Episode 4: A Race to the Finish
The droids, along with their masters Thall Joben and Jord Dusat are on their way to the Boonta Speeder Race aboard the ship of their friend Kea Moll. While Thall, Jord and Kea discuss Jord's upcoming race, R2-D2 and C-3PO are outside the ship, making sure the White Witch is secure before the jump to light speed. As the droids prepare to finish their work, a ship that looks to be an Imperial Shuttle appears and begins to attack. The droids attempt to re-enter Kea's ship, the Sand Sloth, but are not able to open the entrance hatch. As Jord attempts to open the hatch from the inside, a laser blast rocks the ship and throws Jord to the floor. As Jord clutches his arm in pain, C-3PO notices that one of the engines has been hit. Kea trys to go to light speed, but nothing happens. As the enemy shuttle continues firing, R2 plugs in to an access port outside the ship and begins repairing the external hyperdrive.
Aboard the attacking shuttle, Sise Fromm laments losing the Trigon One and being left with only a scrap heap of a ship. Tig Fromm, who is piloting the shuttle, notices that the Sand Sloth is slowing down and begins to move in closer.
C-3PO, panicking, urges R2 to hurry. A breakdown in the equipment in the decrepit shuttle gives R2 a few more seconds to complete the repairs. As Tig moves to deliver the fatal blow, the Sand Sloth makes the jump to hyperspace.
Aboard the shuttle, Vlix is mocking Tig for letting them get away. Tig lays the blame on their run down ship, while Sise, in a rage, demands that they pursue. As Tig hits the hyperdrive, the malfunctioning shuttle blasts into lightspeed backwards.
The Sand Sloth, coming out of lightspeed, begins to makes it's descent towards a sandy looking planet. Kea calls out to the droids, who have spent the hyperspace journey on the exterior of the ship to see if they have survived. Having hidden in a crater in the hull caused by the recent battle, the droids have survived the journey intact.
Moments later, Kea's damaged ship brushes up against the side of a mountain. The droids jump for cover into the White Witch, while the passengers inside prepare to crash land. As the Sand Sloth hits the surface of the planet, the White Witch breaks loose from it's restraints and is thrown from the ship. C-3PO falls from the speeder while it is in mid-air and lands in the tangled wreckage of a local junkyard.
As C-3PO struggles to break free of the tangle of wires he has found himself in, an aged droid approaches. While the droid welcomes a still tangled up C-3PO to the Boonta scrapyard, the human passengers emerge from the Sand Sloth. After the unusual looking droids frees C-3PO, he makes his way over to R2-D2, who is still in the White Witch, and introduces himself as Proto-One.
R2 beeps out a question, to which Proto-One answers that he is one-of-a-kind. He goes on to explain to C-3PO that he built himself. He was junked after a century of loyal mechanical service, but repaired himself. He now resides at the scrap yard.
Thall asks Proto-One if he knows of a medical facility to which they could bring Jord, and the droid's reply is that there is one close by, near to the racing track. As the humans and their droids prepare to leave aboard the White Witch, Proto-One offers to repair their ship. C-3PO is skeptical of Proto-One's abilities, but Kea gladly accepts the offer.
As the speeder takes off, Proto One calls out, "Nice to meet you R2-D2!" C-3PO, who clearly distrusts the old droid, advises R2 to choose his friends more carefully.
The scene changes to the seedy town surrounding the speeder track. In a run down room, Sise Fromm, Tig and Vlix are hiding out. Sise, full of anger, is speaking to someone in the shadows and asking him to take revenge on the speeder racers that brought about his downfall. Sise also mentions that he is not getting along with some of the other gang leaders, to which the shadowy figure replies that Jabba the Hutt has placed a bounty on Sise. However, the sinister sounding stranger says that he will not collect the bounty since he owes Sise a favor. Pleased, Sise requests that the man in the shadows uses any means necessary to bring down the speeder racers. The man replies that he already has someone on the job. The figure finally steps into the light, causing Tig and Vlix to tremble at his appearance. It is the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Fett informs Sise that after he finishes the job, he will owe Fromm nothing.
