"Pattern and Web" is the fourth episode of the Return of the Jedi radio drama. It first aired on National Public Radio on November 26, 1996.^[1] It adapts events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi depicting the start of the Rebel mission to Endor.

Opening crawl[]

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, 
there came a time of revolution, when rebels 
united to challenge a tyrannical empire. Now, 
the final act of this cosmic struggle races 
towards its climax. The Empire's new and more 
powerful Death Star nears completion, 
preparing to unleash planet-crushing power 
and give its overlords ironclad dominion over 
the galaxy. 

But around the planet Sullust, the total 
resources of the Rebel Alliance have been 
marshaled for one ultimate, desperate attempt 
to smash the imperial juggernaut. From 
Sullust, there can be no going back. After 
Sullust, there can only come freedom or 
oblivion.

Aboard the Headquarters Frigate, flagship of 
the Alliance Fleet, the Rebels await their 
briefing for the great assault, among them, a 
group of friends just back from Tatooine. And 
if there has been little time for rest and 
recuperation, still, the layover at Sullust 
has brought about some definite changes.

Plot summary[]

On the Rebel Headquarters Frigate near the Sullust system, the leaders of the Rebel Alliance assemble for a briefing about the new Death Star and the mission to destroy it. Lando Calrissian and Han Solo tease one another about their respective promotions to the rank of general and their leadership roles in the coming fight: Lando will lead the fighter assault into the incomplete Death Star's interior, while Han will lead a team of commandos on the surface of the Forest Moon of Endor to disable the station's deflector shield. During the briefing, Chewbacca, See-Threepio, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker (with Artoo-Detoo) volunteer to join Solo as part of the command crew of the stolen imperial shuttle Tydirium, which they will use to infiltrate the Forest Moon. Lando, meanwhile, will fly in his old ship, the Millennium Falcon.

The crew board the shuttle and prepare to depart. Han asks if Luke wants to take a spare blaster, but he insists on arming himself only with his lightsaber. Trusting in the Force, Luke is confident in the mission's success, but Han is more anxious and fears that he will never see the Falcon again. The Tydirium approaches the Death Star and transmits a transponder code to allow it to land on the moon. Luke senses the presence of Darth Vader as they fly past a Super Star Destroyer. He fears that he is endangering the mission, and now it is Han's turn to reassure him. There is a long, nervous pause, but the shuttle is allowed to proceed.

Soon after landing on Endor, the Rebels encounter a squad of scout troopers. Han and Chewbacca try to outflank them stealthily but are noticed. Two scouts ride away on their speeder bikes; Luke and Leia ride after them through the trees. When another pair of scouts spot them and give chase, Luke and Leia are separated and Luke knocked off his speeder. He destroys the remaining scout's speeder with his lightsaber, but when he returns to the Rebel commandos, Leia is missing. The Rebels then split up: Han, Chewbacca, and the droids join Luke to search for Leia while Major Derlin leads the others to the Endor shield generator.

Leia, also knocked from her speeder, encounters and quickly befriends a small being, though she had believed that Endor had no intelligent life forms. Another pair of scout troopers discover them; Leia's new companion helps her fight the first, allowing her to shoot the other with her blaster. Not knowing who or what the being is, Leia calls him an "Endorian" and nicknames him "Short, Round and Furry". After dispatching the troopers, Leia follows him through the forest.

Continuity[]

Some of the additional dialogue in "Pattern and Web" refers to recently-published material from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. During her briefing, Mon Mothma says, "We must adjust our own plans to make up for the losses inflicted on us by Lord Vader at the Battle of the Bajic Shipyards." This is another reference that the radio drama makes to events from the Shadows of the Empire novel, published a few months before the episode aired.^[2] The episode follows the Galaxy Guide 5 in identifying Empire Strikes Back character Major Derlin as Han's second-in-command of the Rebel commandos.^[3] Leia's surprise that Endor has intelligent life is ironic, since the moon was known to house a vast range of sentient species and was compared to a "desert island" in space.^[4]

Credits[]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

• Return of the Jedi: The National Public Radio Dramatization

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi Radio Drama on the Internet Archive