Vadère is a French classical verse tragedy in five acts retelling the story of Star Wars.
Here are some prefatory notes:
Note A: obviously the storyline and the characters (with possible exception below) are the property of Lucasfilm, with whom I am not affiliated. I am pretty sure this constitutes a fair use; still, pls don’t sue.
Note B: I invented Isthène to give Léa a confidante due to lack of other female characters in the films (so far), although the EU gives us a plausible candidate in Winter. I don’t necessarily have a strong reason for not using Winter other than rhyme, so if it makes you feel better, you can imagine that Isthène is Winter under an assumed name for rhyming purposes.
Note C: differences with the plot of Star Wars can be explained by the fact that classical French theatre made hard-and-fast-ish rules of the Aristotelian guideline that plays should take place in one room and within a 24-hour timespan. Hence Léa hanging around on the second Death Star. I think of Vadère’s relationship to Star Wars as being analogous to the relationship of works like Racine’s Iphigénie to the Illiad.
Note D: Other rules of French theatre that the reader might find informative: –characters are really not supposed to die on stage; –a new scene occurs whenever a character enters or exits, a convention which presumably served the rehearsal process.
dramatis personae
PALPATIN – Empereur de la Galaxie.
VADÈRE – Lieutenant de Palpatin.
LUCAS – Fils de Vadère.
LÉA – Princesse d’Aldérane.
MASAMÈDE – Confidant de Palpatin.
VIERCE – Confidant de Vadère.
SÉTRÉPÉON – Confidant de Lucas.
ISTHÈNE – Confidante de Léa.
Notes From Punderground 