Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Page #12

FODE/BEED :
- (O.S.)

B :
And there goes Skywalker... He'll be hard pressed to catch up with the

leaders today.

EXT. MOS ESPA - RACETRACK - DAY (FX)

The Podracers fly across the desert. SEBULBA is running neck and neck with

MAWHONIC. They round the first turn in the track, side by side. SEBULBA

drives his Pod into his rival, forcing him into the wall of a large rock

formation. MAWHONIC crashes in a spectacular display of fire and smoke.

ANAKIN is much faster than the back-end stragglers and passes them easily.

One of the drivers, GASGANO, won't let ANAKIN by. ANAKIN tries to pass him

on one side and is cut off. He then tries to pass him on the other side

ansd is cut off. As they come up on a cliff drop-off, ANAKIN backs off,

then guns it as GASGANO goes over the cliff. ANAJIN accelerates so fast

that he sails right over the top of GASGANO and speeds away.

Four TUSKEN RAIDERS perched above the race course fire their rifles at the

Pods racing in the canyon below them. One shot ricochets off the back of

Anakin's Pod.

FODE/BEED :
-

B :
Looks like a few Tusken Riaders have campe out on the canyon dune turn.

EXT. MOS ESPA - ARENA - VIEWING PLATFORM - DAY

JABBA THE HUTT and the crowd watch the progress of the race on small,

hand-held view screens. JAR JAR is looking over the shoulder of a strange

alien named FANTA.

JAR JAR :
Where's Skywalker?

FANTA moves the view screen out of Jar Jar's view. PADME, SHMI, and QUI-GON

watch another screen and look worried.

ARTOO, down in the pits with KITSTER, lets out a worried sigh. The driver

of the quadra-Pod looks worried.

EXT. MOS ESPA - RACETRACK - DAY (FX)

ANAKIN is powering around corners and over hills and cliffs, passing other

racers right and left. SEBULBA is in the lead. He is being challenged by

another racer, XELBREE.

SEBULBA slows a little, and as XELBREE pulls alongside, he opens a side

vent on the racer's engine and the exhaust starts to cut through the

alien's engine.

The blast cuts along the engine until finally it EXPLODES. SEBULBA deftly

veers away.

ANAKIN works his way through a dense mass of racers as they zoom over a

dune sea, kicking up dust. His Pod shakes violently as he goes over a jump.

One of the Podracers, ODY, catches one of his engines in the sand, and the

whole thing EXPLODES.

EXT. MOS ESPA - ARENA - VIEWING PLATFORM - DAY

QUI-GON sits quietly, meditating. PADME and SHMI search the landscape for

any sign of the racers. JAR JAR is still annoying FANTA for information.

The crowd SCREAMS. WATTO is laughing with his friends, confident in

Anakin's defeat.

The quadra-Pod engines start just as the racers come around the corner. The

DRIVER, BEN QUADINAROS, puts it in gear, and the four engines go off in all

directions, EXPLODING in a spectacular display. The Pod drops to the ground

as SEBULBA enters the arena, closely followed by all the OTHER RACERS.

KITSTER strains to see as ARTOO beeps excitedly. The announcer continues.

FODE/BEED :
- (O.S)

B ; There goes Quadinaros' power couplings.

A :
Sebulba! Ka pa me cheespa wata! (Here comes Sebulba in record time.)

QUI-GON, PADME, SHMI, and JAR JAR yell for joy as ANAKIN passes. JAR JAR is

very nervous and pounds on the back of his alien neighbor, FANTA. JAR JAR :

What gooie-on?

FANTA :
Bug off.

Lap two. SEBULBA and the pack race past the main arena. The crowd stands

and YELLS as the Podracers scream off into the distance. QUI-GON and PADME

look worried.

JAR JAR :
He musta crash-ud.

PADME :
Here he comes!

EXT. MOS ESPA - ARENA - PIT AREA - DAY (FX)

ARTOO lets out an excited whistle, as KITSTER yells.

THREEPIO :
He has to complete two more circuits? Oh dear!

EXT. MOS ESPA - RACETRACK - DAY (FX)

Sure enough, coming around the bend is ANAKIN, quickly gaining on the pack.

The two-headed announcer describes the action. The crowd goes wild.

FODE/BEED :
- (O.S.)

B :
It looks like Skywalker is moving up through the field. He's in...

A :
Steeth pa nagoola! (Sixth place, not bad.)

ANAKIN continues to gain on the pack. Tension for SHMI and PADME is

unbearable.

ODY stops in the pits. Droids work on his engines. DUM-4 stands in front of

the engine and is sucked in, causing the engine to die. DUM-4 is spit out

the back of the engine, very bent up. The engine lets out one final wheeze,

then EXPLODES in a puff of smoke.

FODE/BEED :
- (O.S.)

A :
Ody Mandrell! Coona wa wunda dunko! (Ody Mandrell into the pits for

some attention.)

ODY :
Droids!

TERTER is getting close to SEBULBA, who purposely breaks a small part off

his Pod, sending it into Terter's engine, causing him to veer into ANAKIN,

and unhooks one of the main straps on Anakin's engines that links the Pod

to his engines.

ANAKIN struggles to keep control of the little Pod. It whips about wildly.

As the Pod swings near the broken engine strap, ANAKIN grabs for it.

Finally, he catches the strap and manages to unhook it to the Pod.

SEBULBA cuts the engine of OBITOKI with his side exhaust, and the racer

crashes with a cloud of dust. A THIRD RACER, HABBA, flie into the cloud of

dust and crashes into OBITOKI. ANAKIN rounds a corner and heads into the

cloud of smoke. He hits a part of one of the engines but regains control.

FODE/BEED :
- (O.S.)

B :
At the start of the third and final lap, Sebulba is in the lead, closely

followed by Skywalker...

ANAKIN finally catches up with SEBULBA, and runs neck and neck over the

rough terrain. JAR JAR, QUI-GON, SHMI, and PADME all SCREAM s ANAKIN comes

through the arena. The lights in the tower indicate that this is the third

and last lap. WATTO begins to worry.

SEBULBA uses his side exhaust port to try to cut through Anakin's engines.

ANAKIN manages to avoid having his engine disabled but is forced off

course.

FODE/BEED :
- (O.S.)

B :
Skywalker is forced onto the service ramp!

A :
Oh noah!

On a tight corner, ANAKIN dives to the inside and takes the lead.

FODE BEED :
- (O.S.)

B :
Amazing... a controlled thrust and he's back on course! What a move!

SEBULBA is furious. He stay's right on Anakin's tail, crowding him and

pushing him through the turns.

SEBULBA pushes ANAKIN harder, and the young boy has a difficult time

keeping control. One of the parts on Anakin's engines begins to shake

loose. ANAKIN sees it and switches over to an auxiliary system. While he is

trying to accomplish this maneuver, SEBULBA races past him.

ANAKIN tries to get around SEBULBA, to no avail. Every move ANAKIN makes,

SEBULBA is able to block.

Finally, ANAKIN fakes a move into the inside as he usually does, then tries

to go around SEBULBA on the outside. They race sid by side down the final

stretch of the track.

FODE/BEED :
- (O.S.)

B :
He's catching Sebulba.

A :
Inkabunga. (Incredible!)

SEBULBA veers toward ANAKIN and bangs into his Pod. He crashes into ANAKIN

over and over. The young boy struggles to maintain control as the steering

rods on the two Pods become hooked together. SEBULBA laughs at ANAKIN.

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