Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge Star Wars fan. It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.
Recently I got inspired to write my own Star Wars script. It wasn’t something I planned to actually shoot or try to shop around for any reason (not that I really could since it’s all owned by Lucasfilm) – it’s just a creative, fun project focusing on something I thoroughly enjoy.
I’ve been writing scripts for a long time and it seemed natural to use those skills to pen my own Star Wars story. I used familiar characters (Lando Calrissian, Biggs Darklighter, Ben Kenobi, Darth Vader, Jabba the Hutt, Boba Fett, etc), familiar settings (Tatooine, Star Destroyers, Coruscant the Millennium Falcon) and set the story a few years prior to the original Star Wars film, A New Hope.
I wanted to tell stories of characters who were either not around at the time of the original film, or who were mentioned or seen only in passing. While we see Jabba The Hutt, Boba Fett and Lando Calrissian in Return of the Jedi & The Empire Strikes Back, I though it would be interesting to see these characters prior to those stories and how they might actually know each other.
I also wanted to expand on characters like Greedo and Luke’s Uncle Owen & Aunt Beru.
Even though I’ve included major characters such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, they’re not pivotal characters, but more-so plot devices used to move the story along.
I’ve also introduced a few new characters of my own creation and used them in ways so that it makes sense why you’ve never seen or heard of them beyond this story.
Overall I wanted it to feel like a Star Wars movie. I of course took a creative license with the source material, but I’d like to think the characters you know and love sound and feel like they would in these situations.
It was a fun exercise in writing and very enjoyable. The nice thing about writing a script for something you know intimately well is it practically writes itself for the most part. Although I did do quite a few revisions to get some of the dialogue and timeline just right, the bulk of the story played out like a movie in my head.
I wrote with the feel of the original Star Wars and although it touches on and references things we see happen in A New Hope, I also used the prequels as a very real part of this world’s history. While I’m not a big fan of the prequels, they are canon and they enrich the characters’ backstories and make for some interesting motivations.
The script is titled “Memories of a Jedi” and may not be about what you think it is. Originally I was using the working title “Tales From Tatooine” but discovered a Star Wars fan film of the same name so I opted for something different.
I will say that there are A LOT of good titles taken by Star Wars fans for other projects.
I thought it would be a good idea to release the script right before Star Wars Celebration as a chance for fans to read it while traveling and maybe even talk about it with other fans.
The script is available here as a PDF to read and share. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
May the Force Be With You!