Meanwhile, the Imperial forces have deduced that the plans may have been put on the missing escape pod and trace it to Tatooine, where they find evidence of there being droids on board. The troops go looking for them.
Kenobi asks Luke to come with him to Alderaan; Luke refuses, but offers the old man a lift to Mos Eisley, where he can get a transport. On the way there, they come across the Jawas who had sold C3PO and R2D2. They've been killed by the Imperial soldiers. Fearing that they may have revealed who bought the droids, Luke rushes home to find the farm in ruins, and his uncle and aunt dead. Returning to Kenobi, Luke tells him that he wants to go with him, learn the ways of the force, and become a Jedi like his father.
The battle at first goes badly for the rebels and their casualties are high. In the end, it is only Luke and a couple other fighters who make it to the trench where the exhaust port is located. Darth Vader goes out in his fighter to take out these X-wings but struggles to hit Luke's, remarking that "the force is strong with this one." In the midst of the firefight, Luke hears Obi-Wan's voice telling him to trust the force. Luke turns off his targeting computer and goes on his instincts. Just then, Darth Vader gets him fixed in his sights and is about to fire on him when he is hit from above in a surprise attack. It's the Millennium Falcon, because Han Solo has reconsidered and returned. Vader's ship spins out of control, hurtling off into space and Luke fires on the Death Star, hitting the target. As they fly clear, the Empire's ultimate weapon blows up. It's a great victory for the rebellion, and Luke and Han are decorated for their actions during the battle.