such an uprising unlikely in the first decade of the Empire, and the degree to which Imperial authority and culture had expanded during
the second decade of the Empire make organizing an uprising now extremely difficult. Nevertheless, there are enough people in the galaxy
who are fed up, and enough people who remember the freedoms enjoyed in the Republic, that the movement is finally gaining traction.
Some galactic elites who were politically and philosophically against the Empire from its beginning have been building a small Rebel army
to form the core of an armed resistance, and have been gradually moved to action by the continually more brazen and open tyranny
which the Emperor has shown with each passing year. While the exact start of the Civil War is open to interpretation, it probably began
about the time of the Rebel defeat in the Battle of Atollon, near the end of 7975 (2 BBY), just over a year and a half before these events.
It could also be considered to have begun days before these events during the Battle of Scarif, in 7977 (0 BBY), which also marked the first
Rebel victory in a significant open engagement. The Rebel Alliance had finally managed to gather enough trained personnel and equipment
to assemble a battle ready combat division from some of their larger Rebel cells, but were only moved to sudden action by the discovery
that the Empire had just completed a superweapon which might have made any military victory impossible. The unexpected success of
the Alliance in stealing the Death Star plans cost them a great deal of resources, but provided a slim hope of resisting the battlestation.

Despite Palpatine's authority as Emperor, he has had to maintain the illusion of representative inclusion and public debate for obvious reasons.
Thus, the institution of the Senate performs much the same function as it did in the Republic: to provide an outlet for the ambitious desires of
the private sector in a forum that is politically impotent and easily manipulated. This allows hope in the galaxy that peaceful change can be
manifested by those in the Senate who are righteous, slowing the rate of groups forming to organize against Imperial rule. This is still
a double-edged sword, as the worse the oppression gets, the more vocal the Senate debate becomes about the merits of the sprouting
Rebellion. Leia tells Vader that "the Imperial Senate will not sit still for this," regarding her arrest and the capture of a diplomatic ship. Captain
Jir seems genuinely concerned about the political fallout this could generate, telling Vader that "Holding her is dangerous. If word of this got
out, it could generate sympathy for the Rebellion in the Senate." It seems clear that even after 19 years of Imperial rule, the Senate does still
hold enough influence over public opinion that the Emperor and his military must at times tread lightly to take the path of least resistance.
Of course, Vader knows that the Death Star is now operational, and that the Emperor is no longer concerned about the Senate finding out
about the existence of the station. Vader therefore orders Jir to "send a distress signal, and then inform the Senate that all aboard were
killed," since the only concern now for the Sith is that the Rebels don't gain access to the Death Star technical data.

Classical civilization in the Republic was dominated by the Jedi Knights, who were a religious and academic order of warrior monks, and who
served as "the guardians of peace and justice" in the galaxy "for over a thousand generations." While this could vary between 10,000 and
25,000 years depending on ones definition of a generation, in keeping with established legendary material and supplements, this is meant
to be an approximate figure suggesting 20,000 years give or take. While individually not at all invincible, a single Jedi was so powerful that
for most of galactic history the Order could collectively defeat any threat that could realistically be mustered. While each were formed
independently of the other, the Jedi and the Republic eventually became deeply connected, and the Jedi served the Senate and donated
their power to the Republic because the Republic adhered to their ethical values, and because the Jedi would intervene against attempts
to change that. As galactic civilization matured, the Jedi started to become an archaic institution, and outclassed by the scale of advanced
technology. Political forces which sought to remove the Jedi as an impediment to change turned on the Jedi, bringing about an end to
the last remnants of classical civilization in the galaxy and ushering in a modern age of soulless, high-tech barbarism. The last generation
of the ancient Jedi Order were betrayed by one of their own, who became Darth Vader, and subsequently helped the Emperor hunt down
and destroy the remaining Jedi Knights. Obi-Wan laments that "now the Jedi are all but extinct," a situation that does not bode well for
the galaxy, however there are likely some Jedi from the old Order who still live, and potentially some new Jedi trained since the Empire.

