William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back

[The AT-ATs advance on Luke Skywalker and other rebel pilots.

LUKE

[to rebel pilots:] Now stay together, men.

DACK

—Alas, good Luke,The ship’s computer hath malfunction’d. O,I am not set for this attack!

LUKE

—Be patient.We shall use pattern delta now, anon!

[Rebels and AT-ATs duel, and

rebels quickly retreat.A hit! A very palpable hit. Wait,Although my shots have found their mark, their blastsHave no effect. It is their armor, fie!Our blasters are too weak to penetrate

The strength of their robust exteriors.Rogue group, use thy harpoons and cables, too.Let us go for their legs and trip them up—Perhaps they may be bested from beneath.Dack, art thou with me?

DACK

—This malfunction hathPut fire into the system. I’ll attemptTo quickly gain some pow’r another way.

LUKE

I prithee, be thou careful now, young Dack!

[The fight resumes. Dack is struck.

DACK

Alas, I die! Farewell, Commander Luke!

[Dack dies.

LUKE

Nay, Dack! O agony of battle, curse

Of war, and dread of ev’ry soldier’s heart:To suffer at the hands of enemies,To end one’s days by pow’r of the unjust!What use is war? For it doth ravage allWithin its path, and what hath it e’er solv’d?’Tis rare that peace doth follow in war’s wake.Indeed, this recent blow doth only urgeAnd heighten my destructive sentiments:I shall avenge thee, Dack, and slay these hereWho have thy lifeblood ta’en, and seal’d thy fate.

AT-AT 2

No more of these amusements with the weak.’Tis time to make this victory our own:Head for the power generator, mates,The battle’s nearly won!

LUKE

—Rogue Three, dost hear?

WEDGE

I do, Rogue Leader.

LUKE

—Wedge, I need thee now.I’ve lost my gunner: thou must strike their legsWith thy harpoon. I’ll give thee aid—we’ll flyTogether, follow close behind me.

WEDGE

—Aye!Now activate harpoon and slay these beasts!

[The fight resumes. Wedge and his gunner, Janson, strike AT-AT 1 with a rope around the legs.

AT-AT 1

What treachery! The rebels have assail’dMy weakest part. My legs, good comrades—theyHave struck where I most vulnerable am.

WEDGE

Well hit, brave Janson. Now encircle himAnd bring this giant down to meet his end.It worketh, friends! His legs hath been confin’d,And thus the brute hath trouble with his stride.Just one more pass around, and then detach!

JANSON

The cable is detach’d! He falls!

AT-AT 1

—Alack;I perish now, my comrades. Win the day!

[AT-AT 1 falls and dies.

WEDGE

A-ha!—and thus our Dack hath been aveng’d!

LUKE

I see thy handiwork; well done, strong Wedge.Dack’s memory we honor by this strike.

AT-AT 2