History Radio / StarWarsRadioDramas

* TortureIsIneffective: In the ''Star Wars'' play we actually shown the torture scene left out of the 1977 film. Vader uses drugs and the Force to torture Leia, first trying to make her think he's her adoptive father Bail Organa and that she succeeded in her mission to bring the Death Star plans to Alderaan, then just inflicting pain. He nearly kills her but she doesn't crack.

** Sometimes this is made less awkward by rendering scenes from the movies as communications instead. Luke's takedown of the AT-AT in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' is done in this play as another Rebel fighter pilot making a report back to HQ about how the battle is going. Luke's encounter with the wampa in the same movie is framed in the play as Luke trying to raise Han on his emergency communicator, and describing where he is.

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: Leia is grilling Lord Tion on Alderaan about the mysterious new battle station. She lets slip the code name "Death Star", and Tion instantly realizes she's a spy for the Rebel Alliance.

* ColdBloodedTorture[=/=]MindProbe: The original ''Star Wars'' merely hints at Leia being tortured, with a shot of Vader entering her cell along with a scary-looking probe. In the radio drama, Vader injects her with a drug to make her more suggestible. When roofies aren't enough to convince Leia that Vader is a member of the Rebel Alliance who needs the stolen plans, Vader then uses the suggestibility to torture her, making her believe she's in agonizing pain. This also fails to elicit the information.

* ColdBloodedTorture[=/=]MindProbe: The original ''Star Wars'' merely hints at Leia being tortured, with a shot of Vader entering her cell along with a scary-looking probe. In the radio drama, Vader injects her with a drug to make her more suggestible. When roofies aren't enough to convince Leia that Vader is a member of the Rebel Alliance who needs the stolen plans, Vader switches to torture, using the Force to inflict psychic pain on Leia. This also fails.

* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: The Imperial officer confronting Captain Antilles in ''Star Wars'' (supposedly, since [[CaptainObvious we have no visual to verify that]]) upon the latter's capture punches him in the gut.

* TheStarscream: In [[EditedForSyndication some cuts]] of the ''Star Wars'' play there's a scene where Tarkin and Admiral Motti are plotting to overthrow the Emperor. [[CaptainObvious Nothing ever comes of it.]]

* CanonImmigrant: The ''Star Wars'' play had the first in-story appearance (he was first mentioned in the {{novelization}} of Episode IV but did not appear) of Bail Organa, who would later appear in the prequel trilogy as the Republic senator from Alderaan. Also, ''Return of the Jedi'' features a character strongly implied to be Mara Jade, a character never seen in the films and originally introduced in ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy''.

Creator/MarkHamill reprised his role of Luke Skywalker for both ''Star Wars'' and ''The Empire Strikes Back'', before being recast by Joshua Fardon for ''Return of the Jedi'' after the 13-year delay. Creator/AnthonyDaniels voiced C-3PO in all three dramas. Creator/BillyDeeWilliams played Lando in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' but was replaced by Arye Gross in ''Return of the Jedi''. All of the other roles were recast, with Perry King playing Han Solo, Ann Sachs as Leia, and Brock Peters (Admiral Cartwright in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' films) as Darth Vader. Some of the more well-known actors in the production include Creator/EdAsner (Jabba the Hutt), Creator/JohnLithgow (Yoda), [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Yeardley Smith]] as a robot in Jabba's palace, Adam Arkin as Fixer (one of Luke's acquaintances on Tatooine, not included in the films), and David Alan Grier as a supporting player.

** ''Return of the Jedi'' included Luke constructing his new lightsaber. Being that it was performed after the current EU got into full swing, we also got a CallForward to ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'' in the form of a conversation between C-3PO and an undercover Mara Jade.

These plays, being adaptations of the Franchise/StarWars original trilogy, feature most of the tropes found in those films. Tropes unique to the radio plays are listed below.

** The second episode of the ''Empire Strikes Back'' play is titled "The Gathering Storm". That's the episode where the Empire...uh, strikes back, attacking Hoth.

* AStormIsComing: In ''Star Wars'', Luke and Biggs note that the wind is rising on Tatooine, and that it soon will be everywhere.

In 1981, 1983, and 1996, [[Creator/{{NPR}} National Public Radio]] station KUSC-FM performed [[AudioAdaptation radio play adaptations]] of the original ''Franchise/StarWars'' movie trilogy. Considered part of the ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'', the plays were made with the full cooperation of Creator/GeorgeLucas, who sold the rights to KUSC-FM (hosted by his alma mater, the University of Southern California) for a dollar apiece.

