Stars Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Quotes
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Source: Stars Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Speaker: Princess Leia Organa
"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."
General Kenobi. Years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack, and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.
Context
This line is spoken by Princess Leia Organa, played by Carrie Fisher, in the film Stars Wars Episode VI: A New Hope, directed by George Lucas (1977).
The ship of Princess Leia Organa has been taken over by Darth Vader—bad guy extraordinaire. Before she is captured, Leia is able to leave a message pleading for the help of a man called Obi-Wan Kenobi with a little droid named R2-D2. He and another droid, C-3PO, escape from the ship and land on Tatooine.
On Tatooine, the droids are captured and sold to Luke Skywalker's uncle. As Luke is cleaning R2-D2, he accidentally triggers part of the message from Princess Leia, which plays on repeat. "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she says, "you're my only hope."
Needless to say, Luke is pretty intrigued and goes out looking for Obi-Wan, which begins quite the epic adventure.
Where you've heard it
Ever been anybody's only hope? Then you've definitely heard this one. It's also one of the most quotable quotes from the infinitely quotable Star Wars series.
Additional Notable References:
- On Torchwood, one of the characters leaves a Leia-esque hologram message and ends it with this quote.
- When Carrie Fischer guest starred on 30 Rock, she pleaded, "Help me, Liz Lemon! You're my only hope!" as Liz ran away from her.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
If you seriously need help, you might not want to start quoting Star Wars. It might give people the wrong idea. But if you're in the mood to be a little silly and melodramatic, go ahead and try out this line.