The scene moves to the medical facility, where Jord's injured arm is being tended to by a 2-1B medical droid. Due to his injury, Jord is no longer able to race, so he urges Thall to race instead. Kea remarks that no one will be racing if they can't get the White Witch repaired. R2 and 3PO enter, with 3PO protesting against R2's idea of letting Proto-One fix the speeder. C-3PO announces to his master that he has already found someone who will help with repairs.
The next scene takes place at a fully equipped repair shop, where Thall, Kea and R2 are introduced to C-3PO's new friend. The droid who has offered to help them is BL-17, a green colored protocol droid. He says that his master is away on business, but the speeder races can make use of the shop for as long as they want.
Meanwhile, at the Fromm's hideout, Tig is trying to convince Vlix to help him finish off the speeder racers before Fett does. Vlix has no desire to be a part of Tig's plan, but changes his mind when Tig offers him a new wardrobe and gives Vlix permission to call him "Tiggy".
Back at the repair shop, R2-D2 and Kea are busy repairing the White Witch. R2 is apparently complaining about C-3PO and BL-17, but Kea seems more supportive of C-3PO's new friendship.
C-3PO and BL-17 then enter with 3PO proclaiming that he and BL-17 both graduated from the same production facility. R2 mutters something about where 3PO has been, to which C-3PO does his best to give a nasty comeback. 3PO and BL-17 leave to go see if Thall could use any of their assistance. After they exit the building, BL-17 remains behind for a moment, out of the view of 3PO, and sabatogues the control panel for the door.
Back inside, a canister has ruptured and is spraying poison gas. The gas is affecting Kea, and R2 immediately rushes to open the door. The door does not open, due to the work of BL-17.
Outside of the building, Tig and Vlix, thinking the building is empty, are about to sneak in and plant a detonator in Thall and Jord's speeder. While Tig is attempting to gain entry, a huge crane crashes through the bay doors. R2-D2, having set the crane in motion is tending to Kea when Thall arives. Thall takes Kea away for medical treatment and leaves R2 to guard the shop. When C-3PO and BL-17 return, 3PO cruely blames the damage to the shop and the gas leak on R2. BL-17 then makes a suggestion of a safer place where they can store the White Witch. C-3PO agrees with BL-17, and compliments him for his help. He goes on to tell R2 that everything he has done has been detrimental to their masters plan, and advises him to leave.
R2, who is feeling terrible at this point, sadly rolls away.
Outside, Vlix and Tig have found a small speeder and take off in pursuit of Thall and Kea.
Kea, meanwhile, has recovered from the effects of the gas. R2 rushes up to Kea and Thall beeping frantically. Kea guesses that R2 must have received a message from C-3PO, so the two humans immediately race off after R2 to see what has happened.
Next, we are taken to a processing plant where BL-17 and C-3PO have taken the White Witch. After BL-17 assures 3PO that the speeder will now be safe, Proto-One unexpectedly enters the room. Proto-One, who obviously has met BL-17 before, makes a comment that BL-17 is "the lowest for of synthetic life to ever crawl across the planet." Bl-17 remarks that he thought Proto-One had been deactivated ages ago, and then pulls out a small box shaped blaster to finish the job himself. As C-3PO tries to calm his friend, Bl-17 turns and points the blaster back at him. As he is about to blast C-3PO, Proto-One leaps to attack the now menacing droid. BL-17 easily defeats the old droid by throwing him over his head and slamming him against a wall.
BL-17 now reveals that he used C-3PO to lure Thall Joben into his master's trap. 3PO laments his foolishness for doubting R2. At that moment, R2 comes racing into the room. As BL-17 turns to blast R2, C-3PO knocks the traitor into a a large stack of crates. The force of the impact causes the crates to come tumbling down, burying BL-17. C-3PO asks R2 for forgiveness, and the two droids friendship is restored.