** It ''does'' add context to Tarkin's line "Evacuate? In our moment of triumph?"
** The scene was clumsily - and unnecessarily - cut from the [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] broadcast.

** In ''Return of the Jedi'' [=C3PO=] narrates Leia releasing Han from the carbonite.

Creator/MarkHamill reprised his role of Luke Skywalker for both ''Star Wars'' and ''The Empire Strikes Back'', before being recast by Joshua Fardon for ''Return of the Jedi'' after the 13-year delay. Creator/AnthonyDaniels voiced C-3PO in all three dramas. Billy Dee Williams played Lando in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' but was replaced by Arye Gross in ''Return of the Jedi''. All of the other roles were recast, with Perry King playing Han Solo, Ann Sachs as Leia, and Brock Peters (Admiral Cartwright in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' films) as Darth Vader. Some of the more well-known actors in the production include Creator/EdAsner (Jabba the Hutt), Creator/JohnLithgow (Yoda), [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Yeardley Smith]] as a robot in Jabba's palace, Adam Arkin as Fixer (one of Luke's acquaintances on Tatooine, not included in the films), and David Alan Grier as a supporting player.

* BluffTheEavesdropper: Leia and Wedge realize that 1) the Empire is listening in to their ship and 2) if Lord Tion searches the ''Tantive IV'' and finds what are obviously supplies meant for the rebels, they are screwed. So they stage a conversation in which Leia hopes that Tion will make a fruitless search of the ship and embarrass himself. It works in getting Tion to call off the search.

* TheOneWhoMadeItOut: A theme in the first episode of the ''Star Wars'' drama. Luke's friends are pathetic losers who mock him for having dreams of leaving Tatooine and going on to better things.

!!Tropes:

** When Vader crushes Antilles's throat on the ''Tantive IV'', he remarks irritated that his death was "without meaning", suggesting that he actually would have let Antilles live had he revelead the truth about the stolen plans.

!! In addition to using most of the same tropes as the movies, the ''Star Wars Radio Dramas'' provide examples of the following tropes:

* AdaptationalHeroism: Probably to the smallest degree possible when it comes to the Imperials, who are otherwise [[AdaptationalVillainy even bigger jerks than they were in the movie]], but it is still worth mentioning that both Vader and Tarkin seem to not be so fond of having people die or be killed if it doesn't serve their interest.

** In ''The Empire Strikes Back'', Wedge narrates Luke's attack on a walker for the Hoth command center, and Darth Vader calls out the objects he's Force-throwing at Luke during their duel.

** The scene was clumsily - and unnecessarily - cut from the BBC broadcast.

* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: All three radio series were available together, in a CD boxed set, with special artwork on the discs not available on other editions, as well as exclusive bonus tracks. The bonus tracks were excerpts of conversations with cast members, select scenes played without music or sound effects, and an audio get well card recoded by the cast for Brian Daley, the writer who adapted all three series for radio and who at the time ''Jedi'' was recorded, was sick with pancreatic cancer. (Unfortunately, Daley didn't last long enough to be able to hear it. He died the morning after the wrap party.)

* AdaptationalVillainy: Aside from the exeptions listed above, we get much more than just a vague idea as to why the Empire is such an oppressive regime (the lack of which resulted in a significant part of the movie fandom to [[RootingForTheEmpire root for the Empire]]):

Creator/MarkHamill reprised his role of Luke Skywalker for both ''Star Wars'' and ''The Empire Strikes Back'', before being recast by Joshua Fardon for ''Return of the Jedi'' after the 13-year delay. Anthony Daniels voiced [=C3PO=] in all three dramas. Billy Dee Williams played Lando in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' but was replaced by Arye Gross in ''Return of the Jedi''. All of the other roles were recast, with Perry King playing Han Solo, Ann Sachs as Leia, and Brock Peters (Admiral Cartwright in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' films) as Darth Vader. Some of the more well-known actors in the production include Creator/EdAsner (Jabba the Hutt), Creator/JohnLithgow (Yoda), [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Yeardley Smith]] as a robot in Jabba's palace, Adam Arkin as Fixer (one of Luke's acquaintances on Tatooine, not included in the films), and David Alan Grier as a supporting player.