The Comprehensive Guide to Star Wars Audio Dramas
For someone who never has listened to an audiobook, the concept of someone reading a story to you in a boring and monotone voice for 15 hours might seem like they were created to get rid of insomnia. And it is true that some audiobooks out there feel exactly like that.
But not Star Wars audiobooks. Read by Jonathan Davis, Marc Thompson, or Saskia Maarleveld, who have risen to a kind of superstar status in their own little niche, these products generally offer a high-production value. The narrators use different voices and timbres for the various characters, and original sound effects and music from the films are included.
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But still, there is something even more immersive than audiobooks in the realm of aural media: Audio dramas.
A long time ago…
Audio dramas (or radio dramas as they were called) stem back to the 1920s. They were very popular until the 1950s, when radio was pushed to the sidelines by the advent of television. After that, they never again reached the popularity they once had, though they experienced a small renaissance a few years back in the form of certain podcasts.
The first Star Wars audio dramas were the adaptations of the Original Trilogy, broadcasted by National Public Radio between 1981 and 1996. Written by legendary author Brain Daley and including original cast members like Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels or Billy Dee Williams, the audio dramas not only included scenes that were in the original scripts and then cut from the final movies, but they also included content that was never intended for the original trilogy. One such scene detailed how Princess Leia obtained the plans for the Death Star (and yes, it was a quite different story from the one told in Rogue One).
Cannon Audio Dramas
Dooku: Jedi Lost
Unlike many other audio dramas, which are adaptations of either books or comics, Dooku: Jedi Lost is an original, nearly six-and-a-half-hour story written by Cavan Scott and released in April of 2019. A script of the drama was released in the fall of the same year.
Jedi Lost tells the story of the young Count Dooku and his fall to the dark side, as well as the fall of his assassin, Asajj Ventress.
Aside from delivering a fascinating backstory on one of the main villains of the prequel trilogy, the story also marks the first mention of the High Republic Era.
Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original
Despite being labeled an audiobook, Doctor Aphra is a full-cast audio drama, written by Sarah Kuhn and released in July 2020. The script following in April 2021. Based on the 2015 Marvel comic series Darth Vader as well as the Star Wars main comic line, the five-and-a-half-hour drama tells the story of the rouge archeologist Dr. Chelli Lana Aphra and how she and her two psychopathic droids were saved by Darth Vader only to become his pawns and to get caught in the power struggle between the Dark Lord and his Master.
The High Republic: Tempest Runner
The most recent audio drama of current canon was released in August of 2021, with the accompanying script published in March of 2022. Again, written by Cavan Scott and with a runtime of six hours, the main antagonist of the story that is set 231 years before the Battle of Yavin is the Nihil Tempest Runner Lourna Dee, who was caught by the Jedi and separated from her ship and her marauder crew. Keeping her true identify as one of the leaders of the Nihil a secret, she plans her escape and her revenge on the Jedi and the Republic.
Legends Audio Dramas
‘Tales of the Jedi’ and ‘Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith’
Released in 2005 and based on the Tales of the Jedi comics published by Dark Horse, the stories take place nearly 4000 years before the events of the original trilogy, where the main protagonists—Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider—battle the rising threat of the Sith and their own temptation to fall to the dark side.
Crimson Empire
Again, an adaption of a comic-book series of the same title, this audio drama was released in 1999, one year after the comics. The story takes place seven years after the Battle of Endor, when Kir Kanos, the last surviving member of Palpatine’s Imperial Guards, joins forces with the New Republic to fight the rise of a new Dark Lord.
‘Dark Empire’, ‘Dark Empire II’, and ‘Empire’s End’
This series, which marked the return of Star Wars in comic form at the beginning of the 1990s, was adapted into three audio dramas in 1994 and 1995. Taking place after the events of Return of the Jedi, Dark Empire is the story of a cloned Palpatine and his pursuit to turn Luke Skywalker to the dark side and make him his new apprentice.
‘Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire’, ‘Dark Forces: Rebel Agent’, and ‘Dark Forces: Jedi Knight’
Published in 1997 and 1998, these audio dramas are adaptations of novellas written by William C. Dietz. They tell the story of Imperial soldier Kyle Katarn—who later becomes an agent for the Rebel Alliance and then even a Jedi—and include another take on how the rebels obtained the plans for the first Death Star.
Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell
Like the NPR radio dramas, this piece of audio, tells the story of Han Solo’s run-in with a bounty hunter, an event that he mentioned at the beginning The Empire Strikes Back. Brian Daley wrote the drama, and the audio was released in 1983.
‘Nightlily: The Lovers’ Tale’' and ‘We Don’t Do Weddings: The Band’s Tale’
These two audio dramas are adaptations of short stories that were published in the Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina anthology book; they even added some scenes that are not in the book.
The Mixed-Up Droid
Released in 1995, this 22-minute audio drama was targeted for kids. It tells the story of how Princess Leia and R2-D2 save C-3PO from embarrassing himself.
Unofficial audio dramas
Smuggler’s Gambit, Smuggler’s Bounty, Smuggler’s Revenge
Written by Kyle Newman and either recorded or premiered at various Star Wars Celebrations, these non-cannon audio dramas describe the adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca after the events of A New Hope. The series is remarkable as it includes the talents of many voice actors from The Clone Wars, like Ashley Eckstein. Tom Kane, Matt Lanter or Dee Bradley Baker.
Mehr auf deutsch
Interestingly enough, there are a number of audio dramas that were released in German—like the adaptations of all nine films of the Skywalker Saga, Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy, Dark Lord, and Labyrinth of Evil—as well as some episodes of The Clone Wars.
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Source: Wookieepedia