S T A R W A R S ------- ------- 1981 - 1996 First Show: Mar 07, 1981 Last Show: Oct 20, 1996 Number Shows: 26 (3 series plus "Making") Audition Show: the movie Series Description: George Lucas' original "Star Wars" movie was also produced as a radio drama after the movie became a smash hit. This 1981 radio dramatization was broadcast on National Public Radio stations and went beyond the scope of the original movie. It consisted of 13 30-minute episodes, frequently expanding on the original movie plot, following more closely the Star Wars book that was published prior to the release of the movie. After the release of "The Empire Strikes Back", the movie sequel to "Star Wars", a radio version of the sequel was aired. As with the original radio version of "Star Wars", this adaptation went beyond the scope of the original movie. It consisted of 10 30-minute episodes. Although the third movie, "The Return of the Jedi", was not made into a radio drama in the 1980's, it finally made it to the airwaves in the fall for 1996. It was first done in 2 parts on NPR, on October 19 and 20 as part of a pledge weekend drive. Later, it was broken into 6 30-minute episodes. The full trilogy is available, on cassette and CD, in bookstores. Star Wars stories, not directly related to the movies and going beyond the scope of the origional movie trilogy, have been made into full-cast audio dramas, released to bookstores only. Some titles are "Tales of the Jedi", "Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith", "Dark Empire", "Dark Empire II" and "Dark Forces". Both "Tales of the Jedi" stories and all the "Dark Empire" stories were based on comic book series by Dark Horse comics. The "Tales of the Jedi" series take place in time long before the time period of the Star Wars trilogy. The "Dark Empire" series takes place after "Return of the Jedi" but features characters from the trilogy. A special collectors edition of "Dark Empire" and "Dark Empire II" on CD was released in the fall of 1995 featuring a final episode not available in the "Dark Empire" or "Dark Empire II" series. How do you get kids to give OTR a try? Hook them with something they already have an interest in. If they like science fiction and enjoyed the Star Wars movie trilogy, the STAR WARS radio series may be just that hook. Listener's Notes: The three series that follow the movies are really quite good. It is well-produced, has good acting and, of course, the sound effects are great. Music from the original movies fills the background nicely. It assumes the listener has seen the movie. Although the full movie cast is not used, those actors who are not from the movie have voices close enough to pass once you've gotten into the story. The Dark Empire series did not use the original music as background and the actor's voices are very noticebly different. The plots are not as well-developed. If you're a Star Wars fan, check it out. If you're not, stick with the movie-based shows. Log Comments: These recordings are available from bookstores and a number of mail- order catalogs, both on audio cassette tapes and on CD. This log is in 3 parts, STAR WARS, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and THE RETURN OF THE JEDI. "The Making of Star Wars For Radio" is included in the STAR WARS list. Chronological Log: Date Num Ep# Title ------------ --- --- ----------------------------------------- ............... STAR WARS ............... ............ aired Saturdays ............ Mar 07, 1981 1 1 "A Wind to Shake The Stars" Mar 14, 1981 2 2 "Points of Origin" Mar 21, 1981 3 3 "Black Knight, White Princess and Pawns" Mar 28, 1981 4 4 "While Giants Mark Time" Apr 04, 1981 5 5 "Jedi That Was, Jedi to Be" Apr 11, 1981 6 6 "The Milenium Falcon Deal" Apr 18, 1981 7 7 "The Han Solo Solution" Apr 25, 1981 8 8 "Death Star's Transit" May 02, 1981 9 9 "Rogues, Rebels and Robots" May 09, 1981 10 10 "The Luke Skywalker Initiative" May 16, 1981 11 11 "The Jedi Nexus" May 23, 1981 12 12 "The Case for Rebellion" May 30, 1981 13 13 "Force and Counterforce" ??? ??, 1983 14 "The Making of Star Wars For Radio" ........ THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ........ ............ aired Saturdays ............ Feb 19, 1983 15 1 "Freedom's Winter" Feb 26, 1983 16 2 "The Coming Storm" Mar 05, 1983 17 3 "A Question of Survival" Mar 12, 1983 18 4 "Fire and Ice" Mar 19, 1983 19 5 "The Milenium Falcon Pursuit" Mar 26, 1983 20 6 "Way of the Jedi" Apr 02, 1983 21 7 "New Allies, New Enemies" Apr 09, 1983 22 8 "Dark Lord's Fury" Apr 16, 1983 23 9 "Gambler's Choice" Apr 23, 1983 24 10 "Clash of Light Sabers" ........ THE RETURN OF THE JEDI ......... ..... aired on Saturday and Sunday ...... Oct 19, 1996 25 1 Part 1, Sections: #1, "Tatooine Haunts" #2, "Fast Freinds" #3, "Prophesis and Destinies" Oct 20, 1996 26 2 Part 2, Sections: #4, "Pattern and Web" #5, "So Turns a Galaxy, So Turns a Wheel" #6, "Blood of a Jedi" References: * "The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide To All Circulating Shows", by Jay Hickerson, Box 4321, Hamden, CT 06514 Other Logs or Books: * STAR WARS log, Jerry Haendiges Productions, 13808 Sunset Dr., Whittier, CA 90602 (http://www.otrsite.com) Reader Feedback: * Bill Boucher provided dates and additional information for the RETURN OF THE JEDI series. Last Update: May 20, 2004 This log is informational only and does not imply that I have these shows for trade or sale. The shows are still protected under copyright law and should be obtained only from authorized dealers. The log may be freely reproduced and published on a no-profit basis. Please send error corrections or additional information to Frank M. Passage, 109 Elmwood Road, Verona, NJ 07044 (email: wb2ntp@arrl.net).