This is part of two of a six part post in which I plan to translate a 142 page Chinese comic book adaptation of Star Wars originally published in Guangdong, China, in the 1980s. Thanks to Maggie Greene for giving me the go ahead to re-post her scans, and Brendan O’Kane for bringing this to my attention. In this episode, Luke and the robots have a close call with the Sand People in the desert, Princess Leia delivers her message, and Obi Wan reveals that he is a Jedi Knight, sworn to protect and serve the old Republic…

25. Flustered, the girl hurriedly says, “Obi Wan Kenobi (Aobiwan Kainuobi 奧比萬•凱諾比) save me! You are my last and only hope!” But the image quickly gives way to interference (shoudaoganrao 受到干擾) before he can hear what else she has to say.

26. Surprised, Luke asks, “What happened?” C-3PO doesn’t understand, either. R2 beeps away for a while, and C-3PO translates for him, saying, “This is an old data tape, it should have been deleted a long time ago. It must have been left out by mistake. You really shouldn’t take it seriously.”

27. Luke ignores [C-3PO] and continues to stare at the image longingly. “Who is she? She’s really beautiful! Is that all that was recorded? It sounds incomplete.“ He reaches out with his hand to touch R2, and R2 pulls back in fear. C-3PO is very displeased with his partner’s behavior.

28. After a short conversation between the two robots, C-3PO tells Luke that R2 says that he belongs to a man named Obi Wan Kenobi who lives in this area. That short clip we saw is part of a private message for him.

29. Luke wants to see the entire message, and R2 tells him that if he removes his control bolt he can probably play back the contents of the entire message. But after removing the bolt, the image disappears and does not come back. It looks like R2 has been scheming to protect his secret.

30. Aunt Beru (Beilu Dashen 貝魯大婶) calls everyone to dinner, so Luke has to leave the two robots. While eating dinner Luke asks Owen if Obi Wan Kenobi is [the full name of] Ben Kenobi who lives nearby. Owen doesn’t deny it, but tells Luke to stay away from him.

31. Luke brings up leaving the farm again, but Owen still doesn’t nod his head. Once Luke leaves, Aunt [Beru] says, “Luke isn’t a farmer, [we] should let him go. He is too much like his father.” Owen says in a worried voice, “That’s just what I’m afraid of!”

32. Luke returns to the storeroom, and is surprised to discover that R2 is missing. C-3PO tells him that R2 has already left to complete his orders. Full of regret, Luke says, “Goddammit, he tricked me into uninstalling his control device!”

33. The next morning, Luke takes C-3PO out in his sand speeder (沙地快艇). He has C-3PO drive the speeder, tracking R2 in the desert.

34. Luke and C-3PO finally catch up with R2 near the Western Lake.

35. Just as they are about to start blaming R2 [for running off], R2 suddenly jumps up and starts to make a mad symphony of whistling, sirens, and electronic alarm sounds; at the same time his chassis twists and turns. C-3PO also starts to look around nervously.

36. A short time later, C-3PO says, “R2 claims that an apparently nameless animal is headed our way from the southeast.” Luke immediately unholsters his laser gun and, in a state of high alert, takes C-3PO to a high dune, all the while looking back to prevent R2 from running away [again].

37. When they arrive on top of the dune, Luke lies on his stomach and pulls out a pair of extra-large binoculars. He peers into the canyon, and is surprised to see two of the strange beasts the Sand People (Sha Ren 沙人) are accustomed to riding.

38. Just as the anxious Luke is about to get up, he suddenly sees a dark shadow cross in front of him. Wrenching his head, he discovers that the shadow belongs to a terrible Sand Person who is already standing right in front of him.

39. The Sand People of the Sand Planet are not organic lifeforms, but they are also not entirely mechanical either. They are strong and ferocious, and specialize in the shady business of murder and plunder. C-3PO steps back in shock, and discovers there is nothing there for him to stand on, and so he falls down the sand dune. Luke finds himself momentarily stunned.

40. Standing erect in an instant, the Sand Person raises his double-bladed axe to chop at Luke. Luke skillfully raises his gun to block the blow, shattering the barrel of his gun.

41. Luke looks behind himself only to see a perilous cliff with no escape route. My god! Luke passes out. A sand person lifts him up and throws him to the side of the sand speeder before entering the speeder with his accomplice to seize [valuables].

42. It is precisely at this moment that a deep rumbling roar of anger echoes up the canyon. The Sand People immediately stop their plundering to look all around.

43. The angry roar is getting closer and closer, and the Sand People begin to shout in panic, fleeing helter-skelter.

44. In a flash, an old man appears at Luke’s side. He smiles and kneels down to massage Luke’s forehead and temples. Luke awakens at once.

45. Luke studies the old man carefully and then calls out in happy astonishment, “Ben Kenobi… I’m really glad to see you!” The old man asks, “Young man, what has brought you to this place?”

46. After Luke finds R2 and the C-3PO, who has fallen and hurt himself, he says to the old man, “R2 says he belongs to someone named Obi Wan Kenobi, so I came looking here…” Ben Kenobi acknowledges that he is Obi Wan Kenobi, but says that he hasn’t used this name in a long time.

47. They ride the speeder to Ben Kenobi’s well-hidden cave. Ben Kenobi immediately begins to work on R2. After only a minute, R2 begins to project the 3D image of Princess Leia from the front of his chassis. Luke again finds himself attracted to her stunning beauty.

48. In a grave tone of voice Princess Leia tells Kenobi that the Alliance to resurrect the Republic is in dire straits. Leia received orders from her father—the viceroy of the planet Alderaan—to seek out [Obi Wan] and request that he meet with her father. She was able to complete her orders, however, and so she was forced to use this backup plan to contact him.

49. She tells Kenobi that the information of life or death importance to the Alliance is already stored inside R2’s memory banks and that her father knows how to recover the data. She begs him to guarantee that R2 is delivered safely to Alderaan.

50. After the 3D image disappears, Luke asks in astonishment, “She called you a general, and said that you served the Republic, are you…” Kenobi says, “I am a Jedi Knight (Jiedi Qishi 傑迪騎士), just like your father. We were both old guards of the Republic, sworn to protect and serve.”

CONTINUED IN PART III…