Episode IV's "There Goes Another One" Scene

Boom

 

I never understood this scene either.

 

Wow, I never thought of what that dialogue implied before.

Yes, I agree with all four of your assertions. "Another one" implies at least one prior one. "Hold your fire" instead of "Hold your fire again" implies the first pod or pods were fired upon. "No lifeforms" seems to be the reason for the decision to hold fire, so we can assume the prior pod or pods were carrying life forms.

What happened to it? Well, that's kind of obvious. A Star Destroyer vs. an escape pod is only going to end one way. As Bluestreaking said, "Boom".

Perhaps the more important question is why?

A Senator was aboard the ship. Vader says Leia wasn't "on any mission of mercy this time." That's a clue that Senator Leia had embarked on missions of mercy before. The risk to the Empire is huge, considering a rebellion has already challenged the Empire. Firing on defenseless escape pods, any one of which could be carrying a Senator on a mission of mercy, is a potential PR nightmare.

The only reason I can see the Empire would have to risk such backlash: Vader and the Imperials are searching for the schematics to the Death Star. News of the existence of a planet-killing space station would be even less popular than news of a Star Destroyer shooting down escape pods from a Senator's ship. We can assume that any life form on Leia's ship could have knowledge of the Death Star's existence. Therefore, to keep the secret, any potential tattle-tellers had to be eliminated.

And I thought J. J. Abrams' non-disclosure agreements were strict!

 

I changed all your "Leah"s to "Leia"s.

 

I can't believe I did that. I must be more tired than I realized. Quick, take my Internet away before I get wacky!

 

Yes, I agree. I don't know the exact quote from the movie, but somebody (Vader himself?) says "Send a distress signal and tell the Senate they are all dead" or something...

 

Yeah Vader says that after he throws that guy against the wall.

 

Then inform the senate that all aboard were killed. lol That line always sticks in my head for some reason

 

I always loved the Family Guy treatment of this scene: "Hold your fire, what are we paying by the laser now?"

Firing on defenseless escape pods is not nearly as much of a PR nightmare as completely destroying a peaceful planet. The Empire wasn't worried about PR. Their plan was to rule the galaxy through sheer power and fear. The senate had just been dissolved. As Tarkin explained, "The regional governors now have direct control over their territories. Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station."

 

For what it's worth, this is explained in the 1981 Radio Drama:

First of all, in the radio drama, Leia has already interacted with R2 and 3PO earlier in the flight, employing their help during the initial acquisition of the Death Star plans.

Prior to being boarded by Vader and his men, Leia and Captain Antilles quickly devise the basic plan to stow the plans with R2 and send him to Tattoine via en escape pod . At this point, R2 is on another part of the ship, but he has already been programmed to take orders exclusively from Leia.

Before Leia goes to find R2, they purposely jettison several empty escape pods in the hopes that when R2 later jettisons, it will be interpreted by the imperials as a similar malfunction.

(I'm not sure if the radio dramas are still part of canon, but the expanded scenes and back story that they contain do not contradict what is in the movies.)

 

"You don't do the budgetary, I DO!"

 

But aren't the Tantive IV and all its escape pods already INSIDE THE DEATH STAR??? At the very least, the Death Star would have locked onto the ship with a tractor beam which would envelop any pods jettisoned by the rebels. I didn't quite get this part either.

 

I do it on here all the time also

 

Beat me to it, I was going to mention that.
The radio dramas are great - easily the EU at it's best. So far as I remember, in the old days of the Star Wars canon, they were ranked right up there just below the movies themselves.
I've given up caring what is considered "canon" or not these days. At the end of the day, it is just the movies - they dictate everything, never the other way round.
The powers that be might tell you this book is canon, or that cartoon is canon - it means nothing. If the next movie totally contradicts something they told you was canon a few years ago - bang. It's gone.
Life's too short to worry about stuff like that. If you enjoy something, then enjoy it. It doesn't need some seal of approval.
The movies are informed by the other movies. Period.

 

The Empire doesn't waste "ammunition" blasting escape pods for funsies?

 

I'm sorry to say it but I think you guys are reading into this a little too much. It's just logical that rebels would be using the escape pods to try to get away, and like you said yourself, they fired on any ones that came before which probably means they were destroyed. I don't think it was supposed to be anything more than a piece of logical writing to support their NOT destroying C-3PO and R2-D2 when they launched.

[EDIT]: In reply to what Get In Gear brought up about the radio drama, this line is probably best explained as an alternate way of explaining why they didn't get destroyed without having to have a whole extra scene.