A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

(C) 1993 HighBridge Audio and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) Before Brian Daley was hired by Lucasfilm's vice president for publications Carol Titleman to write the 13-part radio adaptation of Star Wars, he was an established science fiction who was best known for his Coramonde duology and - more relevantly - a trio of novels about Han Solo set before the events of George Lucas's 1977 space-fantasy film. In fact, Daley was given the gig because Titleman liked the way he had written Star Wars material, especially when it came to depicting everyone's favorite Corellian smuggler before he met Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Mos Eisley cantina on Tatooine. There's no doubt about it. Brian Daley really enjoyed writing the dialogue for Han and Chewbacca in the Radio Drama. Photo credit: (C) 1977 20th Century Fox Film Corporation I mention this because in "The Millennium Falcon Deal," the sixth episode of Star Wars: The Radio Drama, Daley introduc

(C) 1993 HighBridge Audio and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) 36 years ago on a public broadcasting network not too far, far away, an incredible adventure took place. National Public Radio station KUSC-FM Los Angeles and Lucasfilm Ltd. joined forces to create Star Wars: The Radio Drama, a 13-part adaptation of 1977's Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope. With George Lucas's blessing, Lucasfilm's Carol Titleman hired Brian Daley to write the scripts for the radio play, while production coordinator Mel Sahr corralled British director John Madden to helm one of the most ambitious radio programs in the history of the medium.  To be sure, Daley used creative license in Episodes One ("A Wind to Shake the Stars"),Two ("Points of Origin"), and part of Three ("Black Knight, White Princess, and Pawns") to establish the characters of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Darth Vader, and tell the untold story of how the Rebel Alliance acquired the Death Star pla

(C) 1993 HighBridge Audio and Lucasfilm Ltd.  George Lucas's original Star Wars (which was renamed Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981) has been adapted over the years in different media. In print, the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca the Wookiee, Ben (Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2 and C-3PO are chronicled in novelizations, Marvel comic books, and Japanese manga.  More recently, Ian Doescher transformed A New Hope into an Elizabethan-era stage play in his 2013 book William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope.  There have also been a few audio-only versions of Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope. For instance, Twentieth Century Fox Records released an abridged retelling of the film in a 1978 album titled  The Story of Star Wars. This single LP recording used dialogue, music, and sound effects taken from the movie soundtrack and narration performed by actor Roscoe Lee Browne to tell the tale of Luke Skywalker's involvement

(C) 1981 National Public Radio (NPR) and Lucasfilm, Ltd. Tomorrow, May 25, 2017, marks the 40th anniversary of the theatrical release of George Lucas's Star Wars (aka Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope ). Although very few people, including its then 33-year-old writer-director, imagined it, the space-fantasy film set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away was not only a box office hit; it also launched a multi-media franchise that includes eight live action films (with more on the way), two animated series for television, a library's worth of tie-in books, comic book adaptations and graphic novels....even a "mashup" tribute called William Shakespeare's Star Wars  series.  Brian Daley (1947-1996)  One of the most interesting adaptations of the original  Star Wars film was Brian Daley's 13-part radio drama, which was produced for National Public Radio by KUSC-FM Los Angeles with the cooperation of Lucasfilm, Ltd. Known in sci-fi circles for his b