CT Radio Dramas

Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but in a search it looked like all discussion regarding the Star Wars Radio Dramas was old and archived. So I'd like to discuss these interesting pieces of Star Wars history here.
I believe they are all available legally on YouTube at the moment, albeit altered to include the film's score and sound effects. That being said, these edits are done quite seamlessly.




I'm still making my way through it, but I'd like to comment on some points of interest as I go along. I was surprised at how much they had to offer for someone who has practically memorized the films. The pacing is a lot less cinematic and more conversational; scenes and conversations pan out more naturally when time constraints aren't any issue. Also, for the first two at least, they were released during the original trilogy's cycle and I feel this gives it a sense of authenticity. There weren't years of expanded material to adhere to; just the original treatments by the original filmmakers.

That being said, when there are embellishments added, it serves a purpose to better explain plot points that are glossed over in the films. R2's adamant behavior was explained by his programming being overridden to carry out his directives; the imperials wouldn't have shot the escape pod because it was against protocol for a droid to even enter, much less jettison. R2's departure from CPO was explained because he was locked onto Obi-Wan's coordinates. It made sense that 3PO wouldn't go along because getting to Obi-Wan meant trekking through a dangerous, barren wasteland.

I was also amazed by how much consistency it had with the prequels (released almost two decades later). Both 3PO and R2 were not at all constructed for this mission; being inconspicuous was what gave them the advantage. Though it's not really mentioned on screen that R2 was a ship maintenance droid fulfilling very similar duties to his in-space repair job in The Phantom Menace.

The droids are familiar with Captain Antilles before they're sent on their fateful mission, something we saw when they were left with Antilles in Revenge of the Sith. The threats of memory wiping were not carried out this time, though. The appearance of Bail Organa is also very much in line with his prequel portrayal. While secretly aligned with the Rebellion, he is hesitant to violate Alderaan's pacifist ways to directly engage the Empire. More mentions of the senate are given as well instead of just the news that it has been disbanded.

Obi-Wan is also very skillful at helping repair C-3PO. Not something a desert hermit would know, but this was one of the things that convinced Luke that Ben truly was a Jedi. The Jedi of the prequels were brought up as Renaissance men that were skilled in all areas of education and not just combat.

Unfortunately, I believe the film conflicts with Rogue One, and even the Special Edition at one point; Jabba doesn't appear personally, though the Docking Bay 94 scene is kept intact with a large man confronting Solo. For reasons, Jabba was taken out of the picture completely and replaced by his assistants doing his bidding for him (the writers having one take the appearance of "human Jabba" from the deleted scene). This is fairly consistent with the comic adaptation. Interestingly, while Han was trying to be as political as possible in the film, the radio drama Han has no qualms about being confrontational with Jabba's assistant. Prophetically, they threaten hiring Boba Fett to hunt down Han if he doesn't hold up his bargain (I like the implication that Han isn't quite worth Fett's fee just yet). It's a great early reference for 1981, but also sort of came to life in the Special Edition when Boba Fett was literally put into the scene himself.

Another interesting point is that Imperial Generals come from royal families, something that isn't in the films. I remember this being a point in the Marvel comics as well; as early as 1978 it was mentioned that General Tagge came from a family of wealthy merchants.

 

I think the scene with Han & Heater (Jabba's debt collector) in the ANH radio drama works better than the movie version. There isn't as much overlap with the Greedo scene in the dialogue. Also, Heater comes off as more threatening, which is a good counterpoint to Han's defiant sass.
Actually, Han's character is presented very well in the ANH drama. He's presented in line with Brian Daley's books, as a tough, snarky mercenary who wishes he could be cold-hearted, but can't help being somewhat heroic. Perry King did a great job as Han, and I liked his exchange with Ben (Bernard Behrens, also good in his role) during Luke's training, with Han trying to justify his attitude. Another great scene (which now has added resonance after "Solo") is Han trying to talk Luke out of joining up with Red Squadron, making dark allusions to his military past.
I'm not sure, but does the YouTube copy include the "making of" documentary for the ANH drama? I remember listening to that, in particular Mark Hamill's enthusiasm for trying audio drama.

 

Even though Han is a rogue in both the original film and the radio drama, I found Han in the radio drama to be less likeable than how Harrison portrayed him, maybe its how he delivered the lines but I think he comes across as more of a mercenary in the radio version.

 

I believe that all came with the benefit of hindsight. The Jabba scene was shot first and abandoned early on (hence retellings using a double for Jabba). Continuity-wise, there was really no way to salvage that footage because the dialogue was just added into the reshoots of the Greedo scene.

I loved that we got to see a lot of Han's motivations early on. Dare I say Han was almost too altruistic early on. It became clear before they left the planet that Han had faith that helping Ben was simply the right thing to do. He put himself in unnecessary risk when it became clear that even Jabba knew Han was helping fugitives of the Empire, even rejecting a sizable payday for turning them in (this could just be his code of honor). Even more impressive is that it's clear that Han could find work elsewhere without an issue, turning down a job that he was offered. In the film, Han was just as desperate as Obi-Wan, so they were just working towards a mutual goal.