As Thall and Kea enter the room, they are immediately fired on from someone above. As they run for cover, Boba Fett swings down on a rope fired from his wrist gauntlet. Thall and Kea determine that they need to get out of there with the White Witch, which an injured Proto-One notices is being sabotaged by Tig Fromm with a thermal detonator. After the tenth lap of the race, the detonator will automatically explode. A few moments later, Thall and R2, attempting to lead Fett away from the others, leap into the White Witch and race out of the building. Fett ignites his jet pack and takes off in pursuit. Following Fett's exit, Proto-One warns Kea and C-3PO that there is a thermal detonator aboard the White Witch.
At the racing stadium, the race is about to begin. As Sise Fromm and Vlix enter their private box, Sise notices that Admiral Screed is present at the race, an remarks that everyone is there except the Emperor himself. Screed is briefly seen sipping a drink as he looks on.
While Vlix taunts the now tied up original occupants of the private box, Tig awaits the arrival of Thall Joben so he can watch his speeder explode.
Elsewhere in the stadium, Jord Dusat is also anxiously waiting for Thall to arrive. Just as the race begins, Thall speeds into the racing tube, and the race is on. On his viewing screen, Jord notices that another unidentified speeder has entered the racing track. The announcer reports that the new racer is Boba Fett in his Silver Speeder.
As the race ensues, Boba and Thall's speeders begin to jostle. Fett fires two cables from his speeder that attach themselves to the White Witch. R2 severs one cable, which sends the White Witch into a wild, spiraling spin. After cutting the second cable, the two speeders continue down the course of transparent tubes.
While Tig Fromm is waiting in anticipation for the end of the race, the Silver Speeder fires laser blasts at the White Witch, resulting in a cloud of billowing black smoke trailing from behind. Thanks to R2, the smoldering damage is soon doused with foam.
At this point, Kea and C-3PO finally arrive and inform Jord of the thermal detonator aboard the White Witch. Back on the track, Fett is now using a magnetizing beam to hold the White Witch back. When it seems that the White Witch is finally in Fett's grasp, some of the foam that had been used to douse the fire aboard Thall's speeder flies off, carrying with it the thermal detonator. The White Witch zooms out of the racing tube following lap 10, followed by Boba Fett, who has ejected and is flying by his jet pack. As the Silver Speeder emerges from the tube, it slows to a halt and explodes.
Thall Joben is announced as the winner of the race, and is quickly greeted by Jord and embraced by Kea. C-3PO catches himself in the undignified act of cheering. As the friends wonder as to the identity of Thall's enemy in the race, they are greeted by an alien named Zebulon Dak. He offers them a job designing and building speeders for the Zebulon Dak Speeder Corporation. Thall, Jord and Kea joyfully accept and say they will start tomorrow.
As Thall, C-3PO and R2-D2 make preparations to leave, they are again confronted by the Fromm family. Proto -One emerges, fires a shot at the Fromm's and orders them to put their hands behind their heads. Sise Fromm leaps from his hover chair, attempting to flee, but is apprehended by Boba Fett. Fett, angry at the loss of his droid and his speeder has decided to turn Sise, Tig and Vlix over to Jabba the Hutt.
After saying goodbye to Proto-One, the droids and their masters leave aboard the Sand Sloth. From the cargo hold, R2 taps into the intercom to hear what is being said up in the cockpit. Kea and Thall are discussing Zubulon Dak's policy concerning droids. If they were to work for Dak, R2 and 3PO would have to be reprogrammed. Because of this, Jord, Kea and Thall unanimously decide they will abandon the job with Zebulon Dak rather than have the droids reprogrammed. As the ship prepares for lightspeed, R2 makes his way toward the escape pods. The two droids enter a pod and jettison just before the Sand Sloth makes the jump to lightspeed, and are left floating in open space near the planet of Boonta. The droids express their regrets at leaving, but realize that it was the only way that their masters would take Dak's job offer. While it seems that the two droids now have nothing, 3PO kindly tells R2 that they still have friendship.