The Empire Strikes Back: The Original NPR Radio Drama

Star Wars Trilogy: NPR Dramatizations #2

by GEORGE LUCAS' 'BRIAN DALEY, George Lucas

National Public Radio's 1981 adaptation of "Star Wars" was one of the most successful presentations in the history of radio--and a very tough act to follow. Nevertheless, two years later, the members of the "Star Wars" production team eagerly returned to create a radio version of "The Empire Strikes Back."
Like its predecessor, this electrifying drama boasts an outstanding cast (including Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Anthony Daniels as See Threepio, Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, and John Lithgow as Yoda); a greatly expanded script, with many scenes not found in the movie; and audio engineering of unparalleled excellence. "The Empire Strikes Back" takes you once more into a galaxy of pure sound and limitless imagination for an adventure you'll never forget.
"Star Wars"(R), (TM), & (c) " 1993 Lucasfilm Ltd."

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Fantasy, Novels, Space

320 pages, Audiobook

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Empire Strikes Back radio adaptation continued the excellent tradition begun by the Star Wars adaptation, adding depth and texture and characterization to the film's story and the universe as a whole. (The added dialogue between the wounded Luke and Han while waiting to be rescued by their comrades on Hoth was particularly well done.) I would give this perhaps 4.5 stars, simply because it would have been lovely to have another episode or three of this one (to make it comparable in length to it predecessor), but this works very well as it is and should be considered required listening for Star Wars enthusiasts.

[Eric Mesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great voice acting all around. Not as much extra supplementary material compared to A New Hope, but still some fun extra scenes and exposition because it's a radio play and they have to describe stuff that's happening.

As before, I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys Star Wars.

[Mario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as long as A New Hope dramatization, but nonetheless a great one. Few details are added to the story, but the descriptions, the quality of the voice acting and ambient is fantastic. It helps a lot to have Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams in the cast. The rest is great too, returning to their characters from the previous episode.

All in all, an extremely recommended story for every Star Wars fan.

[Ondřej · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yoda zní jako něco mezi Frankem Ozem a člověkem, který se ho pokouší parodovat.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one doesn't add as much to its source movie as the preceding radio drama did, but it's still fun. Mark Hamill does a fine job reprising Luke and we get Billy Dee Williams hamming it up, too. Some of the other voice actors have improved their game, as well, though the guy who plays Vader remains a poor replacement for David Earl Jones. The additional scenes aren't too remarkable, mostly just added conversation between the main characters (you get more of a sense of Luke and Han's friendship) and a few bits that provide more context for things that happen in the movie.

Not really essential, IMO, but the next best thing to the film, I guess.

[crtlion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I greatly enjoyed this adaptation. The added back-and-forth between the main characters on Hoth and the narration of the battle were particular highlights. I really felt the fear, excitement, and danger of the Battle of Hoth from the hearts of the Rebellion soldiers. If I could, I would subtract half a star from my review just for Yoda’s voice. Unfortunately, John Lithgow, to my ear, sounds too much like himself and prevented me from enjoying the Dagobah scenes really at all. Especially in comparison with the wonderful voice acting of Frank Oz in the movies.

Overall, worth a listen!

[James Tomasino · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was pretty bad. Empire is arguably the strongest of the Star Wars films (though I may prefer Rogue One myself), but this extended script version in the radio drama did it dirty. The extensions on scenes and dialogue undercut what was working, weakening the overall story. Han was outright creepy instead of roguish, and Vader continues to feel like a cartoon villain. He just never stops talking!

If you were curious about checking out this format for the Star Wars stories, you can probably just skip it. You're not missing anything.

[Gloria Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adds less to the base film story than its predecessor, instead of giving a more direct retelling of the film. But the expanded scenes are nice but honestly not nice enough to give a recommendation. I've heard the Episode VI adaptation (made over a decade after these two but with much of the same team) features a lot more added material so it would have been weird to skip this middle chapter. Totally solid! But also pretty unnecessary if you've seen the film recently.

