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National Public Radio Star Wars

So Turns A Galaxy, So Turns A Wheel

Return Of The Jedi NPR Radio DramaHan, Luke, Chewie and the droids are captured by furry natives of the third moon of Endor while searching for Leia. The primitive creatures are quite impressed with Threepio, thinking that he’s a god – and Luke uses that opportunity to impress them even further with a demonstration of the Force. Threepio brokers an alliance between the Rebels and the furry Ewoks, and discovers that they’re no happier about the Imperial presence in their forests than the Rebels are. But even when the Ewoks offer their help, something troubles Luke – namely a revelation from Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi that Leia is his sister. Luke shares this with her, and then goes off to face his destiny, in the form of Darth Vader and the Emperor, alone.

Order this CDwritten by Brian Daley
additional material by John Whitman
based on the screenplay Return Of The Jedi by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas
directed by John Madden
music by John Williams

See the first episode for cast information.

Categories
National Public Radio Star Wars

The Blood Of A Jedi

Return Of The Jedi NPR Radio DramaWith the help of the Ewoks, the Rebels overrun the shield generator, but they’re too late to help their own fleet – the Millennium Falcon and its fighter wings emerge from hyperspace into the waiting arms of the Imperial Fleet, as part of an elaborate plan by Palpatine. But the Empire hasn’t counted on the presence of the Ewoks, and the shield generator is destroyed by Solo and his commando group. Lando makes some desperate alterations to the battle plan, and still manages to lead the Rebels into the heart of the Death Star – but aboard that station, Luke Skywalker is fighting his own battle against the power of the dark side of the Force. He may destroy the Empire, save the Rebellion, free the galaxy and become the last of the Jedi – but Luke still may not be able to save his father in the process.

Order this CDwritten by Brian Daley
additional material by John Whitman
based on the screenplay Return Of The Jedi by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas
directed by John Madden
music by John Williams

See the first episode for cast information.

Notes: Produced many years after the two original NPR Star Wars adaptations, Return Of The Jedi was funded by Highbridge Audio primarily to produce a set of shows to fill out a planned CD box set; it was later offered to NPR. But the project’s for-profit nature precluded Mark Hamill’s involvement (Hamill had volunteered his time to act in the first two Star Wars radio shows), and the original CD-buying audience of already-indoctrinated fans envisioned for the project meant a slimming down of the number of episodes, and an assumption that certain elements – such as Jabba’s Huttese language – could be left intact from the films with no explanation or translation. Sadly, writer Brian Daley died of pancreatic cancer during the recording sessions.

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Dark Forces Star Wars

Soldier For The Empire – Part I

Star Wars: Dark ForcesOn Sullun, one of the moons of Sullust, a Rebel uprising is violently put down by Captain Thrawn’s Imperial platoons. But Thrawn’s superior, a dark Jedi named Lord Jerec, has a mission of a more personal nature as he searches for a Rebel named Morgan Katarn. Katarn’s latent ability with the Force – and his steadfast refusal to use it for fear of misusing the power – has earned him the label of a coward in Jerec’s eyes, and when Katarn refuses to give up any information about the Rebellion, Jerec murders him in cold blood.

Ironically, Morgan Katarn’s son Kyle is enrolled in the Imperial Academy, on the fast track through officer training. But Kyle’s disastrous cadet leader mission reveals two things which could be his downfall in the Empire: he too has a latent ability to use the Force, and his distaste for meaningless killing has no place in the take-no-prisoners war the Empire is waging against the Rebels. Despite the high rate of casualties among Kyle’s own Imperial platoon, he’s decorated as a war hero for seizing a Rebel communications outpost and graduates from the Academy with honors – just before his commandant informs him of his father’s death, supposedly at the hands of Rebels. Kyle books a cruise in what little leave time he has between his graduation and reporting for duty, and on the cruise ship he spots a woman who he remembers as being among the Rebels from the outpost against which he led the assault. He’s eager to speak to her again, but he’s caught off guard when he discovers that she’s just as eager to speak to him – and to reveal the true nature of his father’s fate.

