Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope Easter Egg - 1138 Reference

When Han, luke and Chewie are about to rescue Princess Leia, Han speaks on the radio to the Imperials and Cellblock 1138 is mentioned, a refernce to George Lucas's first film THX 1138

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Contributed By: Shaun Barry on 07-31-1999
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Comments

Andrew writes:
You are wrong. Han does not say 1138, he says 2138. If you have Closed Captioning, turn it on and look for yourself. It clearly says 2138.
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Weevil writes:
There's usually a reference to 1138 in Lucas's films, especially the Star Wars ones. This film should be no exception...
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1138 is where Han and Luke are supposedly transporting Chewie when they have him in "custody"... I think...
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Jezza writes:
I submit, Andrew, that the people at Closed Captioning got it wrong. Try actually listening to the dialogue and forming your own opinion.
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Baron Fel writes:
The 1138 reference is made when Luke, Han, and Chewbacca arrive in the detention block. Luke says that Chewie is a "prisoner transfer from cell block 1138." Note the they are supposed to be coming from cell block 1138, they are not going to cell block 1138.
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Tiger 007 writes:
I read somewhere that the 1138 reference was actually going to made by the guard in the tower right after Han and Luke put on the stormtrooper outfits and Luke comes out motioning his microphone is off. Instead he says something like tk421.
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warren writes:
GK-421. GK probably meant Gary Kurtz, a producer.
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Rob writes:
If you have read the ANH book you will know that when Luke and Han knock out the guards another one says "THX 1138 why aren't you at post?" This however was changed to tk 421 for the film. Why? Only George knows.
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Sandman writes:
to put a rest to this 1138 business. According to my "Star Wars: Behind the Magic" CD-ROM, when the comm officer calls the stormtrooper and asks why he isn't at his post, the script originally called for him to say THX-1138, but Lucas changed it to TK-421 (which is also a reference to the movie THX-1138, TK-421 was one of the robot police officers in the movie). In the script, when Luke and Han are sneaking into the detention area w/ Chewie, and Luke tells the officer on duty that Chewie is a "prisoner transfer from cell block 1138" he added 1138 himself, in the book it is cell block TS-138 (I am not sure what it was supposed to be in the script). Lucas told Mark Hamilton to change the line and stick to the script, but it SOMEHOW ended up in the movie anyway.
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Dark Jedi writes:
Your all wrong. Han says "Here it is.....cell 2187. " Come on folks, I expect better.
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MemoryLapse writes:
Dark Jedi...Sandman is right. You're thinking of a different part of the movie. Get it right yourself, before you cut people down. DOH!
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shen1138 writes:
Dark Jedi, The part you are thinking of occurs after the gun battle, when Han is checking the panel, and has the "boring conversation anyway." "Cell Block 1138" occurs before the gun battle, when the imperial officer asks "Where are you taking this thing?" Their reponse is "Prison transfer from cell block 1138."
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Gravity writes:
All this talk about 'TK-421' seemed to ring a bell, I think in the Movie 'Boogie Nights' when Buck giving a customer his sales pitch on a HiFi at the place where he works, the modification he's trying to sell him is the 'TK-421'. This could be just a coincidence... but it just struck me.
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Yes it is 1138. I was watching it and saw this, I was about to submit it to this site.
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zenone writes:
'TK-421' is mentioned in the boogie nights egg section, the poster there reckons that the tk-421 stereo he is selling is a reference to the number of the stormtrooper suit that Luke steals. I haven't checked the film though. Also,reurning to the topic, does anyone know what thx 1138 is? (apart from gl's 1st film) I assume some of you do, but it hasn't been mentioned yet in this thread.....
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skarpathian writes:
(THX also refers to the audio technology (I know, that's a "duh")) and 1138 is also on the back of a droid in Phantom Menace.
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mike writes:
Thx 1138 is Electronic Labyrinth if ya'll wanted to know.
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THX 1138 is this movie with this guy and his donkey and they get married in california. its funny when they move to alaska because they get cold, and then the sperm eats them! rent it some time.
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kurtman68 writes:
Yo, Jentry t- that was a pretty thorough explanation of the whole 1138 reference... you must be a *huge* SW fan! - When are you starting up the worlds only "Mark Hamilton" fan club???
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venve writes:
THX 1138 goes back to the sci-fi book that Lucas' first movie is based on. It's actually the "name" of the main character. In the story, mankind has been driven underground by the nuclear holocaust. Society is run by the robots and machines and man, for his part has lost the spark which leads him to nonconformity. THX 1138 rebels against the system and there is a long chase between him and the robot police (mentioned in one of the other comments). He is trying to get to the surface and be free, a task which is supposedly impossible and deadly if anyone did make it. But he does. In an all too realistic scene, the chase is called off within seconds of him being caught, and in sight of the exit, because the chase has cost too much money. Sorry, I don't remember the author but I think the story came out in the late 60s or early 70s. A product of the cold war nuclear threat, as were so many sci-fi stories back then.