I forgot that another nice tie-in to the prequels was the description of Chewie, being that Wookiees have a close relationship with nature and the Force. In ROTS, the Jedi (Yoda in particular) have a close bond with the Wookiees. Being more benevolent beings here, it's interesting that Ben immediately surmises Han's character just from his bond with Chewie.

Interesting that the story is still consistent with Solo: A Star Wars Story. But the methods of capturing the Death Star plans but it in conflict with Rogue One

 

Re: Han's unsuccessful attempts to be self-centered, there's the scene after he & Chewie get way from the troopers on Death Star, and he desperately tries to convince Chewie, and himself, to just cut the others loose and fly to safety in the Falcon. But he just can't bring himself to do it. Han's a crook who'll shoot first if he has to, but he can't rat out someone to the cops, go back on a contract, or leave a friend (even a very new one) behind. That's a benefit of having thirteen half-hours to work with; you get to see him as a more complex character.
As for the theft of the plans, "Rogue One" also invalidated the last book in A.C. Crispin's Han Solo trilogy, where one of Han's old girlfriends is a part of the plan, although that might be easier to integrate with "Rogue One" than the radio version, which is a direct contradiction. The radio version does have a better explanation of how Devastator followed Tantaive IV: there could be an Imperial spy with a homing beacon on-board.

 

That's a running theme in the ANH drama and the Daley books. Han is more vocal about how he's only in it for the money and he doesn't care about anybody outside of his close circle of friends. But it's a total sham: he's a lapsed idealist who does care about others, but tries to convince himself otherwise.

 

@Kenneth Morgan , are you following this thread? Hungarian Han Solo Novels in Translation! | Jedi Council Forums (theforce.net) There may yet be more Daley-styled Han books, eventually.

 

No, I was unaware of this. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

Thanks, @SlashMan for starting this thread. I listened to the radio dramas years ago and really liked them. I may need to revisit. One aspect I remember enjoying was Luke's interacting with his friends on Tatooine early on in the first instalment.

 

These brought back memories of checking it out from my local library as a kid as I didn't own any of the movies at the time but was very familiar with them.

 

Listened through all of Empire Strikes Back. Not as informative and groundbreaking as the original, but the voice performances are at an all time high. While the Star Wars radio drama incorporated deleted scenes to pad the runtime, Empire Strikes Back mostly expands what already exists. Most of the best deleted scenes that would have served this long form format would have been the wampa attack on Hoth. It was a little disappointing to also not include the mentions of Luke's Aunt and Uncle. The small plot hole of why Han is still being hunted by Jabba also was not addressed. While Vader does a lot of narrating, he's a lot more fearsome and snarling with a powerful portrayal by Brock Peters. Comparatively, the delivery is often more calm in the film. Here's just a few other random thoughts.

While Han and Luke's friendship was explored a lot more, it almost felt a little too strained. Like most of their conversations turned into fights, almost like Obi-Wan and Anakin in Episode II.

An unexpected bit of development came for 2-1B who had exponentially more dialogue. The only bit of moral ambiguity comes from him questioning Luke's decision to destroy medical equipment instead of letting it fall into the Empire's hands. 2-1B has an unbiased appraisal of the situation being repurposed from the Empire originally.

Lando is a highlight of the program as well, a lot of it thanks to Billy Dee Williams. An understated part of the film is that Lando's seeming betrayal to the main characters is only in order to protect the entire population of Cloud City. He's given a much more sympathetic portrayal as we can observe his decision to actively help Leia. Seeing him share some scenes with Luke was also nice.

Something mind blowing with the prequels in mind is that 3PO actually converses with Vader whereas the two have no interaction in the films. A confusing plot point in the film is a strange voice accosting 3PO before he's blown to bits. The radio drama makes clear that this is a Stormtrooper.

A cool little extended scene is Han continues to rush Vader after his blaster is stolen; he's only convinced to stop after Vader strangles Chewie with the Force.

Boba Fett is a lot different simply by his portrayal. He assertively stands up to Vader in the film, but here he's more submissive and refers to him as "Lord." Han recognizes him but Luke doesn't, seemingly putting this at odds with the Holiday Special segment. It's also mentioned that Boba was not aiming to kill Luke (though that could probably be gathered from the film).

 

I love the opening of Empire with Rebel fighter squadron Renegade Flight escorting a convoy of supplies vitally needed at Hoth Base. As the convoy leaves Derra IV’s gravity they are ambushed by Star Destroyers and overwhelming amounts of TIE Fighters. We hear the battle and it’s crushing defeat narrated through pilot chatter until their is only one pilot left telling all remaining craft to break off and save themselves.

That cuts to Hoth base and we learn every ship in the convoy and all of Renegade Flight was destroyed. Most of the later shortages on Hoth are related to this. It also leaves Luke the highest ranking Rebel pilot on Hoth. It’s a great opening for the series.

