Roqoo Depot

Happy Birthday, James Kahn

KHAN! Oh, wait, not that Khan…James Kahn, the author of the novelization of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Today we wish James a very happy birthday. Although he may only have written one book for the Star Wars franchise, he was one of the first.

Born in Chicago, IL, James Kahn attended the University of Chicago and studied in emergency medicine. He completed his studies at UCLA, while also continuing his hobby as a writer. While working at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, CA he wrote a series of sci-fi and medical thrillers. He later became a friend to Judy Lynn Del Rey, the wife of Lester Del Rey, the man behind Del Rey Books.

His experience in the ER and his science-fiction career brought into a rare opportunity to work in the film E.T. He helped write the medical dialog in the film and was in the scene where the doctors are trying to bring E.T. back to life. He showed Steven Speilberg his books World Enough and Time; Time’s Dark Laughter which got him a deal to do the novelization for Poltergeist.

From there he did several more novelizations for film such as Return of the Jedi, The Goonies, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Poltergeist II. Later he branched off into writing for television with shows like St. Elsewhere and E/R. He stuck with TV and wrote for a lot of various shows, from Xena to Star Trek. However, in recent years he has turned to writing music.

Regardless, we wish him a happy birthday and thank him for his contribution to Star Wars.

Posted By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.