[John Peel · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You haven't heard the whole story..." the cover tells us, but, well, yes, we have. These are just fiddly little details that don't really affect anything. It's... okay, but the original is far better written. Unless you're a real completist, give this one a pass.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is on cassette, not cd.

[bookme4life · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only complaint is Yoda: oof. That's quite a painful caricature. I almost wish they had tried taking the character in a completely different direction instead of imitating the film Yoda.

[Artran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darth Vader voice starts to be annoying and especially in the action parts it's hard to tell what's happening.

[Nikita]

tereble

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook - A great extension to the Star Wars second film

[Tj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable experience. The attempt to turn a lightsaber duel into radio audio was amusing.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this as it had bits and pieces in it that weren't in the movie or the book adaptations of the movies.

[Bill Rand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great audio drama version of the Empire Strikes Back....

[Tom Armbruster · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this, I am very intrested in actually hearing it. Some new scenes and interesting Force- based material that inadvertently ties in to the latest movie trilogy.

[Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I literally just listened to the movie with a few extra bits. This novelisation in audio drama really is the best way to go about it.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ol' ear candy

[T. Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable! This one is closer to the movie than the first radio drama. It's got some nice extra scenes.

[Cameron Rhoads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to on CD 💿 in my car, old-school fashion. Take me back to 1999 to the early 2000s. Thoroughly enjoyed.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The radio adaptation is truly spectacular. Love the additional dialogue. Gives the story an added dimension.

[Jane Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio CD. Very exciting audio drama. Well done. Caution: dangerous when driving a car, you tend to grip the wheel and speed.

[Jared Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good, albeit literal adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back. I say literal because in my experience with the previous radio show, there were additions made to the program that not only extended the performance, but also enriched it. There were additional details given, backstory, as well as continuations of interesting scenes. In this production, while the spirit and story of the movie remains invariably consistent, it is almost too much like I'm just listening to the movie. In fact, there are points here where the movie audio would have been a better choice. I'm thinking specifically of Darth Vader's lines whenever some kind of action occurs. For some reason, he narrates exactly what is happening. Case in point: Han Solo enters the dining hall, sees Vader, and says "I won't join you. How about I blast you instead?" You hear the sound of blaster fire, and Han says "Who stops blaster bolts with his hand?". You, as the listener, say to yourself "Ah yes, he's just narrating what happened in the movie, but he's also reacting to the scene. That's a fine adjustment that they made." Darth Vader then says "See, Han Solo, as I am able to tear the blaster away from your hand and watch now as it flies to me!" In this case, he's just narrating. And the delivery is bland as well. In another scene, he narrates as he throws objects at Luke with the power of the Force. It happens all too often and I think they should have employed higher quality writing at those segments.

I will say that the positive aspect of the lack of additional material for this production is that the whole narrative is concise. The scenes are only as long as they need to be. I was surprised that towards the end of my listening, the last twenty minutes of audio corresponded nearly exactly with the last twenty minutes of the movie. In that sense, the narrative doesn't waste your time, and simple gives you exactly what you expect.

All in all, a good work, but not as clearly outstanding as their first outing. I would still recommend the series.

[Jaime K · Rating 4 out of 5]

The voice actors are the same as in the first one but Han and Leia seem more in character and less annoying in this release.
But Vader's is just as bad. As is Fett. Fett doesn't even have the right vocal inflections.
Palpatine is good; Yoda is...well, he sounds like a mix of Yoda and a French Sesame Street monster muppet. I can't take that voice seriously.
It took me until the last part (episode 10) to figure out why I don't like Vader's voice: The "Vader breathing" is constant, even when the actor is talking. There is the sound of breathing over the words. It's very strange.

There are more enhanced interactions overall, compared to the movie, and are aligned with the novel. 3PO is as pompous as ever, but I have to chuckle at it instead of being irritated as I usually am. It's just great to hear him demean another droid

A small Rebel fleet ambushed by TIE fighters. Those on Hoth are unable to get new supplies and snubfighters...and lose a good captain in the process. Luke is promoted to lead the squadron that remains on Hoth.

