Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope begins in a galaxy ruled by the tyrannical Galactic Empire and is the 4th movie in the canon Star Wars timeline, despite being the first Star Wars movie ever released. Princess Leia Organa, a secret member of the Rebel Alliance, is on a mission to deliver stolen Death Star plans when her ship is intercepted by Darth Vader. Before she is captured, Leia hides the plans in the astromech droid R2-D2, who, along with protocol droid C-3PO, escapes to the desert planet Tatooine.
On Tatooine, young Luke Skywalker lives a mundane life on his uncle’s moisture farm, yearning for adventure. He discovers R2-D2, who carries a holographic message from Leia pleading for help from Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke finds the mysterious old hermit Ben Kenobi, who reveals that he is, in fact, Obi-Wan, a former Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan tells Luke about the Force, an energy field that binds the galaxy together, and gives him his father’s lightsaber, revealing that Luke’s father was a Jedi killed by Darth Vader.
Meanwhile, the Empire searches for the missing plans. Stormtroopers track the droids to Luke’s home, killing his aunt and uncle. With nothing left on Tatooine, Luke decides to accompany Obi-Wan to Alderaan, where Leia’s message was meant to go. They hire Han Solo, a smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon, and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca to transport them.
As they travel, the sinister Grand Moff Tarkin demonstrates the Death Star’s power by destroying Leia’s home planet, Alderaan. When Luke and his allies arrive, they find Alderaan gone and are pulled into the Death Star by its tractor beam. Inside, they hide and devise a plan to rescue Leia, who is imprisoned.
Luke, Han, and Chewbacca infiltrate the detention block and free Leia, while Obi-Wan sneaks off to disable the Death Star’s tractor beam. As they escape through the station, they are pursued by stormtroopers and make their way back to the Millennium Falcon. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan encounters Darth Vader in a fateful lightsaber duel. Knowing he cannot win, Obi-Wan sacrifices himself, allowing Luke and the others to escape.
Devastated by Obi-Wan’s death but determined to continue the fight, Luke and the others deliver the stolen Death Star plans to the Rebel base on Yavin 4. The Rebellion analyzes the data and discovers a weakness in the Death Star’s design—a small thermal exhaust port that, if hit, can destroy the entire station.
As the Empire prepares to obliterate the Rebel base, the Rebels launch an attack on the Death Star. Luke joins the assault in an X-wing starfighter while Han Solo initially decides to leave, having collected his payment. The battle is intense, with Rebel pilots being picked off one by one as they attempt to hit the exhaust port.
During the climactic trench run, Luke relies on Obi-Wan’s voice, urging him to trust the Force instead of using his targeting computer. Just as Darth Vader closes in on Luke, Han and Chewbacca return at the last moment, blasting Vader’s ship and sending him spinning into space. Luke fires his shot, hitting the exhaust port and triggering a massive explosion, destroying the Death Star and delivering a crucial victory for the Rebellion.
With the battle won, Luke, Han, and Chewbacca return to Yavin 4, where they are celebrated as heroes. Princess Leia awards them medals in a grand ceremony, and though the Empire remains strong, hope has been restored to the galaxy, setting the stage for the Rebellion’s continued fight against tyranny.