History Radio / StarWarsRadioDramas

* PostMortemOneLiner: After strangling Jabba the Hutt to death, Leia says "There's your final payment, ''Jabba''."

** In ''Star Wars'', upon the ''Tantive IV'' being caught up with by the ''Devastator'', Leia exclaims how it's "the ship that fired on us before", even though it's been literally just over two minutes since we were introduced to that particular Star Destroyer and her captain.

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 original ''Star Wars'' ExpandedUniverse (now it's ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends''), 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.

** In ''Return of the Jedi'' C-3PO narrates Leia releasing Han from the carbonite, and many characters narrate the Rancor fight.

* TortureIsIneffective: In the ''Star Wars'' play, the torture scene left out of the 1977 film is included. Vader uses drugs and the Force to torture Leia, first trying to make her think he's on her side and that her adoptive father Bail Organa knows this and wants her to cooperate, then just inflicting pain in hopes of wringing the information from her. He nearly kills her, but she doesn't crack.

** Throughout the drama, Vader shows respect towards legal procedures, at least as long as his mission doesn't start slipping out of his grip. Later on, he raises objections concerning picking Alderaan as the Death Star's target without consulting the Emperor first, although it doesn't take Tarkin long to convince him.

*** He also expands on his frustration with Ozzel in ''Empire Strikes Back'' compared to the movie, citing concern and frustration that the Imperial conquest of Hoth will be much more difficult and cost far more lives because Ozzel's actions have alerted the Rebels to them. Considering that most of the Rebels subsequently escaped Hoth to regroup elsewhere, including the high-value targets of Luke, Han, and Leia, he's right to be angry. Later on, in ''Return of the Jedi'', it's made more clear ahead of time that Vader is slipping away from the Dark Side before Palpatine tries to kill Luke by him subtly expressing reluctance to kill Luke or carry out some of Palpatine's orders, even hesitating one time as he says, "Y-yes, my master."

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Vader comes across much more as one of these in the radio drama, especially in ''Empire Strikes Back'' when he repeatedly overrules Admiral Ozzel's dismissal of Piett's report of a missing probe droid as vague information of no use to them; it's actually the exact lead that they were looking for to find the Rebel base on Hoth and Vader realized this immediately, adding some weight to his later execution of Ozzel and promoting Piett to admiral as he does.

All three series were adapted for radio by Creator/BrianDaley, who also wrote [[Literature/TheHanSoloAdventures some of the earliest]] ''Star Wars'' tie-in novels. The [[DevelopmentHell thirteen-year delay]] between ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi'' almost led to AuthorExistenceFailure - Daley died of cancer hours after the wrap party for ''Return of the Jedi'' in 1996.

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 ''Star Wars Expanded Universe'' back then (now they're ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends''), 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.

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 Creator/BrockPeters (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, Creator/AdamArkin as Fixer (one of Luke's acquaintances on Tatooine, not included in the films), and Creator/DavidAlanGrier as a supporting player.

All three series were adapted for radio by Creator/BrianDaley, who also wrote [[Literature/TheHanSoloAdventures some of the earliest]] ''Star Wars'' tie-in novels. The [[DevelopmentHell thirteen-year delay]] between ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi'' almost led to AuthorExistenceFailure--Daley died of cancer hours after the wrap party for ''Return of the Jedi'' in 1996.

Daley wrote one more audio play, an {{interquel}} between ''A New Hope'' and ''The Empire Strikes Back'' called "Rebel Mission To Ord Mantell", a half-hour production (with a [[TheOtherDarrin only a soundalike cast]], including a young Creator/CoreyBurton as Luke!) that tells the story behind Han's comment about "that bounty hunter on Ord Mantell" in the latter film. It was released as a record in 1983, and [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes can only be found online now.]]

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

*** He also expands on his frustration with Ozzel in ''Empire Strikes Back'' compared to the movie, citing concern and frustration that the Imperial conquest of Hoth will be much more difficult and cost far more lives because Ozzel's actions have alerted the Rebels to them. Considering that most of the Rebels subsequently escaped Hoth to regroup elsewhere, including the high-value targets of Luke, Han, and Leia, he's right to be angry.

* SlipIntoSomethingMoreComfortable: Inverted by Leia after the escape from Tatooine in ''Return of the Jedi''. She goes to her quarters in the ''Millenium Falcon'' to take off the metal bikini, saying that she's going to "put on something more ''durable''". Han then asks her if she's going to "just throw it away," and her response is [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar "we'll see."]]

* NoSell: In this version Han {{lampshade|Hanging}}s Vader blocking [[HandCannon DL-44]] shots with his hand, right before Vader yanks said blaster out of Han's.

** We are given a detailed description of the Empire's merciless crush of the Ralltir uprising, with random killings of civilians and concentration camps to hold real and alleged rebels. Lord Tion in particular is a 100% bastard with no redeeming traits who even has the nerve to [[ReminiscingAboutYourVictims boast about how skillfully the Imperials managed to torch alive a group of unarmed rebel leaders who thought they were going to negotiate a ceasefire]] in front of Bail Organa and his daughter Leia, known for their pacifistic views. Tion goes on to offer to participate in the planned culling of sickly animals in Alderaan's nature reserves not because he's concerned for the wellbeing of the others, as Bail is, but because he enjoys hunting for the fun of it, which Leia calls him out on.

* VillainousCrush: Lord Tion has one on Leia, although whether it's purely physical attraction or genuine affection for her personality is never clarified. That being said, considering how they differ in terms of their outlooks on war and technology, the latter option is rather dubious.

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: Leia is subtly grilling Lord Tion on Alderaan about the mysterious new battle station. She lets slip the code name "Death Star", and Tion instantly realizes she knows more than she should (supposedly, this conversation was the first she'd heard about the then-top secret project).

** With the release of ''Film/RogueOne'', the entirety of Episode 2 (in which Leia first learns of the Death Star and she and her father devise a scheme to get more information) and the first half of Episode 3 (in which the ''Tantive IV'' sneaks into a restricted system and receives a transmission containing the stolen plans) of the ''New Hope'' series are now out of continuity with the new Disney canon.

* ColdBloodedTorture: 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 she resists the suggestion that Vader is a member of the Rebel Alliance who needs the stolen plans, Vader then uses the suggestibility to torture her by making her believe she's in agonizing pain. While she does succumb to this illusion, she still refuses to give up the information, and Vader finally has to put an end to it before he jeopardizes the life of a valuable prisoner.
* ContinuitySnarl:

** With the release of ''Film/RogueOne'', the entirety of Episode 2 (in which Leia first learns of the Death Star and she and her father devise a scheme to get more information) and the first half of Episode 3 (in which the ''Tantive IV'' sneaks into a restricted system and receive a transmission containing the stolen plans) of the ''New Hope'' series are now out of continuity with the new Disney canon.

** With the release of ''Film/RogueOne'', the entirety of Episode 2 (in which Leia first learns of the Death Star and she and her father devise a scheme to get more information) and about half of Episode 3 (in which the ''Tantive IV'' sneaks into a restricted system to collect the stolen plans by radio transmission) of the ''New Hope'' series are now out of continuity with the new Disney canon.

** With the release of ''Film/RogueOne'', the entirety of Episode 2 and about half of Episode 3 of the ''New Hope'' series are now out of continuity with the new Disney canon.