 Original printing book cover | |
| Author | Alan Dean Foster (credited toGeorge Lucas) |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Ralph McQuarrie |
| Language | English |
| Series | Film novelizations CanonG |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Ballantine (United States),Sphere Books (UK) |
Publication date | November 12, 1976[1] |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover & paperback) |
| Pages | 272 |
| ISBN | 0-345-26061-9 |
| Followed by | Splinter of the Mind's Eye(1978) |
Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker is thenovelization of the 1977 filmStar Wars,ghostwritten by American authorAlan Dean Foster, but credited to directorGeorge Lucas.[2] It was first published on November 12, 1976, byBallantine Books, several months before the release of the film.[1] In later years, it was republished under the titleStar Wars: A New Hope to reflectthe retroactive addition of a subtitle to the film in 1981.[3]
The prologue includes references toPalpatine and his rise to power, setting up the backstory for future films. The book also contains some differences from the film.
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The book was written by Foster and based upon Lucas's screenplay for the firstStar Wars film.[2] On how he got the job, Foster said:
My agent got a call from Lucas's lawyer of the time,Tom Pollock (now one of the most powerful men in Hollywood). Someone had read a book of mine,Icerigger, knew that I had already done novelizations, and thought I might be the writer to do the novelization of Lucas' new film. I already knew his work throughTHX 1138 andAmerican Graffiti. I accepted the offer to meet with George, and did so atIndustrial Light and Magic, then in a small warehouse inVan Nuys,California (part of greaterLos Angeles, and conveniently near my family home). We hit it off well, I got the assignment (for two books), and that's how it happened.[4]
Foster not only adapted the film's events, but also fleshed out the backstory of time, place,physics,planets,races,languages,history, andtechnology. When asked whether it was difficult for him to see Lucas get all the credit for the novelization, Foster said:
Not at all. It was George's story idea. I was merely expanding upon it. Not having my name on the cover didn't bother me in the least. It would be akin to a contractor demanding to have his name on aFrank Lloyd Wright house.[4]
Lucas, for his part, has been open about the fact that Foster ghostwrote the novel, noting this fact in his introduction to later editions of the book.[2]
The paperback book was first published in the US asStar Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker in November 1976 by Ballantine Books, six months before the theatrical release of the film.[2] Thecover art was byStar Warsconceptual artistRalph McQuarrie, who was commissioned by Ballantine Books executive Judy Lynn Del Rey while he was working on visualization work for Lucas's forthcoming film.[5] The cover depictsLuke Skywalker carrying alightsaber,Chewbacca,C-3PO, andR2-D2 standing in front of an enlarged head of Darth Vader. On the back of the book was written, "Soon to be a spectacular motion picture from Twentieth Century Fox".[2]
In the United Kingdom, the novelization was published bySphere Books, and featured cover art byJohn Berkey.[6][7] Sphere reportedly paid $225,000 for the British publishing rights.[8]
By February 1977, still three months before the film was released, the novelization sold out its initial print run of 500,000 copies.[9] In the next three months, Ballantine had sold 3.5 million copies.[8] The novel's massive success contributed somewhat to the popularity of the film.[10] Some later editions contain sixteen pages of full-color photos from the motion picture.[11]
Later editions of the novelization were published under altered titles to reflect the retitling of the film, such asStar Wars: A New Hope, andStar Wars IV: A New Hope.[12][13]
The words that open eachStar Wars film, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." are absent from the novelization, substituted by the similar "Another galaxy, another time."[14]
In place of how the film uses its famous opening crawl to describe the events that had just happened when the film starts, the novelization includes a prologue explaining the political backstory called "From the First Saga:Journal of the Whills" (referencing the title of Lucas' first story outline for the saga). It contains the first reference to the Emperor's name,Palpatine,[15] though his description is somewhat at odds with his depiction as aSith Master inThe Empire Strikes Back,Return of the Jedi, and theprequel trilogy. Lucas later explained that the first film was written in the era ofRichard Nixon, when the story was intended to explore "how a democracy turns itself over to a dictator—not how a dictator takes over a democracy."[16] The book's introduction reads:
Aided and abetted by restless, power-hungry individuals within the government, and the massive organs of commerce, the ambitious Senator Palpatine caused himself to be elected President of the Republic. He promised to reunite the disaffected among the people and to restore the remembered glory of the Republic. Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace. Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot-lickers he had appointed to high office, and the cries of the people for justice did not reach his ears.
