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Changes in Star Wars re-releases
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The Star Wars films have undergone numerous alterations by creator George Lucas in various re-releases, from minor color grading and audio mixing tweaks to major changes like new dialogue and visual effects. The original trilogy saw the most revisions, especially during the 1997 Special Edition marking the franchise’s 20th anniversary, showcasing advancements in CGI. Subsequent releases on Blu-ray (2011) and 4K Ultra HD (2019) further refined the films to align with the prequel trilogy. Despite some fans appreciating smaller updates, many larger changes were criticized, and original theatrical versions remain unavailable in high definition.

Background

See also: Final cut privilege

Prior to making A New Hope, Lucas experienced dissatisfaction with the changes made to his previous films by the studios that produced them. His first feature, THX 1138 (1971), had five minutes removed by Warner Bros.1 His next film, American Graffiti (1973), had several minutes removed by Universal Pictures.2 Following the success of A New Hope, Lucas's original version of THX 1138 was theatrically released in 1977.3 The original version of American Graffiti was released theatrically in 1978, and was further altered for the 1998 DVD release with a CGI modification to the opening shot.4 In 2004, Lucas supervised a director's cut of THX 1138, which included new special effects.5 As an advocate for the moral rights of artists, Lucas spoke before the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988 in support of legislation that would discourage studios from altering films without the consent of the creators of those films.67 Lucas stated:

People who alter or destroy works of art, and our cultural heritage, for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians ... Today, engineers with their computers can ... add or subtract material to the philosophical taste of the copyright holder. Tomorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with "fresher faces," or alter dialogue ... Attention should be paid to the interest of those who are yet unborn, who should be able to see ... the past generation as it saw itself, and how it worked with the mediums that were available to it.8

Release history

  • 1977: In May, Star Wars was theatrically released.9 Three different audio versions (a Dolby Stereo mix, a six-channel mix for 70 mm screenings, and a mono mix print) were created, with significant differences. Notably, the mono mix print featured several alternate and additional sound effects and lines of dialogue.10 Later that year, among others, a silent, English-subtitled Super 8 reel version of the film was released by Ken Films.11
  • 1980: In May, The Empire Strikes Back was theatrically released.12 After its initial opening, but before its wide release, Lucas extended the end sequence.13 A 70 mm print of the film differed from the more widely distributed 35 mm print in takes of dialogue, visual and sound effects, shot choices, and transitions between shots;14 none of these changes appeared in later releases, with exception of one dialogue change.15
  • 1981: In April, Star Wars was re-released, with the addition of the subtitles "Episode IV" and "A New Hope" added to the opening crawl.16
  • 1983: In May, Return of the Jedi was theatrically released.17
  • 1985: The original Star Wars film was re-released on VHS, LaserDisc, and Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) with an improved audio mix (featuring a fusion of Lucas's preferred audio takes from the three 1977 mixes).18 The LaserDisc and CED sped the film up by 3% to fit onto a single disc.1920
  • 1993: The original trilogy was released on LaserDisc as "The Definitive Collection". With the exception of a new THX audio mix, scratch and dirt removal, and color balance changes, it matched the original theatrical releases.21
  • 1995: The original trilogy was re-released on VHS with THX audio, advertised as the final release of the theatrical versions.222324
  • 1997: The "Special Edition" of the original trilogy was released theatrically from January through March for the 20th anniversary of Star Wars. This release featured the first significant changes, which were intended to prove that Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) could effectively produce CGI visual effects for the prequel trilogy. For the "Special Edition" of A New Hope, the additional sound effects and lines of dialogue from the original mono mix print were carried over.25262728
  • 1999: In May, Episode I – The Phantom Menace was theatrically released.29
  • 2001: In November, The Phantom Menace was released on DVD, which features a slightly extended cut from the theatrical release.30
  • 2002: In May, Episode II – Attack of the Clones was theatrically released.31 A version made for digital-projection theaters included a few special effects which were not ready for the initial wide release;32 the DVD features the digital version33 with some extended lines of dialogue.3435 A version was also made for IMAX theaters using IMAX's then-new digital-mastering process, with the aspect ratio cropped to 1.81:1 and the duration reduced to 120 minutes due to IMAX film platter limitations at the time.3637
  • 2004: In September, the original trilogy was released on DVD. Further significant alterations were made,38 including replacing Latin script text with Aurebesh.39
  • 2005: In May, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was theatrically released.40 The DVD release features a minor editing change.4142
  • 2006: In September, Limited Edition DVDs of the 2004 versions of the original trilogy were re-issued; these contain the original unaltered versions on bonus discs. These match the 1993 LaserDisc release, sans the subtitle Episode IV – A New Hope.4344
  • 2011: The original and prequel trilogy were released on Blu-ray. Alterations were made to all six films.45
  • 2012: The Phantom Menace was theatrically re-released in 3D, with an additional minor change to one shot.46
  • 2015: The original and prequel films were released as a digital download. They are identical to their Blu-ray release, except for changes to the opening logos and fanfares.4748 The U.S. Library of Congress made the original release of Star Wars available to watch in person.4950 The sequel trilogy film The Force Awakens was theatrically released in both standard and IMAX formats.51
  • 2019: The original and prequel films were released in 4K resolution and HDR on Disney's streaming service, Disney+.5253 Color, compositing, and minor effects adjustments were made to all three films of the original trilogy.5455

