Why wasn't Luke's X-Wing chased from Hoth?

I always thought it was strange that Luke had such an easy escape from Hoth and the Imperial blockade. Did the blockade leave already? Did Luke just time it right? I mean, the Falcon had everybody on it's tail, and Luke just casually flies away to Dagobah. He's in an X-wing, an obvious rebel, military ship. The Falcon is an ugly (to some) freighter, and had half the fleet after it.

Did he even ask for permission to take an X-Wing on an "extracurricular" mission? If you ask me, seems like evrybody thinks he's meeting up with them later, like when that one guy goes:

"Good luck, Luke! See ya at the rondevous!"

And Luke's like: "Yeah...thats what you think..."

 

Luke, Wedge and their escorted transport found a seam in the Imperial blockade, while the Star Destroyers were off chasing Han.

 

Yeah, Han was unintentionally playing the mouse and getting the cat's attention, so the others can "sneak" on by.

 

I always thought it was funny too. Han is being chased by 3 Star destroyers, flying his heart out while Luke is having a casual conversation with ARTOO and planning a vacation to Dagobah.

 

LUKE: *casually flying* "We're not going to rendevouz with the others, R2, we're going to the Dagobah system. No, it's okay, I'd like to take it on manual for a while,"

*Meanwhile Han is being chased by Star Destroyers, TIE Fighters, and Darth Vader.*

LUKE: *cracks open a beer* "Ahh, now this is the life."

 

Well, Luke did repay the debt. He did help rescue him.

 

In the ESB radio drama, Wedge mentions that they're just about the last ones to leave Hoth, and Luke says, "The starfleet must be pretty scattered by now from chasing all the other transports." So basically, I guess they just got lucky.

 

"We're not going to regroup with the others, R2, we're going to the Dagobah system."

What did artoo exactly say?

"Hey, shouldn't we be covering the transports? They're sending 2 at a time and our fighters are stretched prettythin as it is."

 

Anyone wanna mention that the Millenium Falcon is a bit mor distinctive than your common, everyday X-wing?

Guess not...

 

They were also just walking around on Hoth with no fear that stormtroopers would get them.

 

Didn't Vader assume at first that Luke was on the Falcon with Han and Leia? Rememeber him saying "I'm sure Skywalker is with them."

They didn't care about the x-wings because they wanted the Falcon.

 

Right, Vader may have sensed Leia and assumed it was Luke.

 

I think Vader remembered the Falcon as beeing the ship that escaped from the Death Star in ANH and that destroyed his wingmen in the Death Star Trench. So he's going after that ship. While, as someone pointed out, anyone could fly an X-wing.

 

"Right, Vader may have sensed Leia and assumed it was Luke."

Excellent point.

 

"I'm sure Skywalker is with them." Vader was referring to the Rebels on the Hoth system, when Ozzel was trying to dismiss them as smugglers.

OZZEL: My lord, there are so many uncharted settlements. It could be smugglers, it could be...

VADER: That is the system. And I'm sure Skywalker is with them. Set your course for the Hoth system. General Veers, prepare you men.

 

But what does that quote have to do with Luke escaping? That's just "verifying" that Skywalker is on Hoth, not necessarily that he was on the Falcon.

Cool script Quest.

 

It doesn't. People are taking that quote, thinking that it was in reference to the Falcon, which it isn't.

 

I used to wonder about that too, but it makes sense that there would be a gap with three SDs chasing the Falcon.

 

The other thing to consider is that an X-wing doens't have much hual capability. If your choice is betwene chasing it and a transport the transport is the bigger priority.

And Vader wasn't exactly on the Executer at the time to tell them where skywalker was.

 

Luke had an "easier" time because, in the Radio Drama, Luke, Wedge and Tarrin hide underneath the transport they escort off Hoth by sticking close to the hull. When the Star Destroyer latches on it's tractor beams to the transport and lowers it shields to take her in, the fighters jump out and unload their torpedos on it, disabling it.

Wait a minute. That didn't happen in the radio drama. I've listened to that episode dozens of times ("The Millennium Falcon Pursuit"). All they do after getting off of Hoth is talk about how there's two SDs behind them, but that they're too far back to give them any problems, then Wedge and Tarrin go to hyperspace.

 

"Interesting- it's in the ESB Radio Drama screenplay, but it seems they trimmed out the scene for runtime on the performed version."

Boy, at least I'm not so bad as to have the screenplays for the Radio Dramas....

(BTW, do you have a link? )

<--- intends to buy radio drama CD sets in the near future.

 

Oh, okay. I only have the script for the first radio drama. I was never able to get the other two before they went out-of-print.