Star Wars : from the Adventures of Luke Skywalker - wikipedia Star Wars : from the Adventures of Luke Skywalker This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2017 ) Star Wars : From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker Author Alan Dean Foster ( Credited to George Lucas ) Cover artist Ralph McQuarrie Country United States Language English Series Film novelizations Canon G Genre Science fiction Publisher Ballantine ( USA ), Sphere Books ( UK ) Publication date November 12, 1976 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 the original title of the novelization of the 1977 film Star Wars. Credited to George Lucas, but ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster, it was first published on November 12, 1976 by Ballantine Books. In later years, it was republished under the title Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope to reflect the retroactive addition of episodic subtitles to the theatrical film titles. Contents 1 Development 2 Publishing history 3 Differences from the film 4 Sequel 5 References 6 External links Development Credited author and Star Wars creator George Lucas Ghostwriter Alan Dean Foster The book was written by Foster and based upon Lucas 's original screenplay for the first Star Wars film. 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 through THX 1138 and American Graffiti. I accepted the offer to meet with George, and did so at Industrial Light and Magic, then in a small warehouse in Van Nuys, California ( part of greater Los 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. '' Foster not only adapted the film 's events, but also fleshed out the backstory of time, place, physics, planets, races, languages, history and technology. When asked if 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 did n't bother me in the least. It would be akin to a contractor demanding to have his name on a Frank Lloyd Wright house. '' Lucas, for his part, has always been open about the fact that Foster ghost - wrote the novel, noting this fact in his introduction to later editions of the book. Publishing history The book was first published in the US as Star Wars : From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker in December 1976 by Ballantine Books, six months before the theatrical release of the film. The cover art was by Star Wars conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie, who was commissioned by Ballantine Books executive Judy Lynn Del Rey while he was working on visualisation work for Lucas 's forthcoming film. The cover depicted Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, C - 3PO, and R2 - D2 standing in front of an enlarged head of Darth Vader. In the United Kingdom, the novelization was published by Sphere Books, and featured cover art by John Berkey. Sphere reportedly paid $225,000 for the British publishing rights. By February 1977, still three months before the film was released, the novelization sold out its initial print run of 125,000 copies. In the first three months, Ballantine had sold 3.5 million copies. Some later editions contain sixteen pages of full - color photos from the motion picture. Later editions of the novelization were published under altered titles to reflect the episodic retitling of the film, such as A New Hope : From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker and Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope, Differences from the film The words that open each Star Wars film, `` A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... '' are absent from this novelization, substituted by the similar, `` Another galaxy, another time... '' The novelization bears a major difference in the form of a prologue explaining the backstory behind the film 's events. It is presented as an entry of the Journal of the Whills. This prologue contains the first - ever reference to the Emperor 's true name, Palpatine. The section dealing with Palpatine says, `` 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. '' This implies that the Emperor is merely a victim of manipulation by Imperial bureaucrats rather than the true string - puller, which is at odds with Palpatine 's depiction in later films in the series. This is because George Lucas had not fully developed the character at this point in time, allowing Alan Dean Foster to expand upon the Emperor as he saw fit. Lucas ' conception of the character continued to evolve, until he eventually determined that Palpatine was Darth Vader 's master and the true personification of evil in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. 