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I'll end this debate: The cell number was 1138. It was in cell block AA23. It was on level 5. Sorry for being this precise, but I am a stickler for accuracy!!
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Wonderman writes:
I would just like to say that all of the storm troopers are left handed. Thank you.
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Sixer writes:
Umm, 421 are the first three binary digit values. Yeah, I though it was crap too.
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dan flannery writes:
THX-1138 refers to an earlier film that George Lucas made, staring Robert Duval and Donald Pleasance. as to 'Star Wars'... when the 'millennium falcon' is caught by a tractor beam from the death star, and Han and Luke ambush the guards, Han comes out of the ship wearing a storm troopers armor. the tower guard calls him saying "THX-1138, THX-1138, why aren't you answering?" Han taps at his ear to indicate that his comunicator is not working. i saw the original 'Star Wars' when it first came out (mid 1970's?) and i caught this reference immediately. however, i have seen the movie many times since, on cable and video, and the 'thx-1138' has been removed! copyright problems?? who knows?
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Lone Star writes:
Dan, you are completely wrong. First of all the officer says, "TK-421 why aren't you at your post?" not THX-1138, and I seriously doubt that this was somehow "cut" off when it was released on video, because if it had been there'd certainly be a million people talking about it already. And it's Luke Skywalker who taps his helmet, not Han Solo...
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skywalking writes:
i have the original star wars book in front of me. when the empire snatches the millennium falcon in the tractor beam, luke and the others hide inside the ship in hidden panels. they jump the technicians who come to search the ship and the storm troopers who hear a noise and go in. after another trooper calls out "thx 1138" why arent you in your post? to which someone (it doesnt say who) taps his helmet to indicate the com link is broken. later, when trying to dupe the storm trooper into letting them in the cell block they say "prisoner transfer to cell block thx 138". i dont know how it is in the movie
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i am watching this movie while i am typing this. for all of you, the 1138 part is where Luke & Han are taking chewie when they "capture" him. princess leia is in 2187.
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Boba Fett writes:
OK here we go, in the book the com. oficer calls THX-1138. In the National Public Radio Dramatization he calls TX-421. And in the movie he calls TK-421. All three have the princess on level 5 Detention Block AA-23, cell #2187. In the book they say they are transfering Chewy from Detention Block TS-138. The other two, from Detention Block 1138. Lucas's first student film was called THX 1138:4EB (Electronic Labyrinth). It was not the same movie we all seen as THX 1138, it was reworked by George Lucas after his time at USC and completely re-shot. THX 1138 also ended up on a lic. plate in American Graffiti. Hopefully that will clear things up for everyone.
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This isn't a comment to this egg but to Wonderman's comment(At the very top). Although I have never realized all stormtroopers are left handed, (and I can't check because my friend is borrowing my Star Wars tapes) I was given the impression that stormtroopers were all clones of Jango Fett after watching episode two. Jango Fett, I noticed, was also left-handed
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liebevision writes:
The EXACT line is: "Prisioner transfer from cell block 1138" the prisoner is CHEWIE not leia
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I have the "Artwork from Star Wars: Episode IV" book, or something called that. It has the script from the movie in it, and in this version the stormtrooper's name is "TX-421" I always just assumed that the actor misread his line or something... X and K aren't too far off, maybe his copy of the script was screwy. Also, when you think about it, these are some seemingly random numbers... how do we know that the actors just didn't make them up on the spot?
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Spy writes:
Actually, if you read the original book, THX-1138 is actually the identification number of one of the Imperial Guards. They just re-released the book "A New Hope" was originally based on, and on page 131 a Imperial Guard asks "THX-1138, why aren't you at your post? TXH-1138, why don't you answer?" and things like that before getting knocked out by Luke or Han. This book was published five years after George Lucas's film was released, so I guess that was a reference to the film. It amused me greatly though.. ^_^
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natalie writes:
Please, Oh Please stop calling him Mark Hamilton! His name is Mark Hamill.
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wesley58 writes:
ANYONE COULD BE RIGHT YOU KNOW WATCH THE MOVIE AGAIN AND SEE FOR YOURSELF
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wesley58 writes:
wonderman what does have to deal with this egg?
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Forceuser35 writes:
The SpiceyOne2000, sorry man, but you still have one part just barely wrong. The cell number was NOT 1138. 1138 is the cell block that Luke tells the Imp. Officer Chewie was from. Leia's actual cell number was 2187. So, here goes again..... Leia's cell was on Level 5, block AA23, cell 2187. Chewie's reported cell block was 1138.
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Forceuser35 writes:
ok, here we go. THE BOOK IS NOT TO BE TAKEN AS CANONICAL! The movies came FIRST, the books were BASED off of the movies, not the other way around. Anyone who says that "in the book, it was THX-1138" is not wrong, per se, but should take it somewhere else, for this deals with only the SW movies. Thank you for your time.
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pooty writes:
"Prisoner transfer from cell block 1138" "TK421, why aren't you at your post?" Also first battle droid to be deactivated in Episode 1 was #1138
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