Really, I believe that radio (or audio) is the perfect media for dramatization of science fiction or fantasy. Radio is very conducive for letting one's imagination run free. The presented only need supply a bit of description and/or sound effects and your mind fills in the rest with more detail or wonder than a John Dykstra or Douglas Trumball could ever achieve with a combined Spielberg/Lucas level film budget.
That observation reminds me of something I once pondered while listening to the NPR (Nation Public Radio) adaptation of "Star Wars". Pretending for a moment that the movies never existed, that we only knew of this material as a radio drama and promotional art was sparse and purposely abstract, how might listeners have envisioned the look of characters, locations and technology? How different might it have appeared in the mind's eye? Now, if we had Ralph McQuarrie creating concept art for say newspaper ads and whatnot, those illustrations would help to cement certain designs, so that's why I suggested the promotional art might be purposely abstract. What each listener imagined might be radically different from the next.
I think it might be fun to read posters' thoughts on this, how they might picture this far away galaxy from a long time ago. As an example, here's a few things I might was imagined, particularly if I was still a kid in my mid teens when I Star Wars came along. Having no idea Lucas would be influenced by east Asian designs, I probably would not have pictured Luke in the outfit Hamill actually wore. Learning that he worked upon a "farm", I probably would have pictured Luke wearing some sci-fi version of, well, overalls, yeah, as stupid as that reads. No, as naïve as I was, I don't think I would have imagined them stitched in silver lame', thank goodness. Leia, being a "princess", well I think I would have been inspired by Hollywood medieval films, so I suspect I would have seen her as a "Maid Marion" type...and likely blond. Han, being a smuggler and a space "pirate", well, pirates have beards and mustaches. And given he's supposedly young and a possible rival for Leia's affections, I'd have "seen" it as close trimmed and probably reddish brown. Oh, and he'd be sporting a bandana. 3PO, being a kind of "proper" man servant, I probably would have pictured his plating reflecting the shape of a butler's twin tailed coat. Vader? Hmm, again, I would not have considered east Asian influence, so I would have pictured something akin to European "Black Knight" character with maybe some elements of a Mercury spacesuit, like the pleated joints. Chewy? Considering his vocalizations, I think I would have "seen" a "bear" with a longer, more narrow muzzle.
Anyway, you get the idea. Let's read what others might have imagined.
