Special Deliveries

Let’s talk about delivering the twins, but more specifically about Luke Skywalker. Padmé delivered Luke (and Leia) on Polis Massa and then Obi-Wan delivered baby Luke to the Lars family on Tatooine.

PART ONE: POLIS MASSA

There are some extra lines of dialogue in the published screenplay that take place during the twins’ delivery by various characters. These are all, for the most part, three scenes intercut with Vader’s reconstruction happening on Coruscant.

Yoda mentions a “last hope”, C-3PO discusses human reproduction, Obi-Wan coaches as best he can, and Padmé gives Obi-Wan her japor snippet (the necklace from Episode I) which just confuses the poor Jedi.

Here are the relevant excerpts from the published screenplay:

MEDICAL DROID
She’s carrying twins.

YODA
Save them, we must.
They are our last hope.

The MEDICAL DROID rushes back to the operating room. ARTOO and THREEPIO watch, greatly puzzled. ARTOO BEEPS.

C-3PO
It s some kind of reproductive
process, I think.

---

228 INT. POLIS MASSA-MEDICAL CENTER-NIGHT
The TWINS are being delivered as BAIL ORGANA, YODA, ARTOO, and THREEPIO watch. OBI-WAN is in the operating theater with PADME. He takes her hand.

OBI-WAN
Don’t give up, Padmé.

PADME winces from the pain. The MEDICAL DROID is holding the BABY.

MEDICAL DROID
It’s a boy.

PADME
Luke…

PADME can only offer up a faint smile. She struggles to touch the baby on the forehead.

MEDICAL DROID
… and a girl.

PADME
… Leia.

R2-D2, THREEPIO and BAIL ORGANA watch from an adjoining space.

---

230 INT. POLIS MASSA-MEDICAL CENTER-NIGHT
OBI WAN leans over PADME and softly speaks to her.

OBI-WAN
You have twins, Padmé
They need you… hang on.

PADME
I can’t…

PADME winces again and takes OBI-WAN’s hand. She is holding Anakin’s japor snippet.

OBI-WAN
Save your energy.

PADME
Obi-Wan… there…
is good in him. I know
there is… still…

A last gasp, and she dies. Obi-Wan studies the necklace.

It seems like some of those shots were converted into the dream sequences that take place earlier in the film, or at least parts of them were.

I also remember reading (I believe it was on Starwars.com) that Padmé’s big leg coverings were added later in post-production. See the included photo for evidence. There’s also a photo of a Polis Massan that is not in the film in that specific pose and location.

PART TWO: TATOOINE

Way back when George Lucas was shooting Episode II in Tunisia, there was much ado over Lucas’ admission that he was shooting a scene for Episode  III while he was out there so they wouldn’t have to come back in a few years for one shot. Of course, fans put two and two together and figured this was the moment when baby Luke was handed over, but no one could ever confirm it.

As it turns out, there are two images at the beginning of The Making of Revenge of the Sith that show Obi-Wan handing the baby over to Owen Lars from that day of filming on the Episode II set. Back then, Lucas hadn’t written the screenplay so he just used Owen alone. In the end, however, we know that Owen isn’t the one who takes the baby from Obi-Wan; it’s Beru. The scene was re-shot on a greenscreen set for Episode III that was designed to mimic the Lars homestead.