Several other portions of the novel deviate from the film, including scenes that were filmed but not inserted into the final cut of the movie. Most notable of these are scenes withLuke Skywalker and his friends at Tosche Station onTatooine. Also included is the scene withJabba the Hutt that was re-inserted in theSpecial Edition of the film; however, in this novelization he is written as a fat biped with an ugly, "shaggy skull" and "jowels" that shake with his head, and he has scars that are a sign of his ferocious reputation in combat. This differs both from the script's version of Jabba (which is described as a creature with "eyes on stalks"), and the giant slug creature that finally appeared inReturn of the Jedi.
There are various small details throughout, such as Luke's squadron in theDeath Star assault being Blue Squadron, thus Luke's call sign is "Blue Five" instead of "Red Five". The official term for "droid" in the novelization is "mechanical", and it is implied that "droid" is a slang term, spelled with an apostrophe preceding it as a contraction of the word "android". Additionally, the word "rebel" is never capitalized, unlike its appearance when describing theRebel Alliance in the film's opening crawl. The novel and various merchandising tie-ins also refer to Darth Vader as a Sith Lord, although he is not referred to as such in the movie. The term does show up in adeleted scene from the original film,General Taggi describes Darth Vader as a Sith Lord during the Death Star meeting.[17] The term was not mentioned in the films until 1999'sEpisode I: The Phantom Menace.[15]
In the novel, the Imperialstormtroopers board theTantive IV through the ceiling rather than blasting through a door. Luke's landspeeder has an enclosed cockpit, unlike its open cockpit in the film.Obi-Wan Kenobi lives in a cave instead of a hut, and he smokes a pipe. The scene in theMos Eisley cantina where Obi-Wan defends Luke involves three aliens, as opposed to two in the film, and Obi-Wan cuts one of them in half.Chewbacca is described as having bright, yellow eyes. Admiral Motti, the manDarth Vader chokes in the conference room in the movie, is not included in the novel, instead replaced by a character named Romodi, who has severe facial scarring. The call sign of the stormtroopers guarding theMillennium Falcon is THX-1138 (referencingLucas' directorial debut), as opposed to TK-421 in the film.Grand Moff Tarkin is present duringPrincess Leia's torture. The destruction of Alderaan is not described in the book, nor does Obi-Wan sense it.[15] Kenobi's death is also different in the book, in that Vader succeeds in defeating him during theirlightsaber duel, while in the film Obi-Wan allows Vader to strike him down to provide a diversion for Luke and his allies to escape.
The order of events in the final dogfight over the Death Star is somewhat different. In the novel, Blue Leader (whose film equivalent is Red Leader) makes two bombing runs down the trench toward the exhaust port. In the film, he only manages to make one before being shot down. In the film,Wedge'sX-wing fighter is damaged by Darth Vader and his wingmen, forcing him to leave the battle, and thenBiggs is killed outright by the pursuing Vader and his fighters. In the novelization, Biggs is killed, and then Wedge must retreat, due to a malfunction caused in the battle with the enemy fighters. At the end of the novel, in addition toHan Solo and Luke receiving medals, Leia also gives Chewbacca a medal, though she must strain to do so.[15]
At one point, Han mentions a Corellian friend named Tocneppil (Lippincot backwards). This is a reference toCharles Lippincott, the mastermind of theStar Wars marketing campaign.[citation needed] The book also features a singular reference to aduck by Obi-Wan, which leads Luke to ask, "What's a duck?".[15] InThe Phantom Menace, ducklike birds appear swimming on Naboo, and there is also a reference to the species in the form of the phrase "sitting ducks".[18]
After the massive success of the film, Alan Dean Foster wrote a novel calledSplinter of the Mind's Eye, which was originally commissioned by George Lucas for the purpose of being filmed as a low-budget sequel, as a fallback plan in the event thatStar Wars did not do well. It was published in 1978, a year after the movie's release. This made it the first full-length original novel to be published in theStar Wars expanded universe. The next official novelization of aStar Wars movie wasThe Empire Strikes Back byDonald F. Glut in 1980.