These gems are far more than merely audio books. The Star Wars Radio Dramas are based on the movie and expanded by Brian Daley, with a full voice cast and sound effects. They originally were on NPR and were later released on Cassette, CD and Digital Versions by Highbridge Audio.
One of the most impressive things about them, particularly the first two, is how long they are. A two hour movie turned into 6 1/2 hours! The first one has 13 episodes. The packaging on the cassettes and discs just says Star Wars, it came out just before The Empire Strikes Back was released.
The First Star Wars Radio Drama
Included in the original Star Wars Radio Drama are scenes based on what was cut from the movie. Biggs Darklighter’s last conversation with Luke on Tatooine is here, as is their reunion at the Rebel Base. The bit with Han talking to Jabba is there, only it isn’t Jabba, it’s Heater. Heater is based on the original character who played Jabba, was was cut from the initial release.
Leia’s story starts early, with a mission where they find data with critical information on a new Imperial weapon. The first ever scene with Bail Organa is here, where he and Leia discuss the issue. Leia’s mission to Toprawa is here in all its glory, with their discovery and flight that leads to where the movie opens up.
And you won’t be able to put that subject off forever either. Luke’s going to want to know the truth (Beru)
Star Wars Radio Drama
I’m gonna protect him as long as I can. (Owen)
A chapter in the Star Wars Radio Drama details Luke in the skyhopper race that damaged it. R2 and 3PO dodge stormtroopers in Mos Eisley while Kenobi and Luke are meeting with Han. We get some alarmingly detailed accounts of Leia’s torture. Near the end, we have an entire section with Biggs giving Luke flight simulator tests to prove he can fly an X-Wing, and some arguments with Han about staying to fight.
The voice actors included Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels in their original roles. Ann Sachs played Princess Leia. Perry King was Han Solo. Bernard Behrens was Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi. Peter Brock played Darth Vader – making him a rare actor who has connections to both Star Wars and Star Trek.
Continuity:
Biggs’s reunion with Luke at the rebel base was not in the original movie. It was a cut scene, though it was in the novelization. It was re-added long after in the 1997 release of the Special Edition. Some of this was also referenced in Star Wars Empire Comics. That also has the movie version of the reunion, since the comics were released later.
Heater was essentially ‘Jabba the Hutt’ or rather, his stand in. So you might say its just a variation of the Special Edition scene, with the wrong name and slightly different conversation. A similar character called Fat Man with similar backstory does exist, and seems to be based on this character (who was a bit hefty, or made up to be so.) Heater was said to pretend to be Jabba as his ‘front man’ at times. He is in the Essential Guide to Characters.
The part with Leia being tortured takes a peculiar twist, given Vader tries to mentally manipulate her into thinking he’s her ‘father’ Bail Organa – given that we now know that he is her biological father!
The version of Operation Skyhook is different from in the X-Wing video games, but most print media seems to refer to the Radio Drama version of events.
The Empire Strikes Back
This Star Wars Radio Drama was a 10 part five hour version. This Empire Strikes Back starts before the movie. Luke Skywalker is promoted to commander when Commander Narra, Red leader is killed, leading Renegade Flight on a supply run. This left only Rogue Flight, which became Rogue Squadron.
Luke and Han’s struggle to survive the Hoth night is filled in.
There aren’t as many new scenes in the Empire Strikes Back Star Wars Radio Drama, just more dialogue. But the actors are pretty much the same, with the addition of Billy Dee Williams once more picking up the role of Lando. John Lithgow was the voice of Yoda and John Hecht as the Emperor.
Continuity:
There may be some scenes that are slightly different, if the Empire Strikes Back special edition altered them.
Rebel Force: Firefight
Commander Narra appears in a few stories set earlier in Empire Comics 26 and 27
Star Wars Galaxies (post-NGE)
X-Wing Rogue Squadron 25
Return of the Jedi
The Star Wars Radio Drama of Return of the Jedi is by far the shortest. It has the least added scenes and didn’t come out to 1996, long after NPR was lost funding. It runs a little over 3 hours, with 6 episodes. While Brian Daley also wrote the script for this one, he was at the time dying of cancer and only just completed it before he passed away.John Whitman did the rewriting, of which little was needed.
Of the original actors, only Anthony Daniels was able to stick with the role from the movies. The other actors remained the same, with the addition of Joshua Fardon now playing Luke Skywalker and Arye Gross as Lando. Ed Begley, Jr. starred as Boba FEtt, and Ed Asner (with just noises) was Ed Asner.
Continuity
While shorter, the Return of the Jedi edition of the Star Wars Radio Dramas story did include references to the expanded universe such as Arica the dancer (aka Mara Jade), events in Shadows of the Empire and the building of Luke’s new lightsaber, which was from a deleted draft of Return of the Jedi. The cut scene does exist out there, which suggests Luke built it in a cave, in contrast to Shadows of the Empire that had it in Kenobi’s Tatooine hut.
The Star Wars Radio Dramas are well worth a listen. I like the first one best. They aren’t exactly cheap (given how long they are, no surprise) to get on CD. The digital version was released on Humble Bundle at one point, I’m not sure it’s legally purchasable now, but the all three are available on the web archive.
Star Wars (A New Hope) Radio Drama on the Web Archive.
