George Lucas’s Ghost: Alan Dean Foster Returns to the Galaxy Far, Far Away

In November 1976, Ballantine Books published a slim sci-fi novel more striking for its silly title—Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker—and the identity of its author—George Lucas, a film director then best known for the 1950s nostalgia factory American Graffiti—than its promise as one part of a phenomenon that would change the genre forever. After all, everyone knew that big-studio SF was typically cheesy at best (Logan’s Run being one of the better examples of the era), and the movie it was based on wouldn’t even be released for six more months.
And yet: with heavy promotion to the fan community, the initial 125,000-copy print run sold out, the first hint that Lucas’s little space movie might be bigger than anyone imagined (including Ballantine, which was hesitant to print more copies until the film debuted). The rest, as they say, is history; this all happened a long time ago, after all.

But it wasn’t until much later that the truth was revealed: George Lucas hadn’t written the novelization that bore his name. The true author: Alan Dean Foster, a working SF scribe who reportedly wrote the book in two months, working from an early draft of the screenplay and adding a few flourishes of his own. Foster had already penned novelizations of dozens of episodes of Star Trek, as well as his own original fiction, a pattern he’s maintained for the subsequent four-ish decades: between his own fiction (including the first Star Wars expanded universe story, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, and the Spellsinger portal fantasy series) and novelizations (three Alien films), he has published more than 100 books.
His next? Another novelization, for another obscure sci-fi film—Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Which means, of course, that he’s one of a few hundred people who knew in advance what would happen in J.J. Abrams’ continuation of the saga. We got him to spill a few details about returning to the GFFA after all this time, and how Star Wars has helped shaped his career.

Can you talk about how you got the job to write the Star Wars novelization in the ‘70s? Did you have any indication it was going to be more than just another sci-fi flick?
I already had done a number of novelizations for Del Rey (Luana, Dark Star, the Star Trek Logs) and was asked by the editor, Judy-Lynn del Rey, if I’d be interested in doing the same for an upcoming film by George Lucas. I said yes, and subsequently had a meeting in Hollywood with George’s lawyer at the time. Following that, I met with George at Industrial Light & Magic, which at that time was ensconced in a rented warehouse on Kester Ave. in the San Fernando Valley. I wandered around a bit, chatting with, among others, John Dykstra, who proudly showed off his computer-controlled camera, and then met George. We talked, he showed me around a bit, and that was that.
As to the film being “more than just another sci-fi flick”, the few dailies I saw that day were truly impressive compared to their cinematic predecessors. Once I had a chance to read the script, all I could think of was, “Can they really get this down on film the way it’s written? If they can, there might really be something special here”.
I’ve known your name since I was a kid from the cover of Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. How has Star Wars shaped your career?
In addition to the novelizations I had done, I had already had three original novels published by Del Rey and was working on two more. Certainly Star Wars helped with name recognition.
How did you come to be involved in the novelization of The Force Awakens?
My agency, Virginia Kidd, was contacted by Shelly Shapiro, my estimable Star Wars editor at Del Rey, to see if I’d be interested. I thought the notion of squaring the circle was an intriguing one, both from a professional and a fan standpoint. It all worked out just fine.
What it is like, knowing all the secrets for one of the most anticipated movies in a generation? Do you need to wear a disguise when you leave home?
It’s always fun to be in on secrets. I’ve been through the same process with many other major productions. On the other hand, just like the director and the writers, I have to miss out on that marvelous feeling of surprise when I first see the film in a theater. As for a disguise, I live in a small town in Arizona. Less need for one there.
You’ve written a raft of novelizations. What is your process? Does it differ when working on Star Wars?
I view every novelization as a collaboration between myself and the authors of the original screenplay, just as if we were collaborating on a novel from the beginning. I try to preserve their style, language, and intent as much as possible. It’s no different working on Star Wars, except that the degree of studio involvement is higher due to the visibility of the property and the need to try and maintain canon across an increasing number of films and related material.
Nearly four decades passed between the time you novelized Star Wars and your work on The Force Awakens (with a stop-off for an Expanded Universe novel in-between). What is it like for you to come back to it after all this time?
Everything feels as if it just happened yesterday. I don’t feel the time interval at all. I could get in a car and drive to that rented warehouse in Van Nuys tomorrow (without GPS). On the other hand, George (and now Disney) has subsequently moved to somewhat more expansive quarters.
Pre-order the B&N edition of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, featuring exclusive color photos, available January 5.