About Tocneppil, ducks & dogs: nuances between the novel and the movie: 'Star Wars A New Hope'

Originally created on May 31, 2006


Last week I decided to pick up an old friend. The novelisation of 'Star Wars' was the first novel I ever read and now I thought it was time to read it again. Although the cover says George Lucas himself wrote it, it was actually Alan Dean Foster who ghostwrote the novel from the script. It's a novel every fan should have read and in this blog you'll see why you should. 

In this blog entry, I have studied the nuances and differences between the novel and the movie 'Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope'. These differences include changes in quotes, deleted scenes, added planets, added characters, added information, etc ... I've come to the conclusion that these changes are weird, funny and interesting. 

PROLOGUE: The novels starts with one of the most bizarre and interesting pieces ever written in 'SW'-literature. If you read it you already know the rough layout of the prequels. I never understood the wild speculations about prequel stories on the Internet. The true story was right before our own eyes, but nobody knew, because they hadn't read it. I have quoted a small piece of it: "So it was with the Republic at its height. Like the greatest of trees, able to withstand any external attack, the Republic rotted from within though the danger was not visible from outside. 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 ... Having exterminated through treachery and deception the Jedi Knights, guardians of justice in the galaxy, the Imperial Governors and bureaucrats prepared to instute a reign of terror...". 

What's also notable is that this is the only official time the 'Journal of the Whills' is mentioned. The prologue is an excerpt 'From the First Saga'. This Journal could be some kind of history of the 'SW'-galaxy, written many, many years after the Galactic Civil War. Also pay attention to a neat quote by Princess Leia that concludes the prologue: "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally they became heroes."

CHAPTER I
* Threepio says: "There'll be no escape for the Captain this time". This line explains better why Threepio has never heard nor seen the Princess. This behaviour was explained in the Radio Drama.
* Deleted Scene: Threepio tumbles into wires of the Tantive IV. He calls Artoo a 'half-sized thermocapsulary dehousing assister'.
* Character: Lieutenant Hija is mentioned being the gunner who reported there was another Escape Pod flying away from the Tantive IV.

CHAPTER II
* In the book, Luke is introduced much earlier than in the movie. The chapter starts with threeDeleted Scenes: Luke & Treadwell, Luke arrives at Tosche Station, Luke and his friends look at the sky. The book says that Luke is 20 years (he's twice the age of the ten-year old Vaporator). The Fixer, Camie, Deak, Windy and Biggs Darklighter are also mentioned.
* Creatures: 'Sandflies buzzed lazily in the cracked eaves of pour stone buildings. A dog barked in the distance ...'. This is mentioned when Luke is about to enter Anchorhead. But then again we knew that dogs were known in the SW universe "Die, Jedi-dogs!" (C-3PO / Battle Droid).
* Creature: "I thought you'd be here with these other two nightcrawlers" (Biggs).
* Vehicle: Biggs reports that he has been made First Mate on the Rand Ecliptic.
* Have you ever noticed that there is a red glow behind Vader's eyes in 'ANH'? 'Above her towered the threatening bulk of Darth Vader, red eyes glaring...'
* When Vader is questioning Leia, she dares to spit at his mask.
* The novel gives the full version of the official statement of what happened to the Tantive IV: "Send out a wide-band distress signal. Indicate that the Senator's ship encountered an unexpected meteorite cluster it could not avoid... Inform her father and the Senate that all aboard were killed." (Darth Vader)
* The novel also explains what the Empire did to the Tantive IV: "Vaporize this fighter - we don't want to leave anything". (Darth Vader)
* Then comes another famous Deleted Scene where Luke and Biggs say goodbye.
* Planet: "A friend of mine from the Academy has a friend on Bestine who might enable us to make contact with an armed rebel unit." Bestine is the homeplanet of Jek Porkins and Zev Senesca.