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 with Luke Skywalker and his friends at Tosche Station on Tatooine. Also included is the scene with Jabba that was re-inserted into the Special 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 version that finally appeared in Return of the Jedi, a giant slug with no ability to partake in combat. At one point, Han Solo mentions a Corellian friend named Toccnepil ( Lippincot backwards ). This is a reference to Charles Lippincott, the mastermind of the Star Wars marketing campaign. Various small details throughout, such as the call - signs used by the Rebels in the Death Star assault, are different ( e.g. Luke is `` Blue Five '' instead of `` Red Five '', and his team is part of Blue Squadron as well ). The official term for `` Droids '' in the novelization is `` mechanicals '', and it 's implied that the word `` Droids '' is a slang term. `` Droid '' is also spelled with an apostrophe in the front, because the term was used as a contraction of the word `` android ''. The word `` Rebels '' is never capitalized, instead listed as `` rebels ''. The Imperial Stormtroopers board the Tantive IV through the ceiling rather than blasting apart a door. Luke 's landspeeder has an enclosed cockpit, unlike the film version 's open cockpit. In the novel, Obi - Wan Kenobi lives in a cave instead of a hut, and he smokes a pipe. The scene in the 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 before severing the arm of another, unlike in the film where he merely hacks one 's arm off. Chewbacca is described as having bright, yellow eyes. Admiral Motti, the man Darth 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 the Millennium Falcon is THX - 1138 ( referencing Lucas ' directorial debut ), as opposed to TK - 421 in the film. Grand Moff Tarkin is present during Princess Leia 's torture. The destruction of Alderaan is not described in the book, nor does Obi - Wan sense the planet 's destruction. The death of Obi - Wan Kenobi is also different in the book, in that Darth Vader succeeds in defeating him during their lightsaber duel, while in the film Obi - Wan allows Vader to strike him down, in order to provide Luke and the others a diversion to escape the Death Star. The novel also refers to Darth Vader as a Sith Lord. Although he was referenced as such in various merchandising tie - ins at the time of the original film, he is not referred to as a Sith Lord in the movie. In fact, the term Sith Lord is not mentioned in the films until 1999 's Star Wars : Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. However, in recently uncovered deleted scenes, General Tagge describes Darth Vader as a Sith Lord during the Death Star meeting. The order of events in the final dogfight over the Death Star is also 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 's X-wing fighter is damaged by Darth Vader and his wing men, forcing him to leave the battle, and then Biggs 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 to Han and Luke receiving medals, Leia also gives Chewbacca a medal, though she must strain to do so. Sequel After the massive success of the film, Alan Dean Foster released a novel called Splinter 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 that Star 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 the Star Wars expanded universe. The next official novelization of a Star Wars movie was The Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut. References Jump up ^ `` Interview with Alan Dean Foster ''. SFFWorld. Jump up ^ Scoleri, John ( 14 January 2014 ). `` An Annotated Guide to The Star Wars Portfolio by Ralph McQuarrie ''. StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017. Jump up ^ `` Ralph McQuarrie 's Del Rey Star Wars Covers StarWars.com ''. StarWars.com. 7 December 2015. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017. Jump up ^ `` John Berkey Remembered ''. StarWars.com. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2017. ^ Jump up to : Sutherland, John ; Sutherland, Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature John ( 2010 ). `` 8. Star Wars - a real gee - whizz book ''. Bestsellers ( Routledge Revivals ) : Popular Fiction of the 1970s. Routledge. ISBN 9781136830631. Retrieved 16 June 2017. Jump up ^ Burns, Kevin ( director ) ( 2004 ). Empire of Dreams ( DVD ). USA : Lucasfilm. Jump up ^ `` A New Hope : From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker ''. googlebooks. Jump up ^ `` Star Wars : A New Hope ''. google books. Jump up ^ `` Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope ''. Lucasfilm. Jump up ^ Lee, Peter W. ( 2016 - 01 - 15 ). A Galaxy Here and Now : Historical and Cultural Readings of Star Wars. McFarland. ISBN 9781476662206. ^ Jump up to : Britt, Ryan ( January 24, 2013 ). `` Weird Differences Between the First Star Wars Movie and Its Preceding Novelization ''. Tor.com. Retrieved February 27, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Extended Death Star Meeting Scene - Star Wars Celebration 2017 : RARE Archival Footage ''. Youtube.com. Retrieved April 23, 2017. External links Star Wars.com listing Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope ( novel ) on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki Star Wars : From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database ( cover art by Ralph McQuarrie ) Star Wars : From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database ( cover art by John Berkey ) Star Wars Legends novels ( 1976 -- 2014 ) Film novelizations Original trilogy Episode IV : A New Hope ( 1976 ) Episode V : The Empire Strikes Back ( 1980 ) Episode VI : Return of the Jedi ( 1983 ) Prequel trilogy Episode I : The Phantom Menace ( 1999 ) Episode II : Attack of the Clones ( 2002 ) Episode III : Revenge of the Sith ( 2005 ) Early trilogies The Han Solo Adventures ( 1979 -- 1980 ) The Adventures of Lando Calrissian ( 1983 ) Thrawn trilogy Heir to the Empire ( 1991 ) Dark Force Rising ( 1992 ) The Last Command ( 1993 ) Jedi Prince series The Glove of Darth Vader ( 1992 ) The Lost City of the Jedi ( 1992 ) Zorba the Hutt 's Revenge ( 1992 ) Mission from Mount Yoda ( 1993 ) Queen of the Empire ( 1993 ) Prophets of the Dark Side ( 1993 ) Jedi Academy trilogy Jedi Search ( 1994 ) Dark Apprentice ( 1994 ) Champions of the Force ( 1994 ) Callista trilogy Children of the Jedi ( 1995 ) Darksaber ( 1995 ) Planet of Twilight ( 1997 ) X-wing Rogue Squadron ( 1996 ) Wedge 's Gamble ( 1996 ) The Krytos Trap ( 1996 ) The Bacta War ( 1997 ) Wraith Squadron ( 1998 ) Iron Fist ( 1998 ) Solo Command ( 1999 ) Isard 's Revenge ( 1999 ) Starfighters of Adumar ( 1999 ) Mercy Kill ( 2012 ) The Hand of Thrawn Specter of the Past ( 1997 ) Vision of the Future ( 1998 ) Galaxy of Fear Eaten Alive ( 1997 ) City of the Dead ( 1997 ) Planet Plague ( 1997 ) The Nightmare Machine ( 1997 ) Ghost of the Jedi ( 1997 ) Army of Terror ( 1997 ) The Brain Spiders ( 1997 ) The Swarm ( 1998 ) Spore ( 1998 ) The Doomsday Ship ( 1998 ) Clones ( 1998 ) The Hunger ( 1998 ) The Bounty Hunter Wars The Mandalorian Armor ( 1998 ) Slave Ship ( 1998 ) Hard Merchandise ( 1999 ) Jedi Apprentice The Rising Force ( 1999 ) The Dark Rival ( 1999 ) The Hidden Past ( 1999 ) The Mark of the Crown ( 1999 ) The Defenders of the Dead ( 1999 ) The Uncertain Path ( 2000 ) The Captive Temple ( 2000 ) The Day of Reckoning ( 2000 ) The Fight for Truth ( 2000 ) The Shattered Peace ( 2000 ) The Deadly Hunter ( 2000 ) The Evil Experiment ( 2001 ) The Dangerous Rescue ( 2001 ) The Ties That Bind ( 2001 ) The Death of Hope ( 2001 ) The Call to Vengeance ( 2001 ) The Only Witness ( 2002 ) The Threat Within ( 2002 ) Special Edition # 1 : Deceptions ( 2001 ) Special Edition # 2 : The Followers ( 2002 ) The New Jedi Order Vector Prime ( 1999 ) Dark Tide I : Onslaught ( 2000 ) Dark Tide II : Ruin ( 2000 ) Agents of Chaos I : Hero 's Trial ( 2000 ) Agents of Chaos II : Jedi Eclipse ( 2000 ) Balance Point ( 2000 ) Recovery ( 2001 ) Edge of Victory I : Conquest ( 2001 ) Edge of Victory II : Rebirth ( 2001 ) Star by Star ( 2001 ) Dark Journey ( 2002 ) Enemy Lines I : Rebel Dream ( 2002 ) Enemy Lines II : Rebel Stand ( 2002 ) Traitor ( 2002 ) Destiny 's Way ( 2002 ) Ylesia ( 2002 ) Force Heretic I : Remnant ( 2003 ) Force Heretic II : Refugee ( 2003 ) Force Heretic III : Reunion ( 2003 ) The Final Prophecy ( 2003 ) The Unifying Force ( 2003 ) Jedi Quest Path to Truth ( 2001 ) The Way of the Apprentice ( 2002 ) The Trail of the Jedi ( 2002 ) The Dangerous Games ( 2002 ) The Master of Disguise ( 2002 ) The School of Fear ( 2003 ) The Shadow Trap ( 2003 ) The Moment of Truth ( 2003 ) The Changing of the Guard ( 2004 ) The False Peace ( 2004 ) The Final Showdown ( 2004 ) Clone Wars series Shatterpoint ( 2003 ) The Cestus Deception ( 2004 ) The Hive ( 2004 ) MedStar I : Battle Surgeons ( 2004 ) MedStar II : Jedi Healer ( 2004 ) Jedi Trial ( 2004 ) Yoda : Dark Rendezvous ( 2004 ) Republic Commando Hard Contact ( 2004 ) Triple Zero ( 2006 ) True Colors ( 2007 ) Order 66 ( 2008 ) 501st ( 2009 ) The Last of the Jedi The Desperate Mission ( 2005 ) Dark Warning ( 2005 ) Underworld ( 2005 ) Death on Naboo ( 2006 ) A Tangled Web ( 2006 ) Return of the Dark Side ( 2006 ) Secret Weapon ( 2007 ) Against The Empire ( 2007 ) Master of Deception ( 2008 ) Reckoning ( 2008 ) Darth Bane series Path of Destruction ( 2006 ) Rule of Two ( 2007 ) Dynasty of Evil ( 2009 ) The Force Unleashed The Force Unleashed ( 2008 ) The Force Unleashed II ( 2010 ) Coruscant Nights Jedi Twilight ( 2008 ) Street of Shadows ( 2008 ) Patterns of Force ( 2009 ) The Old Republic series The Old Republic : Fatal Alliance ( 2010 ) The Old Republic : Deceived ( 2011 ) The Old Republic : Revan ( 2011 ) The Old Republic : Annihilation ( 2012 ) The Dark Nest trilogy The Joiner King ( 2005 ) The Unseen Queen ( 2005 ) The Swarm War ( 2005 ) Legacy of the Force Betrayal ( 2006 ) Bloodlines ( 2006 ) Tempest ( 2006 ) Exile ( 2007 ) Sacrifice ( 2007 ) Inferno ( 2007 ) Fury ( 2007 ) Revelation ( 2008 ) Invincible ( 2008 ) Fate of the Jedi Outcast ( 2009 ) Omen ( 2009 ) Abyss ( 2009 ) Backlash ( 2010 ) Allies ( 2010 ) Vortex ( 2010 ) Conviction ( 2011 ) Ascension ( 2011 ) Apocalypse ( 2012 ) Other trilogies and series Young Jedi Knights ( 1995 -- 1998 ) The Black Fleet Crisis ( 1996 -- 1998 ) The Han Solo Trilogy ( 1997 -- 1998 ) Standalone Splinter of the Mind 's Eye ( 1978 ) The Truce at Bakura ( 1993 ) The Courtship of Princess Leia ( 1994 ) The Crystal Star ( 1994 ) The New Rebellion ( 1996 ) Shadows of the Empire ( 1996 ) I, Jedi ( 1998 ) Rogue Planet ( 2000 ) Cloak of Deception ( 2001 ) Darth Maul : Shadow Hunter ( 2001 ) `` Darth Maul : Saboteur '' ( 2001 ) The Approaching Storm ( 2002 ) Legacy of the Jedi ( 2003 ) A Forest Apart ( 2003 ) Tatooine Ghost ( 2003 ) Fool 's Bargain ( 2004 ) Survivor 's Quest ( 2004 ) Secrets of the Jedi ( 2005 ) Labyrinth of Evil ( 2005 ) Dark Lord : The Rise of Darth Vader ( 2005 ) Outbound Flight ( 2006 ) Boba Fett : A Practical Man ( 2006 ) Allegiance ( 2007 ) Death Star ( 2007 ) Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor ( 2008 ) Millennium Falcon ( 2008 ) The Clone Wars ( 2008 ) Death Troopers ( 2009 ) Gambit : Stealth ( 2010 ) Crosscurrent ( 2010 ) Knight Errant ( 2011 ) Choices of One ( 2011 ) Darth Plagueis ( 2012 ) Scoundrels ( 2013 ) Dawn of the Jedi : Into the Void ( 2013 ) Crucible ( 2013 ) Maul : Lockdown ( 2014 ) Full list of Star Wars books by in - universe timeline Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Star_Wars:_From_the_Adventures_of_Luke_Skywalker&oldid=816557809 '' Categories : 1976 American novels 1970s science fiction novels Novels based on films Novels by Alan Dean Foster Books based on Star Wars Star Wars ( film ) Ballantine Books books Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from April 2017 All articles needing additional references Use mdy dates from December 2015 Pages to import images to Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Italiano Română Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 22 December 2017, at 03 : 44. 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Question: was star wars a book or a movie first
Answer: film; film