General Tagge's wise counsel that "the Rebel Alliance is too well-equipped" and is more dangerous than most Imperial military leaders realize falls
on deaf ears, because of their arrogance and belief in their superiority. Admiral Motti thinks his invincible battlestation can't be defeated no
matter how well-equipped the enemy is, calling the Death Star "the ultimate power in the universe." Tarkin clearly sees the station as more
than enough to deal with any threat, and beyond that as a doomsday weapon which will prevent any future rebellion, which is how Palpatine
has always intended to use the Death Star. Tagge also notes that the Rebellion has been gaining support in the Imperial Senate, where even
some formerly cooperative members are beginning to question Palpatine's objectives. The completion of the Death Star allows the Emperor
to permanently dissolve the Senate, both of which were essentially the final steps in his plan of over three decades to destroy the Republic
and rule like the ancient Sith empires, but over the entire galaxy. This move, which would have likely led to civil war if enacted during
the formative period of the Empire, is only possible because of the incremental but steady solidification of executive power outside of
the jurisdiction of the Senate. The Empire will now be run as a military dictatorship, and "fear will keep the local systems in line" will be
the governing doctrine. While the theft of the Death Star plans is a concern, the arrogant and power-obsessed beliefs of the Imperial leaders
lead them to believe that superweapons will make them invulnerable. While these themes have endless historical parallels, given the time
in which this film was produced, this is most directly commenting on the race for superweapons in World War II and the Cold War, and
is also drawing parallels to imperialist interventions like the US war in Vietnam. Like so many occupying powers or despotic leaders
throughout history, Tarkin believes the Rebels can be eliminated by destroying their headquarters, and that their efforts to resist are
ultimately pointless since they cannot defeat a superior foe. History shows that rebel and revolutionary movements are often successful
in overthrowing more powerful forces, and at the very least are often highly effective in spite of their disadvantaged position.
Superior firepower is no match for a cause that enough people believe in enough to fight and die for.

The destruction of Alderaan was a significant moment in galactic history, and a genocide of previously unseen proportions. Tarkin observes
that "no starsystem will dare oppose the Emperor now," which is the entire theory behind the weapon. Alderaan is chosen to manipulate
Leia into betraying the Rebel Alliance, but is chosen to be destroyed anyways to punish Alderaan for the treason of its Senate delegation.
The primary purpose of blowing up a populated planet of political importance is to demonstrate to the galaxy what the Imperial military
can now do and how far they will go, drawing a historical parallel to the bombings of Drezden, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. If the superweapon
or tactical ability is not demonstrated, then deterrence is not established. Deterrence is the art of establishing the fear to attack in one's
enemy, and thus this demonstration is far more effective if the target is guilty of resisting the Empire, and their entire planet is blown away
in retaliation. This kind of terrifying overreaction should effectively discourage resistance on any populated world. If enough of the planet
rises up, they will be destroyed, and if smaller groups emerge on planets, most of the population will try to destroy them to prevent that
from happening to them. There will effectively be no resources available for a rebellion. While the destruction of Alderaan would have been
irrelevant to the Empire if the Death Star survived the Battle of Yavin, it ends up having the opposite effect. Once the planet is destroyed
the Empire's true face has been revealed to the galaxy, and this creates a large surge in support for the Rebellion in public opinion.