Significant changes

Star Wars

Title

The franchise-originating film was released in 1977, under the title Star Wars. The subtitle Episode IV – A New Hope was retroactively added to the opening crawl for the theatrical re-release on April 10, 1981,5657 to align with the titling of the sequel, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980).58

Tatooine

Aunt Beru's dialogue was re-recorded with a different actress for the 1977 mono release, although the original actress was used for all later editions.59

Some scenes on Tatooine were modified for the 1997 Special Edition, most notably an alteration to the Greedo scene and the restoration of a deleted scene featuring Jabba the Hutt. During the Empire's search for the droids, two newly filmed shots of stormtroopers and CGI Dewback lizards were added. In another shot, a static Dewback was replaced with a moving CGI version. Writing in Wired magazine, Drew Stewart claimed the rationale for the added content was to illustrate the extent of the Empire's search, but criticized the new shots as "people wandering aimlessly."606162 The sound Obi-Wan Kenobi makes to scare off the Tusken Raiders was changed for the 2004 DVD release, and then again for the 2011 Blu-ray release.63 In the scene in which R2-D2 hides in a cave, rocks were inserted in front of the cave for the Blu-ray release.6465

Other alterations introduced in various releases include a CGI replacement of the Jawa sandcrawler,66 the replacement of an external shot of Obi-Wan's hut with a new angle showing Luke Skywalker's parked landspeeder,6768 and color and continuity changes involving the binary sunset.69 The shadow of the landspeeder was redone in one shot,70 and creatures, robots, and ships were added to Mos Eisley, including elements created for the Shadows of the Empire multimedia campaign.717273 Some of the aliens in the cantina were replaced with new CGI characters, and a shot of the Millennium Falcon fighting its way out of Mos Eisley was added.74

Greedo

Main article: Han shot first

Han Solo is cornered in the Mos Eisley cantina by the Rodian bounty hunter Greedo. When Greedo begins threatening him, Han kills him by shooting under the table.75 The 1997 release of the film alters the scene so that Greedo shoots first and misses (with Han's head digitally pivoting away from the blaster bolt). The scene was changed again for the 2004 DVD release so that Han and Greedo shoot almost simultaneously;76 this was shortened by several frames for the 2011 Blu-ray release.77 The scene was further modified for the 2019 4K Ultra HD release with the addition of a close-up shot of Greedo speaking (without subtitles),78 as well as the removal of a reverse shot of Greedo, and a re-rendering of the visual effects.798081

