Star Wars: A New Hope is a classic example of the Three-Act structure. The Three-Act structure is defined mostly by the placement of the story's main climax, which is near the end of the film at the end of the third act and resolves the story of the movie. The previous two acts both conclude with their own small climaxes that advance or complicate the story, adding to the building tension, or "raise the stakes" in the plot. The first Star Wars film is an especially good illustration of all of this, as it serves as the beginning of a story arc.
A New Hope begins with the first act, in which Luke Skywalker meets the droids C-3P0 and R2D2, who are carrying the plans to the Imperial Death Star to be delivered to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Once Luke and the droids meet Obi-Wan, and the message is relayed to him, he decides that they should all leave to deliver the plans to the desperate Rebellion. Luke protests that he can't leave his home, where he lives with his aunt and uncle. However, once he returns to his home, he learns that his aunt and uncle have been killed and his dwelling destroyed by Imperial troops. It is at this point that the first "mini-climax" occurs: Luke, seeing that he has no home or family left, decides to accompany Obi-Wan on his mission to deliver the plans to the Rebellion.
The second act sees Luke and Obi-Wan joining Han Solo (their pilot) on their way to Alderaan to deliver the plans. Their ship is intercepted by the Death Star, where they encounter the Rebellion's Princess Leia as they attempt to evade capture by Imperial troops. Obi-Wan deactivates the tractor beam of the space station, and all characters converge back to the hangar where their ship is being held to make their escape. On the way, Obi-Wan encounters Darth Vader, which culminates in climax of the second act: After a duel, Obi-Wan sacrifices himself so that Luke and the others may escape, leaving Luke with Leia and Han Solo, who deliver the plans to the Rebellion.
The third act is essentially the Rebellion's attack on the Death Star. Since the plans that Luke delivered showed a weakness in the Death Star, the Rebellion decides to launch a strike in which Luke takes part and pilots his own ship. This entire battle serves as the climax of the whole film, in which Luke ultimately is successful in attacking the Death Star's weak point, which destroys the whole ship, resolving the immediate threat of the Death Star. The movie ends within 5 minutes after this point, resulting in a happy ending typical to the three-act structure.
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