CHAPTER III
* The Imperial briefing takes place much sooner in the novel. During the conversation the lines from Tagge, Motti and Tarkin are often changed. Its Tagge who gets Force choked. 
* Character: "I beg to differ with you, Romodi" (Tagge). Romodi is an Imperial Officer who says a line that belongs to Motti in the movie. Romodi could be one of two unknown Imperials during the conference.
* During this scene, Vader grabs a cup with the Force. What he was planning to do with that is unknown.
* 'Hidden Fortress': Tagge snares that Vader hasn't been able to find the Rebel's hidden fortress. This could well be a link to Kurosawa's movie, which has been of great influence to Lucas. It's not the only time 'hidden fortress' is used in the novel.
* The Jawas only auction five Droids in the novel.
* Technology: 'A few seconds later they were striding down a ramp kept clear of drifting sand by electrostatic repellers'.
* Threepio says he's a third degree Droid to Luke. According to 'SW'-lore Droids are divided into five-degree classes. Luke actually mentions the name Tatooine when Threepio wants to know on which planet he's.
* The famous line that Leia speaks in her holo message has been slightly changed. In the novel she says "Obi-Wan Kenobi, help me! You're my only remaining hope".
* The name Obi-Wan is always spelled: 'Obi-wan' in the novel.
* Character: "Our last master was Captain Colton" (C-3PO). Instead of Antilles, Colton is the master of the droids in the novel. This - of course - is a wonderful link to the character in 'RotS'.
* In the novel Luke explains a bit more about what he knows of Ben Kenobi: "He's kind of a local character - a hermit. Uncle Owen and a few of the other farmers say he's a sorcerer. He comes around once in a while to trade things. I hardly ever talk to him, though. My uncle usually runs him off."

CHAPTER IV
* Contrary to the movie, the character of 'Tank' (Janek Sunber) is not mentioned by Luke.
* Droid: "Astromech droid are becoming too iconoclastic even for me to understand, sometimes" (C-3PO). The name 'Astromech Droid' already appeared in the novel it seems.
* The "Look, sir. Droids!" scene where the Sandtroopers discover the pod takes place much later in the movie. It takes place after Owen finds out that Luke has gone out with the droids in the morning.
* Creature: '... that Threepio might not know a Bantha from a panda'. Now, we know what a Bantha is, but what is a panda? This earth creature must somehow have found its way into the SW universe as well.

CHAPTER V
* This is quite funny. "I can't seem to remember owning a droid, least of all a modern Artoo Unit" (Ben Kenobi). Obi-Wan's memory must really be fading away because these modern Artoo Units were exactly the same when he was still a Padawan learner.
* Creature: "That's a Krayt Dragon call!" (Luke). The novel explains what Ben's call really was.
* In Obi-Wan's hut, the message that Artoo carries is played before Kenobi explains to Luke who his father really was.
* In Leia's holo message, the name Bail Organa is mentioned: "I break your solitude at the bidding of my father, Bail Organa, Viceroy and First Chairman of the Alderaan system" (Leia).
* Obi-Wan smokes a waterpipe (hookah) in the novel. That would have been a neat link to 'Lawrence of Arabia' where Guinness plays the Arabian prince Feisal.
* Creature: "Still, even a duck has to be taught to swim" (Obi-Wan) and Luke responds, "What's a duck". 
* Another weird thing Obi-Wan says: "Your father's Lightsaber. At one time they were widely used. Still are, in certain galactic quarters." I wonder where that's supposed to be... Two of the four remaining Jedi / Sith never use their Lightsaber in the classics (Sidious & Yoda).
* Technology: 'Anyone can use a blaster or fusioncutter...'
* Kenobi does say some very interesting stuff about the Jedi: "In many ways they were too good, too trusting for their own health. They put too much trust in the stability of the Republic, failing to realise that while the body might be sound, the head was growing diseased and feeble, leaving it open to manipulation by such as the Emperor".
* At Leia's torture, Tarkin is present as well.