The Battle of Yavin is the completion of the Battle of Scarif, which took place 6 days earlier, and together mark the definitive start of open warfare
in the Galactic Civil War. The plans the Rebel Alliance stole from Scarif demonstrate a weakness in the battlestation, placed there by an Imperial
scientist opposed to the aims of the project. The vulnerable point is a reactor exhaust shaft, which has been ray-shielded and is protected by
twenty gun towers due to the sensitivity of that point on the station, and was thus considered sufficiently secure so as not to be a concern by
peer review conducted in the project. Once the Empire figures out what the Rebels are trying to do, they become aware of the danger, so there
may not have been a second opportunity to destroy the Death Star even if this information survived what would have been the destruction of Yavin 4.
Had this weapon not been destroyed at the Battle of Yavin, it may have been decades or longer before some means of ending the Empire were
possible, usually the result of internal politics. In the meantime, the miserable state of the galaxy would have only increased to unimaginable
degrees. As a result of this victory with the help of an inexperienced Jedi Padawan, the Galactic Civil War quickly becomes a larger conflict.
The widespread public discontent which has severely exacerbated by the destruction of Alderaan is now emboldened by the proof that even
the Empire's superweapon can be destroyed. The Rebellion grows across the galaxy, at first not in the form of the Rebel Alliance, which does also
grow as a result, but more importantly there are increasing numbers of planets with local Rebel cells, organized anti-Imperial sentiment, and
far more police work for the Imperial military. This stretches Imperial resources, making the activities of the Alliance more effective, and giving
them some room to maneuver. Nevertheless, the situation is still heavily in favor of the Empire in the first three years of the Civil War.

From Deleted Scenes
Luke's friends question his excitement that the Rebels are battling the Empire, suggesting that the Rebels and battles are far from Tatooine,
which is so remote and unimportant that Laze says "I doubt if the Empire would even fight to save this system." Indeed, Tatooine has
no significant natural resources or labor force, and the Empire is only here looking for Leia and the stolen plans. Biggs and Luke discuss
the Imperial Academy, and Biggs' plans to join the Rebels like an increasing number of cadets have been doing, taking their skills and
training paid for by the Empire and using them to aid the Rebellion. They also share what is likely a common sentiment of dislike for
the prospect of being drafted into service in the Imperial military. Biggs says that "the rebellion is spreading," which was clearly the case
even before the destruction of Alderaan based on Leia and Tagge's separate comments to this effect. Biggs also discusses how the Empire
has "started to nationalize commerce in the central systems." The process of imperialization of the galactic economy has slowly but steadily
transformed the galaxy's bloated capitalist system into a fascist one, where corporations are either arms of the state or run by members of
the ruling political party. Labor is mandatory and often involuntary, and since the state is essentially the sole employer, everyone essentially
becomes a state laborer, or a slave, or serf, or indentured servant, depending on how one looks at it and on each worker's specific situation.
Biggs tells Luke that eventually even his uncle's moisture farm will get taken over, and that "it won't be long before your uncle is just a tenant,
slaving for the greater glory of the Empire." Luke thinks the Empire won't bother with that on a system as remote and unpopulated as
Tatooine, but Biggs points out that things can change, and are changing faster than anyone expected these days.

General Tagge believes that the Death Star is meant to be the crowning jewel in Grand Moff Tarkin's quest for personal power and glory,
telling the assembled staff that he thinks "the construction of this station has more to do with Governor Tarkin's bid for recognition
than any prudent military strategy." Tagge is less concerned with the politics than he is in actually winning. While there is merit to his
suggestion, as Tarkin is only interested in political climbing and having power at his command, it is also true that Sidious is the one who
wants this weapon most of all, and for the very same reason that it will be the next step in his quest for power over the galaxy. Nevertheless,
Tarkin wants control of the Death Star as it will cement his position as an authority in the galaxy second only to Palpatine. It is seen in
later canon that Takin often dismissed this project as a failure, and only became excited about it when it became clear that the weapon
worked and that this station really was the key to incredible power. Ultimately, as is debated at length elsewhere, the resources put into
the Death Star could have built such an insane amount of more conventional weapons, it would have probably been a better choice to
build an even more absurd military than to build the station. At the same time, the odds of destroying a functional Death Star were very
small, so it was a wise investment, which only failed to deliver on its promise due to highly improbable circumstances.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
The Perfect Storytelling Clarity of Star Wars