When Han rescues Luke on Hoth, there is an extended scene that really shows their friendship and trust for each other. It's moving and beautiful.

As strange as it is to hear, I understand why Leia had to tell Luke she was going to kiss him. Still, I don't think it was necessary for the kiss to last as long as it did, nor for 3PO to say "how interesting." That just made it extremely awkward for me.

The person who plays Leia says "no" to Han a lot more often than in the movie or book. It makes it seem like Han then FORCES her to kiss him, instead of her trying to push him away because she doesn't want to go to him. It has an undertone of rape to it that I truly don't like. It also makes the "I love you" line very unrealistic.

I like the added dialogue with the Lando scenes. It really shows just why he made the deal with Vader to begin with.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent radio adaptation of the original Star Wars trilogy.

Brian Daley adapted "The Empire Strikes Back" into a radio show. He added some dialogue, most notably the conversation between Luke and Han as they wait out the Hoth snowstorm. It's nice to see the development of both Han's character and his friendship with Luke. The scenes in Cloud City were also more detailed.

Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels reprise their roles as Luke Skywalker and C-3PO respectively. Billy Dee Williams is back as Lando Calrissian, which was a very nice surprise. Lando has always been one of my favorite characters (I have a weakness for rogues). Brock Peters once again portrays Darth Vader. Someone commented that the problem with Peters is that he's not James Earl Jones. Well, nobody's perfect! If we can't have Jones, then Peters is just fine, thank you. David Rasche is an adequate, though colorless Piett. He certainly gave the impression of being terrified of Vader, for which I don't blame him in the least.

What surprised me, though, was John Lithgow as Yoda. Whose casting idea was that? He actually did a pretty good job, which I wasn't expecting. Not as good as the original, but I would have never expected it was Lithgow doing the voice.

The weak points are, as usual, Perry King and Ann Sachs, though the latter has somewhat improved. She now sounds like she's actually graduated from high school. However, King is as lightweight as ever.

Despite King and Sachs, this is a very good radio show and certainly worth the time of any Star Wars fan.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little better, a little worse than the movie

Published by HighBridge Audio.
Originally broadcast in 1993.
Multicast performance.
Duration: approximately 5 hours.

Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (The Original Radio Drama) was created for National Public Radio and originally broadcast in 1993. It features several members of the original movie cast including Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C3PO) and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian). John Lithgow steps in and does a strong job with Yoda. Vader suffers with Brock Peters as the voice - not because he did anything wrong, but because he is just not James Earl Jones.

George Lucas opened up the Star Wars vault and let NPR use the original soundtrack and original special effects - and they use them well. The soundtrack punches up the story and the special effects are used to move the story along as often as they are used to add a little detail to the experience.

The story is well told and has the added bonus of being able to take a little more time to expand certain scenes. For example,...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2010/...

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some great additions to this adaptation, such as a brief exchange between C-3PO and 2-1B and Han Solo telling C-3PO not to get on Vader's bad side after seeing him in pieces. The latter is pretty ironic given how Anakin Skywalker built and loved C-3PO. I also love C-3PO's suggestion of bringing evacuating civilians of Cloud City with them as they are escaping. When Han is looking after Luke out in the tundra, they have a great back-an-forth that illustrates how far their friendship has come. The Emperor's voice sounds like a bridge between Clive Revill and Ian McDiarmid, which is a nice compromise. Lobot is able to speak, but the new Lando comics suggest that he should not be able to do so because of the implants that he wears. Lando tells Boba Fett that his face will be the last one that he sees, which is weird because it does not foreshadow anything; this came out after Return of the Jedi, in which Boba Fett probably does not see Lando as he falls into the sarlacc pit. Then again, he might not have technically have died then, so Lando could still be the last face that Boba sees in the future. And I love the part at the end when Luke hears that the plan to rescue Han is in R2-D2's memory banks and then he says that that is how this all started.