CHAPTER VI
* Creatures: 'He would consign no one to the bone-gnawers and gravelmaggots, not even a filthy Jawa'. These creatures are mentioned when the dead Jawa corpses are being burned.
* Location: "No ... no, we live in the west, near Bestine Township". (Luke to Sandtrooper patrol) This is the 2nd time Bestine is mentioned. This however, is the official capital city of Tatooine, named after the planet.
* Characters: "Corellians - pirates, most likely" (Obi-Wan). The novel says that Ben talks to Corellians before talking to Chewbacca. This implies that Bo Shek is indeed Corellian.
* The name Wookiee is always spelled with one 'e'. This could be the result of George Lucas' spelling that seemed to be always changing in the drafts.
* Ponda Baba and Dr Evazan are not the same in the novel. Here, Luke's attacked by three goons: a large squarish monstrosity of multiple eyes, a cross between a capybara and a small baboon and a short grubby-looking human. The two aliens are halved and the human has its arm cut off.
* Character: 'At their approach the man sent the humanoid wench who had been wiggling on his lap on her way'. The man is Han Solo and the wench could be 'Jenny', one of Solo's girlfriends who appeared in the Cantina Deleted Scene.
* Han Solo says they will be leaving in the morning instead of immediately after the encounter in the cantina.

CHAPTER VII
* Wioslea (name not mentioned in the novel) is here believed to be a male by Luke. It seems Luke has a lot to learn about Vuvrian sexes.
* The Deleted Scene with Jabba the Hutt (that was inserted once more during the SE and the dvd editions) is also present.
* Hutt is spelled with one 't'. Same explanation as Wookiee
* In the dialogue, Han agrees to have Jabba 20% instead of 15% from the final version.
* Deleted Scene: Here's the rough scene between Chief Bast and Vader that can be seen in the Holiday Special where the two are talking about the Rebel Base. It takes place right after Jabba has left Docking Bay 94.
* More Star Destroyers join the hunt for the Falcon in the novel and 'jump to Hyperspace' is called supralight jump.
* Creature: 'Oddly, Luke was thinking of a dog he had once owned ...' Yep ... here it is again: Canis lupus familiaris.
* Creature: '...wrenched at the ship's hull with a strength of a fallen angel'. Now this is interesting because we know Angels exist on the Moons of Iego.
* The destruction of Alderaan is not really 'shown' in the novel as in the movie. The scene where Obi-Wan feels the destruction of Alderaan is not in the novel.

CHAPTER VIII
* Character: "Yes, what is it, Cass" (Tarkin). Officer Cass is mentioned, the high ranking officer who told Tarkin that Dantooine was deserted.
* Character: "THX-1138, why aren't you at your post? THX-1138, do you copy" (Lt. Treidum). In the novel TK-421 was called THX-1138. No reason to explain why. I'm happy they replaced it, because the Belgian Fanclub would have been named differently.
* When Ben leaves Luke at the Death Star, he does not say "The Force will be with you. Always".
* Technology & Food: "... I traded it for a ten-carat Chrysopaz and three bottles of good brandy ..." (Han Solo)
* Planet: "I traded it for a ten-carat Chrysopaz and three bottles of good brandy about five years ago on Commenor" (Han Solo). Commenor is a planet in the Colonies near Corellia and Neimoidia.

CHAPTER IX
* Character: "Prisoner transfer from block TS-138" (TK-421). Where the real link to THX is in the movie, this was no THX reference in the novel.
* Vader speaks highly of his former master: "He is the last of the Jedi - and the greatest". If only Obi-Wan could have heard that.
* Luke is the last one to jump in the Trash Compactor in the novel
* Something strange is written when Threepio and Artoo are to leave the Docking Bay patrol room where they tricked Stormtroopers to head to the prison levels. When two (instead of one) guards remain, the novel says: '... it occurred to the guard that the taller of the two droids was of a type he had never seen before.' This trooper must have been freshly squeezed from the clone labs for sure.
* The number of the Trash Compactor is different. In the novel its: 366117891 instead of 3263827.