Order this CDwritten by John Whitman
based on the book by William C. Dietz and Dean Williams
inspired by the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces
directed by Peter Moore
music by John Williams

Cast: Randal Berger (Kyle Katarn), Mo Collins (Jan Ors), Bob Davis (Skorg Jameson / Lando Calrissian), Chris Forth (Mon Mothma), Christopher Bloch (Rosco Ross), Virginia Burke (Courier), James Cada (Sergeant Major Hong), David Chase (Morgan Katarn), Patrick Coyle (Nathan Donar), Gary Groomes (Governor Donar / Major Horst), Allen Hamilton (Jerec), Peter Moore (Meck Odom / Slyder), Tim Russell (Captain Thrawn, A-Cee / General Mohc), Ken Hiller (Narrator)

Notes: Recorded at Tom Voegli Productions (run by the producer of the original NPR Star Wars radio dramas), the Dark Empire audiobooks are full-cast adaptations – in a similar style to the radio dramas – of a series of novellas based on the popular first-person shooter video game Star Wars: Dark Forces. The game’s popularity was such that it even added a few action figures to the Star Wars toy line. The adaptation scripts were written by John Whitman, who generated “additional material” added onto the late Brian Daley’s scripts for the Return Of The Jedi radio series. Narrator Ken Hiller is the only voice common to the cast of the original NPR radio dramas and the Dark Forces audio plays.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Dark Forces Star Wars

Soldier For The Empire – Part II

Star Wars: Dark ForcesAfter learning what happened to his father, Kyle Katarn tells Jan Ors, the Rebel woman who he allowed to escape from the communications outpost, that he has changed his mind about service to the Empire. But before he can put any more thought into his defection than that, he discovers that he’s being watched – and so is Jan. Kyle throws his lot in with the Rebels as they make a hasty escape from the cruise ship, and winds up on the Empire’s most wanted list soon afterward. Jan takes him to meet Mon Mothma, a Rebel leader who assigns him to what may very well be a suicide mission – Kyle is to infiltrate an Imperial research facility and steal the plans to the Empire’s next doomsday weapon, a mobile space station called the Death Star. Mon Mothma also assigns Jan Ors to back Kyle up – or, if she sees anything that gives her even the slightest suspicion of betrayal, to kill him.

Order this CDwritten by John Whitman
based on the book by William C. Dietz and Dean Williams
inspired by the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces
directed by Peter Moore
music by John Williams

Cast: Randal Berger (Kyle Katarn), Mo Collins (Jan Ors), Bob Davis (Skorg Jameson / Lando Calrissian), Chris Forth (Mon Mothma), Christopher Bloch (Rosco Ross), Virginia Burke (Courier), James Cada (Sergeant Major Hong), David Chase (Morgan Katarn), Patrick Coyle (Nathan Donar), Gary Groomes (Governor Donar / Major Horst), Allen Hamilton (Jerec), Peter Moore (Meck Odom / Slyder), Tim Russell (Captain Thrawn, A-Cee / General Mohc), Ken Hiller (Narrator)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Radio & Audio Dramas Star Wars

Dark Lords Of The Sith

Star Wars: Dark Lords Of The SithDark side novices Satal and Aleema, fresh from discovering secrets of the dark side in the tomb of Sith Lord Freedon Nadd on Onderon, return to their home world, where they depose their father as ruler and hold the populace in the thrall of their evil powers. Word of the takeover reaches the Jedi, who dispatch Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider to lead a Republic battle fleet to restore freedom. Meanwhile, another Jedi arrives on Onderon to investigate Lord Nadd’s tomb, a young Jedi named Exar Kun who has become a little too fixated on learning the secrets of the dark side. Defying his Jedi mentor’s wishes and lying about his credentials, Exar Kun learns that the spirit of Freedon Nadd is very much intact – and capable of teaching him everything he wants to know about the dark side of the Force.

The Republic fleet trying to remove Aleema and Satal from power is routed and regroups before another attempt. In addition to the rising tide of the dark side, the actions of Exar Kun are of great concern to the Jedi. But an attack on the Jedi meeting place results in the death of Jedi Master Arca. Ulic, who is already proposing that he go undercover as a fellow dark side acolyte to recover Kun, is griefstricken. Now even more certain that he’ll need to pose as a fallen Jedi to bring Exar Kun either back to the light or to justice, Ulic is willing to do things that the Jedi order would never allow to accomplish his mission and avenge Arca’s death – but that path may lead him to fall to the dark side himself.

