"Jedi that Was, Jedi to Be" is the fifth episode of the Star Wars radio drama. It first aired on National Public Radio on Monday, March 30, 1981.^[1] The episode corresponds to scenes of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. R2-D2 leads Luke and C-3PO to the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, fulfilling his mission and setting Luke on the path to becoming a Jedi and part of the Rebellion.

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. In 
the Rebellion's most desperate crisis, the 
fate of the entire Rebel Alliance rested with 
the astro droid Artoo-Detoo, whose memory 
banks held secret plans critical to the 
struggle against the empire.

at the edge of the western Dune Sea on the 
desert planet Tatooine is the moisture farm 
of Owen Lars. here, Artoo-Detoo and his 
interpreter counterpart See-Threepio have 
been brought following their purchase by 
Owen and his young nephew, Luke Skywalker. 
Once again, Artoo has escaped to deliver his 
message to the mysterious Obi-Wan Kenobi. 
Ignorant of his mission, Luke and See-
Threepio must try to recover him before he 
comes to harm in the hostile wasteland 
scorched by Tatooine's binary suns.

Plot summary[]

At dawn, Luke rouses See-Threepio to help him find Artoo before his Uncle Owen realizes that he is gone. Since Luke's skyhopper was recently damaged in a race through Beggar's Canyon, they have to take the landspeeder. Threepio drives, and Luke scans for signs of Artoo. Luke can predict the droid's direction - toward the Junland Wastes - because he knows where Ben Kenobi lives and thinks that he has something to do with the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" who Artoo is searching for.

On the way, Luke tells Threepio about a past encounter with Ben. Five seasons earlier, he and his friend Windy were exploring the wastes on a dewback. In a canyon, they were separated from the beast and soon were lost. Ben found them and guided them home. But on arriving at the moisture farm, Owen drove Ben away, telling him never to come back. Luke says that Owen seemed frightened.

They find Artoo, but before they can get back in the speeder, Tusken Raiders attack the group. Luke is knocked unconscious before Ben Kenobi arrives and drives them away by imitating the sound of a krayt dragon. Ben reveals himself to be none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi. He brings them back to his hut to learn more about the droids and hide from the raiders. While Ben repairs damage to Threepio, he tells Luke about his past service as a Jedi with Luke's father. He presents Luke with his father's lightsaber, adding that he had wanted to give it years earlier. Luke realizes that Ben has been watching over him for a long time. Ben goes on to tell Luke about Darth Vader's murder of his father and his fall to the Dark Side of the Force.

Artoo plays Princess Leia's holorecording, begging Kenobi to bring the droids to Alderaan. Ben tells Luke that he needs his help on the trip, and that he must learn the ways of the Force. Luke, unwilling to abandon his aunt and uncle, offers to drive him instead to Anchorhead. On the way, they come upon the destroyed sandcrawler belonging to the clan of Jawas that had sold Artoo and Threepio. Ben realizes that they were killed by imperial stormtroopers seeking the droids, and Luke leaves in a panic, knowing that his aunt and uncle are likely the next victims.

Luke returns from the homestead and reports that it has been destroyed, his aunt and uncle killed. He resolves to accompany Ben and the droids to Alderaan and become a Jedi.

Continuity[]

This episode closely adheres to the corresponding events from the film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. The most significant addition is Luke's story about meeting Ben when he was younger. He first tells Threepio about a time when Ben rescued him and his friend Windy in the desert. Later, inside the hut, Luke refers back to this story, and Ben confirms that he has been watching over Luke as he grew up. The 1999 comic Luke Skywalker's Walkabout later expanded on this story. Some elements that Luke recounts from the argument between Ben and Owen were echoed in the 2022 canon TV episode Obi-Wan Kenobi: "Part I."

Credits[]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

• Star Wars: The National Public Radio Dramatization
• The Making of Star Wars For Radio: A Fable For the Mind's Eye

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Star Wars: A New Hope The Original NPR Drama on the Internet Archive