NJOE discovered a new listing for an audiobook download called Heir to the Empire: Behind the Scenes. Set for release the same day as the annotated novel, the audio listing carries the subtitle of ‘An Expanded Universe is Born’ and credits for both author Timothy Zahn and the book’s original editor, Betsy Mitchell.
I suspect this will end up containing an interview/discussion about the book and it’s long-ranging influences of the Expanded Universe. Or, if we look to the new audiobook art lurking in the Random House database – a new, unabridged recording. (The image credits Marc Thompson as the reader — according to Wookieepedia — Denis Lawson read an abridged version back in the day.) We’ll have to wait for an official announcement to know for sure!
That Denis Lawson thing was such an oddly thought out product back in 1991. I suspect whoever’s brainchild it was did not realize Denis did not do the voice of Wedge in the movies.
Unabridged? Lovely. I’ve never much cared for abridgements…they always seem sloppy somehow, even when the author makes the changes himself. I wanted to revisit the NJO a while back and was traveling a lot, so I picked up the first few used on CD, and found them to be just an absolute mess. Glad to see that listeners are going to be able to get the whole experience on this one.
My introduction to the Thrawn trilogy was the DFR audio book read by Anthony Daniels. Loved it!
I thought it was only A New Hope where Wedge’s voice was performed by David Ankrum. Pretty sure in Empire and Jedi it was Lawson himself.
Looking forward to this release, though a full cast audio would have been preferable. Miss those as much as anything else.
You got me thinking and checked Wikipedia for clarification:
“Antilles first appears in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope during the Rebels’ Death Star attack briefing. In this scene Wedge is portrayed by Colin Higgins and voiced by David Ankrum, who dubs the character throughout the film. Denis Lawson plays the character for the remaining scenes filmed in the X-wing cockpit. Lawson also portrays Antilles in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi; his own voice is used in both these films.”
He also voiced Wedge in Rogue Squadron 2 for the Gamecube.
Phew, my geek knowledge hasn’t totally deserted me yet!
There actually were unabridged audiobooks of the original Thrawn Books. They weren’t the best readings I’ve ever heard but I enjoyed them more than the abridged versions (I find abridged audiobooks infuriating in general though). Now if they could do the same for some of the other books and stop with the sound effects, I’d be a very happy girl…
The unabridged recording that can be found if you know where to dig are by Chuck Benson from the Talking Books Studios working with the Library of Congress and are intended for those who are blind. They (most SW novels were recorded in a similar unabridged manner) are not meant for general release.