Order this CDwritten by John Whitman
based on the comic by Kevin J. Anderson and Tom Veitch
directed by Arthur G. Insana
music by John Williams

Cast: John Cygan (Ulic Qel-Droma), Glynnis Talken (Nomi Sunrider), Jim Ward (Master Arca), Peter Reneday (Exar Kun), Jack Noseworthy (Cay Qel-Droma), Jocelyn Blue (Aleema), Philip Clarke (Freedon Nadd)

Notes: There are roughly twice as many speaking parts in this audio play than there are names in the cast list, including critical characters such as Satal and Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas; as several voices are distorted by somewhat obvious electronic means, these other characters may simply be the credited cast members doubling or tripling up on roles. Also, Master Arca’s body vanishes after his death, which is said to be the Jedi way, though this is invalidated by the prequel films (which were produced after both the original Dark Horse comics and these audio adaptations), which make it explicitly clear that this way of “becoming one with the Force” was discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn and later learned by Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Dark Forces Star Wars

Rebel Agent – Part I

Star Wars: Dark ForcesFive years after the fall of the Empire at Endor, Kyle Katarn slips away on an unauthorized personal mission to Nar Shadaa, and quickly draws the wrong kind of attention – bounty hunters have been hired by Lord Jerec to literally bring Kyle’s head to the dark Jedi. In this case, they’re hired by a droid dispatched by Jerec to ensure that the job gets done. The droid has tried to enlist the best of the best, including Boba Fett himself, but when he turns the job down, less experienced mercenaries try to take Kyle out. Jerec’s droid taunts Kyle with a disc containing an encoded message from his father. Kyle takes reckless, death-defying risks to shake off or dispose of his attackers and reach the disc, but at a high cost. Fortunately, Jan Ors has taken on an equally unauthorized mission to follow Kyle in case he winds up in trouble. Remnants of the Empire quickly converge to capture Kyle, and even when Jan rescues him, he has suffered critical injuries.

Order this CDwritten by John Whitman
based on the book by William C. Dietz and Dean Williams
inspired by the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces
directed by Peter Moore
music by John Williams

Cast: Randal Berger (Kyle Katarn), Mo Collins (Jan Ors), Mark Benninghofen (Luke SKywalker)), Susanne Egli (Princess Leia), Chris Forth (Mon Mothma), Tim Glovatsky (Boba Fett, Bar Bouncer / Grentho), Virginia Burke (Norley), David Chase (Morgan Katarn), Patrick Coyle (Bounty Hunter 2), Nancy Crocker (Sariss), Stephen D’Ambrose (Pilot / Boc), Wendy Easton (Female Bounty Hunter), Jeff Gadbois (Doctor), Gary Groomes (Gorc), Allen Hamilton (Jerec), Tom Keith (Captain Jerg / Rolanda / Goon 1), Timothy Kuhlmann (Yun), Michael Levin (Duno), Peter Moore (Nij Por Ral, 8t88), Bob Otto (Majordomo), Cliff Rakerd (Pic / WeeGee), Martin Ruben (Maw), Tim Russell (Bounty Hunter 1 / Captain Zyak), Bill Slichter (Goon 2 / Orderly), Michael Tezla (Rahn), Ken Hiller (Narrator)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Dark Forces Star Wars

Rebel Agent – Part II

Star Wars: Dark ForcesMon Mothma begins an inquiry into Kyle Katarn’s unauthorized adventure on Nar Shadaa, and brings Luke and Leia with her. Jan reveals the disc containing a message from Kyle’s father, and Luke’s interest is piqued in the message’s mention of the legendary Valley of the Jedi, as well as the prospect that Kyle shares a talent with the Force. Leia and Mon Mothma protest that the search for this valley, and the immense power it’s rumored to hold, represents a new quest that the Rebels are stretched too thin to undertake. But Luke, who has also heard of the Valley of the Jedi, insists that Kyle should be given enough leeway to find it. Mon Mothma reluctantly agrees, but assigns Jan to follow Kyle – and, again, orders Jan to kill him if he shows signs of turning against the Alliance and using the Valley’s power for his own gain.

Order this CDwritten by John Whitman
based on the book by William C. Dietz and Dean Williams
inspired by the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces
directed by Peter Moore
music by John Williams

Cast: Randal Berger (Kyle Katarn), Mo Collins (Jan Ors), Mark Benninghofen (Luke SKywalker), Susanne Egli (Princess Leia), Chris Forth (Mon Mothma), Tim Glovatsky (Boba Fett, Bar Bouncer / Grentho), Virginia Burke (Norley), David Chase (Morgan Katarn), Patrick Coyle (Bounty Hunter 2), Nancy Crocker (Sariss), Stephen D’Ambrose (Pilot / Boc), Wendy Easton (Female Bounty Hunter), Jeff Gadbois (Doctor), Gary Groomes (Gorc), Allen Hamilton (Jerec), Tom Keith (Captain Jerg / Rolanda / Goon 1), Timothy Kuhlmann (Yun), Michael Levin (Duno), Peter Moore (Nij Por Ral, 8t88), Bob Otto (Majordomo), Cliff Rakerd (Pic / WeeGee), Martin Ruben (Maw), Tim Russell (Bounty Hunter 1 / Captain Zyak), Bill Slichter (Goon 2 / Orderly), Michael Tezla (Rahn), Ken Hiller (Narrator)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Dark Forces Star Wars

