Return of the Jedi (radio)

Return of the Jedi was a six-part radio adaptation of the original film, Return of the Jedi produced in 1996 and broadcast on National Public Radio in the US.

It is the third series of the expanded radio dramatization of the original Star Wars trilogy. The first two radio series, Star Wars (1981) and The Empire Strikes Back (1983), were produced and broadcast by National Public Radio as part of NPR Playhouse.

Return of the Jedi was made by HighBridge Audio, the company that had released the first two series on tape and CD. It used many of the original radio cast, though Joshua Fardon took over as Luke Skywalker and Arye Gross took the role of Lando Calrissian. Ed Begley, Jr. was the voice of Boba Fett and Ed Asner, speaking only in grunts, guest-starred as Jabba the Hutt. Scriptwriter Brian Daley died before the series went to air.

The series was made with the full cooperation of George Lucas, who donated the rights and allowed the use of sound effects and music from the films. They are part of Star Wars canon within its Expanded Universe.

Because the Return of the Jedi audio drama was released thirteen years after the film it was based on, it gave the writers the opportunity to incorporate multiple references to the Expanded Universe that had been established up to that point, such as Mara Jade appearing as Arica in Jabba's Palace from Tales from Jabba's Palace, and a number of references to material appearing in the Shadows of the Empire novel.

Cast

 * Luke Skywalker .... Joshua Fardon
 * Lando Calrissian .... Arye Gross
 * Han Solo .... Perry King
 * See Threepio (C-3PO) .... Anthony Daniels
 * Princess Leia Organa .... Ann Sachs
 * Yoda .... John Lithgow
 * Jabba the Hutt .... Edward Asner
 * The Emperor .... Paul Hecht
 * Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi .... Bernard Behrens
 * Lord Darth Vader .... Brock Peters

Additional voices:
 * Boba Fett .... Ed Begley, Jr.
 * Arica .... Samantha Bennett
 * Anakin Skywalker .... David Birney
 * Moff Jerjerrod .... Peter Dennis
 * Bib Fortuna .... David Dukes
 * General Madine .... Peter Michael Goetz
 * Salacious Crumb .... Ian Gomez
 * Barada .... Martin Jarvis
 * Wedge .... Jon Matthews
 * Mon Mothma .... Natalia Nogulich
 * Admiral Ackbar .... Mark Adair Rios
 * Ninedenine .... Yeardley Smith
 * Major Derlin .... Tom Virtue
 * Samantha Bennett
 * Ian Gomez
 * Rick Hall
 * Andrew Hawkes
 * Sherman Howard
 * Karl Johnson
 * John Kapelos
 * Ron Li-Paz
 * Joe Liss
 * Paul Mercier
 * Steven Petrarca
 * Jonathan Penner
 * Gil Segel
 * Nia Varadlos
 * Ron West


 * Narrator .... Ken Hiller

Episode list

 * 1. Tatooine Haunts
 * 2. Fast Friends
 * 3. Prophecies And Destinies
 * 4. Pattern And Web
 * 5. So Turns A Galaxy, So Turns A Wheel
 * 6. Blood Of A Jedi