The original version of the Greedo scene is considered iconic,8283 while the altered version is one of the most controversial changes to the film by some. Some fans have coined the phrase "Han shot first" to protest the change,84 which according to Polygon alters Han's moral ambiguity and his fundamental character.85 Lucas has stated that he always intended for Greedo to shoot first.8687 In 2015, a copy of an early draft of the Star Wars screenplay was discovered in the archives of the University of New Brunswick library. In the script, dated March 15, 1976, only Han shoots.88 Greedo actor Paul Blake has also claimed that in the shooting script, Han fired the only shot.89 Lucas explained that he wanted Han to be a John Wayne-type character who allows his enemy to have the first shot before retaliating.9091 He claims the original version of the scene portrayed Han as a "cold-blooded killer". Writing in Wired, Matt Blum claimed that Han shot in self-defense, and that it is therefore inaccurate to call him a cold-blooded killer.92

Jabba the Hutt

Further information: Jabba the Hutt

The original script for Star Wars included a scene with Han and Jabba in a Mos Eisley docking bay. The scene was filmed by a second unit with Declan Mulholland wearing a furry vest as a stand-in for Jabba.939495 Lucas intended to replace Mulholland in post-production with a stop-motion character, but due to time limitations and budget constraints, the entire scene was cut. In the 1997 Special Edition, the scene was reinserted with a CGI Jabba replacing Mulholland.96 This was an early example of a fully CGI, speaking character in a film. The character preceded Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace by two years, who was a combination of CGI and motion capture.9798 To explain Jabba's mobility despite his sluglike form, artist Claudia Mullaly conceived of repulsorlifts (one of which he sits upright in), but this concept was dropped.99

In the original footage, Harrison Ford walked through the area where Jabba's tail would be. As a workaround, Han was digitally moved to appear as if he steps on Jabba's tail, with the Hutt squealing as a result.100 This part of the scene has been poorly received, including by its original animator Steve Williams.101102 Boba Fett and several Rodians (at least one of whom is a look-alike of Greedo in the background) also appear in the scene, with Fett seeming to break the fourth wall.103104105

The insertion of this scene was criticized for being superfluous and slowing down the pace of the narrative. Critics also claimed that it undermined the introduction of both the Millennium Falcon (in the following scene) and of Jabba (in Return of the Jedi).106107108109110 The 1997 CGI Jabba has been described as "atrocious",111 and for the 2004 DVD release was replaced with a higher-fidelity version resembling the one in The Phantom Menace.112113114 On the 2004 DVD audio commentary for A New Hope, Lucas said that while he did not mind cutting the scene when he was not sure if he could make sequels, he reintroduced it because Jabba is important to Han's larger story arc.115 ScreenCrush later reflected that the 2004 version "was an improvement, but only in the way that nausea is an improvement over vomit".116

Luke's lightsaber

During the training scene aboard the Millennium Falcon, Luke's lightsaber—which in some releases had erroneously appeared green—was corrected to blue in the 2011 release.117118

Death Star

For the Special Edition, a scene of Han chasing a squad of stormtroopers on the Death Star was altered to replace several stormtroopers at the end of the corridor with dozens in formation. Den of Geek criticized the change as being "too much" and making Han's shooting back at them less believable.119 Two Screen Rant writers call the updated version "utterly ridiculous" but "much funnier".120121 Another shot of a stormtrooper hitting his head on a door had a sound effect added in 2004, making it seem like the goof was intentional.122123

In the original version of Obi-Wan and Darth Vader's duel, Obi-Wan's saber appeared to "short out" when foreshortened toward the camera (a result of the in-camera effects failing to account for this viewing angle).124 A glow was added in 2004, and a fully finished blade was added to these shots in 2019.125126 Also in the 2019 version, Obi-Wan's lightsaber was adjusted to appear consistently blue, and the flash effects of the lightsabers clashing was redone.127128

Both the explosions of Alderaan and the Death Star had shockwaves added to them starting with the 1997 edition.129130

Yavin 4

The Special Edition of A New Hope incorporated a deleted scene on Yavin 4, in which Luke is briefly reunited with his childhood friend Biggs Darklighter. This was felt by some to strengthen the relationship of the characters during the climactic Death Star attack run.131132133 The scene also included the appearance of Red X-Wing Squadron Leader Garven Dreis, an addition that pleased his actor Drewe Henley although his credit remained not corrected.134

