| |
| Star Wars: Solitude | |
| Directed by | Nathan P. Butler |
|---|---|
| Written by | Nathan P. Butler |
| Produced by | Nathan P. Butler |
| Distributed by | Rayzur's Edge Audio |
| Star Wars created by | George Lucas |
| Starring | Nathan P. Butler |
| Music by | Nathan P. Butler |
| Original Themes by | John Williams |
| Release Date(s) | May 11, 2008 |
| Running Time | 16 Minutes |
| Timeline | 130 BBY |
| Era | Legacy |
| Preceded by | None |
| Followed by | None |
Solitude is an audio drama "experiment" by Nathan P. Butler of Rayzur's Edge Audio. The concept behind the tale is a so-called "a capella audio drama," wherein every single character, sound effect, and even every bit of music is all generated by the vocal talents of one individual. Butler recorded, then mixed, the entire production, right down to the music, by using his own voice, which was then "tweaked," using filters and effects within the audio mixing program. No prerecorded sound effects or music were used, whatsoever.
Summary[]
In the era of the Star Wars: Legacy comic book series, Jedi Knight Korvan Helios lives in solitude, surviving until the day when Cade Skywalker can be found. But is solitude the best way to serve the galaxy? It is a question he will be forced to answer when confronted with others on the fringe of society . . .
Cast[]
Nathan P. Butler plays all of the roles in the audio drama, including:
- Korvan Helios - A Jedi Knight that managed to survive the Battle of Ossus.
- Nas Lah - A Yuuzhan Vong and friend to Korvan Helios.
- Darth Onyx - A Sith, member of Darth Krayt's "One Sith" order.
- Venkota Dantin - A Mandalorian bounty hunter.
- Slova the Hutt - A Hutt crimelord on Ord Bendis.
- J-3PO - Translation and protocol droid owned by Slova the Hutt.
- Ti'sa'dan - Jiraxikan Jedi youngling.
- Narrator
Behind the Scenes[]
- Butler has always used his audio dramas as a place for experimentation. Second Strike was a first attempt at fan audio dramas online, along with an attempt to tell a story that was deeper, with more fleshed-out characters than most fan films at the time. Anthology told short tales with morals or broader societal questions. Nothing Changes resurrected the long-awaited Prelude to Hope fan film concept. Always in Motion: Ambush on An'Kerra was a multi-path tale.
- Butler's concept for a one-man audio drama was tested to a lesser degree in the Anthology episode The Mob in 2003. In that story, Butler played Rolan, who told the story almost entirely through narration. However, The Mob featured sound effects, music, and a few lines from other voice actors for other roles. Solitude pushed this concept further into a tale without narration, nor any other voice actors or prerecorded sound clips.
- Solitude was also directly inspired by the multi-voice work of Joe Harrison for the original version of the first chapter of his audio drama Conquest of the Empire. Another source of inspiration that made Butler believe that the project could actually work was Butler's portrayal of numerous characters, all with different vocal styles, for the audio drama series Marvels by Andrew Gilbertson.
- Solitudes takes place in the Legacy era, making it the first fan audio drama to do so.
- Solitudes features numerous references and "inside jokes" for those who have been following Butler's previous audio dramas. These include the following:
- Slova the Hutt being on Ord Bendis (Nothing Changes)
- A food known as snelmin root from Ragesh (Second Strike)
- A food known as Rolgothan mutt meat from Rolgothi (Anthology: Responsibility)
- The Reftiyu Depot (Second Strike)
- Ti'sa'dan is a Jiraxikan (Second Strike)
- J-3PO is meant to be an echo of the droid narration voice from Always in Motion: Ambush on An'Kerra
- Venkota Dantin's line about "babbling incessantly" refers to a rather scathing critique of Second Strike from a major member of the fan film community in 2003.
- Other references within Solitudes harken back to some of Butler's favorite tales and projects in which he has participated, including such references as:
- "Stay your hand and reveal yourself!" is meant to be delivered in the same way as "Stand and unfold yourself!" from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
- "Indeed" from Nas Lah is a direct reference to Teal'c of Stargate SG-1.
- Korvan's meditation ("I ride the currents of the Force . . . ") is a reference to a similar line spoken by Lord Venaar (also played by Butler) in Devin Cox and Jenna Wilson's Knights of the Old Republic: Outcasts.
- To complete this audio drama, Butler had to create all of the following sound effects with his vocal talents, filters, and effects filters:
- blasterfire
- electronic beeping
- a small explosion
- lightsaber activation
- lightsaber deactivation
- lightsaber hum
- lightsaber slashes
- lightsaber swings
- an object being thrown
- an object latching onto something
- wind
- a boarding hatch opening (with accompanying activation beep)
- Most of the voices and effects in this production were created with the following effects and/or filters:
- noise reduction
- pitch shift
- distortion
- echo
- chorus
- vibrato
- The use of other languages in Solitude is accurate within the Star Wars continuity, including the following:
- Huttese
- "Bo shuda, Venkota Dantin. Korvan Helios, chowbaso." ("Welcome, Venkota Dantin. Korvan Helios, greetings.")
- "Hi chuba da naga?" ("What do you want?")
- "Choy? Keel-ee calleya ku kah." ("What? You disappoint me.")
- "Ateema!" ("Now!"
- "Stoopa! Dolpee kikyuna." ("Stupid! I am a friend.")
- "Eniki." ("Okay.")
- Mando'a
- "Vongese" ("Yuuzhan Vong")
- "shebs" ("butt," sometimes believed to refer to "balls")
- Yuuzhan Vong Language
- ". . . that Kane a bar Krayt . . . " (" . . . that dung of a meat maggot Krayt . . . ")
- "Jeedai!" ("Jedi!")
- "Gadma dar, Nas Lah." ("Welcome, Nas Lah.")
- Huttese