Jedi Knight – Part I

Star Wars: Dark ForcesLord Jerec, the Dark Jedi following Morgan Katarn’s map to find the lost Valley of the Jedi, sends an Imperial probe droid to the planet where the Valley is located – and it is promptly destroyed by one of the Rebels who was evacuated from Sulon by Morgan. Jerec dispatches his Dark Jedi to survey the nearest settlement to the probe droid’s final location – and then to lead an attack to flatten it. But Rebel help is already on the way, in the form of an Alliance capital ship, the Millennium Falcon, and eventually Luke’s X-wing and Kyle Katarn’s ship, the Moldy Crow. After a pitched battle in orbit, Kyle and Jan Ors go to the planet so Kyle can continue his own search for the Valley – and an inevitable meeting with the man who killed his father. But first, Kyle encounters his father’s fellow settlers, whose allegiances lie firmly with the Rebel Alliance – and the last time any of them saw Kyle, he was on the fast track through the Imperial Academy.

Order this CDwritten by John Whitman
based on the book by William C. Dietz and Dean Williams
inspired by the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces
directed by Peter Moore
music by John Williams

Cast: Randal Berger (Kyle Katarn), Christopher Bloch (Lt. Aagon / Bouncer), Mo Collins (Jan Ors), Mark Benninghofen (Luke Skywalker), James Gaulke (Han Solo), Susanne Egli (Princess Leia), Chris Forth (Mon Mothma), Patrick Coyle (Speeder Pilot / Imperial Co-Pilot), James Cada (Screamer / Imperial Pilot), Nancy Crocker (Sariss), Stephen D’Ambrose (Boc / Weapons Officer), Louise Enyeart (Lasko / Peeno), Gary Groomes (Major Vig), Allen Hamilton (Jerec), Emil Herrera (Obata), Jay Hornbacher (Grif), Tom Keith (Sergeant / Imperial Pilot), Timothy Kuhlmann (Yun), Peter Moore (Officer / Floater), Martin Ruben (Battle Droid / Maw), Sue Scott (Carole), Michael Tezla (Rahn), Jack Walsh (Mayor Devo / Pardy), John Wehrmann (Captain Trico), Stephen Yoakam (Dinko / Executive / Captain Tola), Ken Hiller (Narrator)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Dark Forces Star Wars

Jedi Knight – Part II

Star Wars: Dark ForcesKyle has to talk fast to convince the Rebels on the planet to trust him, but by the time he has gained their trust and continued his mission to the Valley of the Jedi, Lord Jerec has already taken control. But the Dark Jedi’s occupation of the Valley isn’t without cost – he hopes to tap into the residual power from the spirits of many Jedi who died in an epic battle there, but the spirit of a Jedi who befriended Kyle’s father is defying death long enough to help him – and to show one of Jerec’s proteges the power of the light side of the Force. Kyle’s unseen mentor warns him against using his hatred and joining the dark side, but when Jerec takes Jan Ors prisoner and calls on the Valley’s power to battle the fledgling Jedi Knight, can Kyle resist the lure of vengeance?

Order this CDwritten by John Whitman
based on the book by William C. Dietz and Dean Williams
inspired by the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces
directed by Peter Moore
music by John Williams

Cast: Randal Berger (Kyle Katarn), Christopher Bloch (Lt. Aagon / Bouncer), Mo Collins (Jan Ors), Mark Benninghofen (Luke Skywalker), James Gaulke (Han Solo), Susanne Egli (Princess Leia), Chris Forth (Mon Mothma), Patrick Coyle (Speeder Pilot / Imperial Co-Pilot), James Cada (Screamer / Imperial Pilot), Nancy Crocker (Sariss), Stephen D’Ambrose (Boc / Weapons Officer), Louise Enyeart (Lasko / Peeno), Gary Groomes (Major Vig), Allen Hamilton (Jerec), Emil Herrera (Obata), Jay Hornbacher (Grif), Tom Keith (Sergeant / Imperial Pilot), Timothy Kuhlmann (Yun), Peter Moore (Officer / Floater), Martin Ruben (Battle Droid / Maw), Sue Scott (Carole), Michael Tezla (Rahn), Jack Walsh (Mayor Devo / Pardy), John Wehrmann (Captain Trico), Stephen Yoakam (Dinko / Executive / Captain Tola), Ken Hiller (Narrator)

LogBook entry by Earl Green