The original film includes a two-shot sequence of X-wing fighters flying past Yavin towards the Death Star (showing the fighters from behind, then the front). For the 1997 edition, these were replaced with a 180° turn of CGI X-wings (seen from the front, then the back). Wired points out that the addition of the moon (Yavin 4) in the background places it "very clearly in range of the Death Star from the very beginning of the battle."135 Additionally, engine sounds were added to the battle scene which make parts of the musical score difficult to hear.136

The Empire Strikes Back

According to Lucas, The Empire Strikes Back contains the most changes, although are mostly limited to compositing (e.g. during the Hoth battle), with only a few scenes being significantly altered.137 Christopher Miller, who later worked on Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), claimed that he played a stormtrooper added to the film's Special Edition while an intern at Lucasfilm.138139

Hoth

Close-up shots of the wampa that captures Luke on Hoth were inserted.140141

The Emperor's hologram

For his appearance as a hologram in The Empire Strikes Back, the Emperor was originally portrayed by masked actress Marjorie Eaton and voice actor Clive Revill. For the 2004 DVD edition and subsequent releases, this was replaced by new footage of Ian McDiarmid, who plays the character in later films.142143144 The dialogue was changed in the new version, making Vader seem to have been unaware of Luke's paternity despite knowing his last name.145

ScreenCrush argues that this change is the worst to any Star Wars film, owing to the altered dialogue.146 Wired writes that it is unclear whether the new dialogue is meant to portray Vader and the Emperor "deliberately testing one another", and also that McDiarmid "looks more like he did 20 years before in the timeline than he does a year later in Return of the Jedi".147 Sources such as Polygon and io9 regard the actor replacement itself as logical,148149 and Screen Rant praises it as "a change that blends seamlessly with the original film, due in large part to the relative ease of swapping one holographic image for another".150

Boba Fett

Boba Fett's dialogue in the film was originally recorded by Jason Wingreen.151152 Subsequently, Attack of the Clones revealed Boba to be a clone of Jango Fett, played by Temuera Morrison.153 To reflect this, Morrison re-recorded Wingreen's lines for the 2004 edition of the film.154155156157

In the shot when the Millennium Falcon detaches from the Star Destroyer, Boba Fett's ship, the Slave I, was replaced with a CGI version following the Falcon more closely.158 Both WhatCulture and Wired opine that the change makes it hard to believe that Han could not see Fett.159160

Cloud City

New establishing shots were added to Cloud City, which according to Lucas were added partially because director Irvin Kershner was dissatisfied with the limitations of the location's set.161 The additions create some inconsistencies with later shots. Another shot has a railing added to it, which does not reflect properly.162 New shots of Cloud City's citizens reacting to Lando Calrissian's evacuation orders were also added.163164

In the 1997 edition, the scene of Luke dropping down the chute to escape Vader was modified to include an audible scream—created using the sound of the Emperor screaming as he falls down the shaft in Return of the Jedi; this received criticism and was removed in later releases.165

Ending

Following the initial limited theatrical release, Lucas added three exterior shots to the denouement to clarify that Lando and Chewbacca are on the Falcon, not the Rebel frigate that Luke, Leia, and the droids are on.166

In the 1997 edition, a line of Vader's dialogue was replaced and a shot of his shuttle landing in his Star Destroyer (using stock footage of the second Death Star from Return of the Jedi in which Moff Jerjerrod appears) was inserted into the sequence in which Luke uses the Force to contact Leia.167168 Wired calls this "Yet another addition that answers a question no one had."169

Return of the Jedi

With the Blu-ray release, the Ewoks now blink. This detail was hoped for during the original production, but was abandoned due to practical limitations of the costumes.170: 1:03:00 

Jabba's palace

In the Special Edition, an establishing shot of a bantha herd was inserted,171 and a CGI beak and extra tentacles were added to the sarlacc.172173174 Jabba's dialogue was given subtitles, although C-3PO translates most of his lines.175 The 2011 edition extends the front door of Jabba's palace as seen from the outside to make it appear about three times wider.176 The Blu-ray also added a Dug to the inside of the palace, which was criticized as standing out from puppet aliens in the same scene.177178