CHAPTER X
* Even wondered what happened to the real TK-421 and TK-422? The novel says they were found, unconsciously in the service lockers of the Falcon. It still doesn't explain what happened to the scanning crew, though.
* Location: "Getting back to the ship's going to be like flying through the five Fire Rings of Fornax" (Han Solo). Another great Solo quote from the novel where he mentions something that has widely been ignored ever since in the 'SW'-universe.
* When Leia and Luke are to make their swing across the chasm, the bridge only seems to work in one direction, so the explanation used in the movie (Luke shot it) isn't used here. In the novel Luke has to throw his cable two times before it remains stuck. There are also no Stormtroopers firing at them from a higher ledge.
* Character: "Of course I can find the ship from here - Corellians can't get lost. Tocneppildoesn't count; he wasn't Corellian. Besides, I was drunk." (Han Solo). A marvellous quote where a character is mentioned that has never been seen afterwards in the 'SW' lore.

CHAPTER XI
* Planet: 'Yavin was not a habitable world. The huge gas giant was patterned with pastel high-altitude cloud formations...' The novel gives a detailed description of the planet Yavin. Grant Boucher (author of Galaxy Guide 1) once told me that because he had forgotten this passage WEG had skipped his Yavin passage in 'Planets of the Galaxy 1'. Grant had portrayed Yavin to be a Martian world colored in red hues.
* Commander Willard and General Jan Dodonna are mentioned. 
* During the briefing its Red Leader (Garven Dreis) who asks what good are snub fighter going to be against the Death Star. In the movie its Gold Leader (Jon Vander) who asks this.
* During the Battle of Yavin, the novel implies that there are 4 squadrons participating. "Yellow squadron will cover for Red on the first run. Green will cover for Blue on the second" (Dodonna).
* In the novel Blue Squadron is the name of Red Squadron and Red Squadron is the name for Gold Squadron.
* Leia says 'May the Force be with you' to Luke when he departs from Yavin 4.
* Deleted Scene: The scene where Biggs and Luke meet each other at Yavin is longer in the novel than it is in the SE or dvd editions. In this scene Red Leader speaks to his newest pilot.
* Ship: "Have you been checked out on the Incom T-65?" (Garven Dreis).
* "I met your father once when I was just a boy, Luke. He was a great pilot. You'll do all right out there. If you've got half your father's skill, you'll do a damn sight better than all right" (Garven Dreis). Red Leader actually flew with Anakin during the Battle of Virujansi during the Clone Wars. It would be the same Anakin Skywalker who would spell certain doom for Red Leader during the battle.
* The slogan of Luke and Biggs is also present in the novel: "We're a couple of shooting starts that can't be stopped'. In the movie 'they'll never stop is, is all that remains.
* In the novel there is no Death Star countdown as there is in the movie.

CHAPTER XII
* Characters: "Execute" Blue Leader commanded, when John D. and Piggy had indicated their readiness. Piggy could be Jek Porkins.
* Character: "You pinned it, Pops,' Red Leader admitted. Pops is the nickname for Gold 5: Davish Krail.
* Creature: "We're sitting ducks down here," (Jon Vander). This is the 1st time this expression is used in the 'SW'-universe.
* Character: "Sorry ... it's your baby now. So long, Dave..." (Davish Krail). Since he's talking to Garven Dreis, you could assume that Dave is a nickname for Garven. Perhaps Krail was talking to himself and saying goodbye to Dave (his son? Friend? lover?).
* The death of Biggs is portrayed more dramatically in the novel. Luke gets tears in his eyes when Wedge reports that Biggs has died.

CHAPTER XIII
* Threepio walks along Luke, Han and Chewbacca during the Yavin Ceremony. He does step aside to take place beside Artoo.
* And finally ... Chewie gets his medal in the novel!

I hope you have enjoyed this blog entry. If you know any important changes that I have forgotten to mention over here, please let me know.

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