<P> The words that open each Star Wars film, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ..." are absent from this novelization, substituted by the similar, "Another galaxy, another time ..." </P> <P> The novelization bears a major difference in the form of a prologue explaining the backstory behind the film's events . It is presented as an entry of the Journal of the Whills . This prologue contains the first - ever reference to the Emperor's true name, Palpatine . The section dealing with Palpatine says, "Aided and abetted by restless, power - hungry individuals within the government, and the massive organs of commerce, the ambitious Senator Palpatine caused himself to be elected President of the Republic . He promised to reunite the disaffected among the people and to restore the remembered glory of the Republic . Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace . Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot - lickers he had appointed to high office, and the cries of the people for justice did not reach his ears ." This implies that the Emperor is merely a victim of manipulation by Imperial bureaucrats rather than the true string - puller, which is at odds with Palpatine's depiction in later films in the series . This is because George Lucas had not fully developed the character at this point in time, allowing Alan Dean Foster to expand upon the Emperor as he saw fit . Lucas' conception of the character continued to evolve, until he eventually determined that Palpatine was Darth Vader's master and the true personification of evil in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi . </P> <P> Several other portions of the novel deviate from the film, including scenes that were filmed but not inserted into the final cut of the movie . Most notable of these are scenes with Luke Skywalker and his friends at Tosche Station on Tatooine . Also included is the scene with Jabba that was re-inserted into the Special Edition of the film; however, in this novelization he is written as a fat biped with an ugly, "shaggy skull" and "jowels" that shake with his head, and he has scars that are a sign of his ferocious reputation in combat . This differs both from the script's version of Jabba (which is described as a creature with "eyes on stalks"), and the version that finally appeared in Return of the Jedi, a giant slug with no ability to partake in combat . </P> <P> At one point, Han Solo mentions a Corellian friend named Toccnepil (Lippincot backwards). This is a reference to Charles Lippincott, the mastermind of the Star Wars marketing campaign . </P>

When were the original star wars books written