The scene in which Jabba feeds the dancer Oola to his rancor opens with a performance by the Max Rebo Band and its lead singer, Sy Snootles. In the original theatrical release, the song is "Lapti Nek", sung in the fictional language Huttese. The Special Edition changed the performance to the new song "Jedi Rocks",179 which mostly received negative criticism.180181182 Polygon's Owen Good describes the new vocals as difficult to listen to and having "the volume and vocal fry of a higher pitched Tina Turner but none of the soul".183184 The puppet used for Snootles was also replaced with CGI. According to Special Edition producer Rick McCallum, this change was made because Lucas could not originally achieve the "large musical number" he envisioned because characters could not move in certain ways; Snootles could not open her mouth to lip sync correctly, and her eyes did not move. The Special Edition increased the size of the Max Rebo Band from three members to twelve.185 Additional footage was filmed of Boba Fett flirting with one of the dancers;186 original Fett actor Jeremy Bulloch thought this was somewhat contrary to the character's nature.187

In the theatrical release of the film, Oola's death is filmed from outside the rancor pit: she falls into the pit, and her scream is heard from off-screen. In the 1997 edition, extra shots were inserted depicting her in the pit, including shots where she looks up to the crowd, the pit door being raised, and a shot of her terror. The rancor and Oola as she screams remain off-screen.188 Femi Taylor, who played Oola, impressed critics with her ability to reprise the role over a decade later without visible difference.189190 Wired notes that "they put a different eyeshadow color on her, so she's not exactly seamless."191 James Whitbrook at io9 praised the additions to the scene, writing that it teased the rancor well while still keeping the monster a surprise for Luke's later battle with it.192 Conversely, Den of Geek UK criticized the additions as unnecessary and felt that they made the audience familiar with the pit, weakening Luke's scene.193

In 2004, Lucas revealed that he had considered adding a shot of Fett escaping the sarlacc, but decided against it because it would have detracted from the scene's focus: Jabba's death.194 Fett's survival was eventually depicted in the Disney+ live-action streaming series The Mandalorian (2019–present) and The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022).195196

Climax on the second Death Star

See also: Second Death Star

At the climax of the film, the Emperor tortures Luke with Force lightning, prompting Vader to throw the Emperor down a chasm. In the original version of the scene, Vader has no dialogue.197 Starting with the 2011 edition, Vader mutters "No" and then yells a drawn-out "No!", creating a parallel with his near-identical cry at the end of Revenge of the Sith.198 This addition was described as being unnecessary at best, and at worst being clumsy, sounding terrible, and seeming to mock the scene in the prequel.199200201 A Polygon writer argues that the change displays a distrust in the audience's ability to interpret Vader's emotions and further that it made the emotional scene "laughable".202

In the scene where Anakin Skywalker is unmasked, the 2004 edition digitally removed his eyebrows to reflect Anakin burning on Mustafar at the end of Revenge of the Sith.203204

Victory celebration

The film ends with a scene of the Rebel Alliance and a village of Ewoks on Endor celebrating the death of the Emperor and victory over the Empire. The original theatrical release of the film features the song "Ewok Celebration", also known as "Yub Nub", playing over the celebration.205206 The 1997 edition release of the film replaced "Ewok Celebration" with score composed by John Williams titled "Victory Celebration",207 and the scene was lengthened to include shots of celebration on the planets Coruscant,208209 Bespin, and Tatooine.210 The 2004 edition further added a shot set on Naboo, in which a Gungan is given a line of dialogue,211 and added the Senate building and Jedi Temple to Coruscant.212 The concept for the interplanetary montage was discussed during the film's pre-production.213

Anakin's Force spirit

Near the end of the film, Vader kills the Emperor to save Luke's life, then dies of his injuries. He later appears to Luke as the Force spirit of Anakin, alongside Yoda and Obi-Wan. In the original version, Sebastian Shaw plays the spirit, as well as the unmasked Vader. Because Hayden Christensen played Anakin in the prequel films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, the 2004 DVD edition of Return of the Jedi features Christensen as the spirit, replacing Shaw. In a 2005 conversation with Christensen, Lucas explained the change in this way: "When you come back to the good side of the Force, it's your former persona that survives, not the Darth Vader persona."214 The alteration was ranked as the worst change to the original trilogy by Den of Geek.215 The Digital Bits notes that the 2019 restoration made it more obvious where Anakin's head was replaced.216