 

I don't really have much interesting things to say about Return of the Jedi. This one unfortunately suffers from the loss of Mark Hamill and Billy Dee Williams, and also leans a lot more heavily on characters literally describing events. It doesn't feel as conversational as the previous ones, and can take you out of the drama.

There weren't many interesting deleted scenes added back into this, with one huge exception being Luke's lightsaber creation scene now starting off the film. I'm surprised this appeared so early, considering the actual scene existing was thought to be a rumor until a few years ago. Though some cool additions would have been the sandstorm scene, the bunker shootout, and the scenes of the Jerjerrod subplot (even though he is featured in the same capacity as the final film). Some other cool things that warrant expanding on. Like the Rebel trooper that stole Stormtrooper armor, or the Rebel crew onboard the Millennium Falcon manning the quad turrets.

Boba Fett had a noticeably larger role with a scene of dialogue with an imprisoned Han Solo. I'm sure it references some EU event when Han mentions he's going to pay him back afterwards. It's also much more ambiguous when he falls into the sarlacc pit; Han wants to confirm he's dead, but they simply don't have time. Boba Fett mentions that his whipcord is impervious to lightsabers, which seems like a dubious claim, but also reminds me of the Mandalorian's lightsaber resistant material (though the whipcord was in fact cut by Ahsoka I believe).

Honestly the Tatooine rescue plan still wasn't fully convincing, even when explained in detail. Though an omission that I never thought about before was corrected by creating a diversion while escaping Tatooine to not attract Imperial attention. I would have assumed they just took off and went into hyperspace the way Han first escaped Mos Eisley.

 

I have had all three of the OT radio dramas on Cassette tape boxed sets since Highbridge Audio released them in the 1990's . I have listened to them countless times and like them as much and sometimes more than the films themselves . I first became aware of them when they were mentioned in entries in the first Guide To The Star Wars Universe compiled by Raymond L. Velasco in the 80's as a paperback book . I wish I would have gotten the chance to hear them when I was a kid and they were first broadcast on NPR . The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite of the three , though John Lithgow's portrayal of Yoda took some getting used to and I picture McQuarrie's concept art of the character when listening to it . I thought Perry King did an awesome job as Han and it was cool that he got to play the role in audio , as he auditioned for the role in the original Star Wars film .

 

I've collected the Radio Dramas after experiencing some well made german Audio Plays (Labyrinth of Evil and Dark Lord - Rise of Darth Vader) which featured the complete german voice cast of the actors in the movies. Check them out if you're good with the german language





I LOVE the Radio Dramas. So much additional info and so well acted. Ive collected them in two Boxsets, the regular one and the collectors Edition with some behind the Scenes material.

Normal Edition:


Collectors Edition:





Disc Covers:


Anniversary mp3 Edition Covers:




Classic Posters:

 

Checking these out.

Fixer sounds like a way douchier version of Ross from Friends.

 

I haven't gotten around to seeing the deleted Tatooine scenes from ANH, but I do remember how Fixer was portrayed in the novelization. He comes off as somewhat more intimidating in the radio drama, like he's the leader of their little group of slackers and nobody better forget it. Suddenly, I'm reminded of an issue of the old Marvel comic where Luke, in the period between ANH and TESB, briefly returns to his home planet and meets up with Fixer and Camie. And Fixer rat-finks him out to the Imperials.

 

Leia’s mercy mission to Ralltiir and awkward dinner with Lord Tion remind me a lot of Padme’s episodes in The Clone Wars, helps that the actress sounds like Catherine Taber.

I think this is super interesting. I knew about Ralltiir and Toprawa from the video games, but never knew they dated this far back into the EU. Same goes for Renegade Flight from the ESB radio production.

I recommend anyone who had these fly under the radar to check them out… feels like I’m revising the original trilogy for the first time again in a strange way!

 

There's a really strange moment when Vader is mind-probing Leia -, he's inside her mind he tells her that her father commands her to reveal where the DS plans are (!)

 

Decided to start Return of the Jedi, was apprehensive because Mark didn’t come back - but it’s still a load of fun. This is a great way to experience the movies again. I wish I could get a physical copy of the trilogy.

 

The full collection is available via Amazon. It's pricey, but available. Other outlets may have it for less:

 

I enjoyed seeing the manipulation and attempts at driving her to despair.

I love the opening of ESB. I’d known about Derra IV only from the X-wing books.

 

John Lithgow really nails Frank Oz’s Fozzie Bear voice in the ESB radio drama.

 

I really like the radio dramas a lot. I think they give a new perspective to the characters and are a nice companion to the films. I remember years ago my daughter remarking, "There's just so much talking!" And I tried to explain that was because it was audio without the visuals, so they needed to use more words than the movies lol.
I listened to Return of the Jedi not long ago while I was at work and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It helped the time go by faster.