ABSTRACT
Shortly after the premiere of A New Hope, Richard Toscan, head of the theater department at the University of Southern California, conceived of producing the film as a radio play. George Lucas liked the idea of supporting his alma mater through such a project, especially “[a]t a time when Star Wars tie-in rights were like a license to print money, and various commercial broadcast and recording interests were pursuing radio licensing.” 1 In March 1979, he announced a deal that gave KUSC-FM, USC’s public radio affiliate, the rights to produce a radio adaptation for $1. Star Wars: The Radio Drama (TRD) premiered on March 2, 1981 to massive audiences and immediately “became NPR’s most popular dramatic series.” 2