The Phantom Menace

The DVD released in 2001 features a longer version of the podrace sequence,217 as well as a brief scene on Coruscant focusing on Anakin and Jar Jar Binks.218 The 2011 Blu-ray incorporates a CGI Yoda.219 For the 2012 3D re-release, the end of Anakin's magnetic wand was redesigned in one shot of the podrace.220

Podrace sequence

The extended podrace includes a longer introduction of the racers and the second lap of the race,221 which Screen Rant says does not contribute to the story, and potentially negatively affects the film's pacing. Additionally, shots including Watto cheering for Anakin's rival Sebulba were removed for home media releases.222223

CGI Yoda

In the original version of The Phantom Menace, a puppet was used to portray Yoda except in two wide shots which required CGI.224225 This was changed for the 2011 release, with the puppet being replaced with a CGI model, similar to those used for the film's sequels, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.226

Attack of the Clones

A few special effects which were not ready for the initial wide release were completed for release in digital-projection theaters.227 The DVD features the digital version228 with some extended lines of dialogue.229230 The 2011 edition features a small editing change to the Coruscant speeder chase, adds a voiceover to Anakin's vision of Shmi,231 and changes the order of shots depicting Count Dooku's escape.232

Revenge of the Sith

The theatrical release had a diagonal wipe from Obi-Wan leaving Mustafar to Anakin using his hand to crawl from the lava. The DVD changed this to a direct cut, which was reverted on the Blu-ray.233 The latter release also has additional clone trooper dialogue234 as they land on Utapau, and added moss to the treehouse on Kashyyyk.235

The filmmakers had discussions of what further changes could be done to past films or in revisions of this film; Lucas was impressed enough with the Creature Shop's radio-controlled mask for the background character of Senator Meena Tills that he briefly considered replacing the footage containing Admiral Ackbar's mask in Return of the Jedi with Meena's one due to always feeling that Ackbar's was compromised despite being done with the latest puppetry technology available back then,236 while McCallum expressed his hopes in the film's audio commentary that, as part of a hypothetical six-episode DVD box set, Lucas would restore a deleted scene of Yoda arriving at Dagobah to begin his self-imposed exile, which was cut as Lucas felt the film would have had "too many endings".237

Reception

See also: Han shot first

Various media outlets have cited certain changes to the original trilogy as being particularly egregious. These include: in A New Hope, making Greedo shoot first (which has been especially criticized for playing tricks with viewers' minds and memories) and the restored Jabba scene;238239240 in The Empire Strikes Back, changes to the Emperor's dialogue (and appearance);241242 in Return of the Jedi, the new song in Jabba's palace, Vader yelling "No!" at the climax, and Christensen replacing Shaw as Anakin's spirit.243244245246

In 2015, Lance Ulanoff of Mashable viewed the original theatrical print of Star Wars submitted to the Library of Congress, and noted merit to Lucas's belief that technology did not allow him to achieve his vision, citing a visible marquee around Leia's ship "so jarring that it temporarily pulls me out of the film" because the original print is "lack[ing] the seamless quality [he has] come to expect from sci-fi and fantasy". Despite this, Ulanoff wrote that he "hate[s] each and every one" of the later added CGI effects.247 In 2017, a writer argued that the Special Edition changes to the original Star Wars "stripped the film of every aspect that it had won its Academy Awards for", including those for Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score.248

A smaller number of changes have been cited as improving the films or not harming them.249 A 2015 Polygon article claimed there was "solid logic" behind a number of the minor changes, such as adding windows to Cloud City or sparks to Jango Fett's jetpack, saying these "angered, to a close approximation, nobody".250 A New Hope's restored Biggs scene has garnered mostly favorable feedback.251252253254 In 2021, Screen Rant praised special effects additions to A New Hope, including the CGI Dewback replacement, the Mos Eisley establishing shots, and the explosions of Alderaan and the Death Star.255 A consistent minority viewpoint has held that the net total of changes improves the films more than it detracts from them.256

