A STAR WARS Fan Interviews Brian Daley

by Alex Newborn

 

[with additional questions by John Hansen, Peter Iorillo, Mike Jasman, Marlene Karkoska, Hans Kummer, and Dan Wallace]

 

Originally appeared in Martin Thurn's STAR WARS COLLECTOR. Used with permission.

 

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In October of 1995, SWCollector #13 ran the first installment

of this two-part interview with Brian Daley.

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN DALEY

by Alex Newborn

 

How many of you subscribers talked yourselves out of entering the Brian Daley Interview Contest announced in STAR WARS COLLECTOR #10 back in April? It must have been the majority of you, because this interviewer only received postcards from a handful of people. All of the questions were intriguing, so I wound up using several of them, at least one from each contestant. So, you could say that everyone was a winner, since they get their name in print and a response from Mr. Daley. But there could only be one prize awarded, and there was one question that I'd had in mind since the contest's inception that I promised myself would be the automatic winner (if nobody'd thought of it, I'd have been hard pressed to choose any other!) That question *was* asked, by Marlene Karkoska, and she will soon be enjoying her autographed copies of the Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back Radio Dramatizations. Congratulations, Marlene- the fact that Brian Daley evades *answering* the question should not diminish your joy!

 

Enough about the contest, let's get into some of the revelations Brian gave us! Things like: Citizen Kane considered as Star Wars narrator! Woody Allen's influence on Han Solo! Vice Prex Hirken's common qualities with Rush Limbaugh! The Sljee Strikes Back! A possible Return of the Jedi radio drama! And the stormtrooper stroking Han's butt? (If that doesn't get your attention, nothing will!) It's all true, in this exclusive interview.

 

A STAR WARS Q&A

 

AN: First up, let's address some continuity issues. Contestant John Hansen asks whether your Ord Mantell adventure or the comic strip version was first, and might they be separate adventures?

 

BD: Of course, both projects were drawn from the line in Empire regarding Han's need to leave the Rebels. My recollection is that I was completely unaware of the comic story when I pitched Disney on my version- otherwise, I'd have steered clear or tried to integrate and align the projects somehow. To this day, I haven't seen the strip version. If you want to consider them discrete incidents, feel free. Fortunately, Lucy Wilson has Allan Kausch, at LucasArts, keeping an eye on that sort of thing now.

 

(Listen, you pays your money and gets the tale; any personal constructs or revisions you want to do are your business and your right. I recall one fanzine story early on that had Leia wearing blue jeans and enjoying a good look at Luke when he was coming out of the shower bare-ass... back before we knew anything about their siblinghood, of course. My point is, don't get all exercised about discrepancies. Accept them or rationalize them, then move on. Why spoil your own fun?)

 

AN: Hansen also asks if you ever considered writing the story of the famous Sabacc game in which Han won the Falcon from Lando?

 

[[Author Ann Crispin included such a scene in her Han Solo novels from Bantam in the years since Brian's death. Rebel Dawn, her third novel in that trilogy, which has continuity to Brian's novels and uses some of his characters, is dedicated to Brian's memory.]]

 

BD: It's a story I'd love to take a cut at, although I suspect that L. Neil Smith has his own take on it.

 

AN: That prompts me to ask you about your mention of L. Neil Smith in the "thanks to" of Fall of the White Ship Avatar, since he authored del Rey's Lando Calrissian trilogy.

 

BD: Neil's been a long-distance acquaintance since he sold his first novel, The Probability Broach, to Owen Lock at del Rey. We came to be friends by telephone and correspondence. He's been kind not only in lending me his expertise but also counseling my dear one, Lucia St. Clair Robson, on certain details in one of her best-selling historical novels.

 

AN: Contestant Hans Kummer asks if Return of the Jedi's non-adaptation for radio was politically motivated by the NEA controversy at the time or lack of funding?

 

BD: It was about politics, not money. When Ronald Reagan was elected, he slashed NET and NPR- National Educational TV and National Public Radio. NPR began laying people off immediately, by the dozen. For Jedi there was not a penny.

 

Reagan of course went on to personally champion the S&L ripoff and waste defense money like a drunken generalissimo (we're still servicing the debt he ran up). But by thunder he kept us from frittering away a few bucks on any more godless, socialist radio serials!

 

AN: Contestant Peter Iorillo wonders if your character Heater was neat and trim in contrast to Jabba's slovenly, gross appearance.

 

BD: Since Heater was played by Joel Brooks, a fit, handsome young actor, that's how I tend to think of Heater.

 

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