Legacy

See also: Harmy's Despecialized Edition and The Force is with Cristal Beer

The master negatives of the original trilogy were reportedly dismantled in order to create the Special Editions, although high-quality duplicates known as separation masters exist (also used as a source for the 1997 versions).257 In 1997, Lucas stated, "There will only be one [version of each film] ... The [original] will be some sort of interesting artifact ... [that] will disappear. ... A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version."258 Asked why he was opposed to releasing the original versions of the films alongside the modified versions, Lucas stated in 2004: "To me, [the original movie] doesn't really exist anymore. ... I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be."259 Lucas has said the Special Edition of a A New Hope brought the film from representing 60% of his vision to 80%.260

Gary Kurtz, producer of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, spoke against changing films retroactively in a 2002 interview. He stated, "I'm just not a great believer in messing with what is done. It may not be perfect, and as I said a long time ago, there's nothing that is." Addressing the Special Editions, he said,

... fixing a few matte lines and adding a couple of spaceships into shots is fine. I don't think anybody would notice that. But actually adding scenes that don't make any difference ... and all of those digitally enhanced shots of robots floating around and creatures walking through the frame ... call attention to themselves. Are much worse, actually, I think. Primarily because CGI work ... done by ILM, which is the best there is ... does not fit in with the mechanical style of the original film.261

Lucas's name is sometimes used as a shorthand verb for the act of retroactively altering a film.262263 In early 2002, filmmaker (and friend of Lucas) Steven Spielberg re-released E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in a digitally altered 20th-anniversary Special Edition, which notably replaced guns carried by federal agents with walkie-talkies.264265266 This prompted the creators of South Park to parody both Spielberg and Lucas's changes to their films in an episode of their show.267 In 2007, Family Guy lampooned Christensen's appearance as a spirit, and in 2017 comedian Brian Posehn stated that the original trilogy "already was special".268269 Lucas's changes have become a primary point of reference for retroactive changes to other films.270271 By contrast, some media outlets positively reviewed the 2020 4K release of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was remastered and adjusted for color consistency with The Hobbit trilogy, but not otherwise significantly altered.272273274

A number of errors remain in the latest version of the Star Wars films.275 For instance, Sebulba is unrendered in a brief shot in The Phantom Menace, which special-effects supervisor John Knoll called attention to in the film's 2001 DVD commentary. Craig Elvy of Screen Rant said, "This highlights how George Lucas' motivations for tweaking the Star Wars movies are more about improving and updating than removing imperfections".276

In 2019, Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm since the 2012 acquisition of the company by Disney, stated that she would not make alterations to Lucas's original trilogy, because "those will always remain his."277 While promoting The Rise of Skywalker, director J. J. Abrams expressed his hopes that the original versions of the trilogy would be officially released, but said that the powers that be had told him "that that's not necessarily possible".278279 On whether he thought the sequel trilogy should be altered at some point, Abrams stated, "I respect anyone who feels like they want to go back and adjust and add; I get that. But I also feel like ... [when] you're done with a thing, ... that's what it is."280 Contrarily, some media outlets have called for the climax of The Rise of Skywalker to be altered to show the Force ghosts of the Jedi who aid Rey.281282 Fan pleas for a director's cut of the film trended on social media following the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League.283284

In 2023, when asked if he had the clout to influence Lucasfilm to release the original cuts of the original trilogy, The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau answered, "Do you think anybody but ... the people who grew up with it ... would care?" He went on to explain his view that "younger people have a whole different perception of what Star Wars is."285

When asked about the possibility of releasing the original versions in 2024, Lucas reiterated, "I'm a firm believer that the director or the writer or the filmmaker should have a right to have his movie be the way he wants it."286 In early 2025, the British Film Institute announced that it would screen the original film in its unaltered form at a film festival that June.287

Notes

References

  1. Pollock, Dale (1983). Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas. London: Elm Tree Books. p. 98. ISBN 0-241-11034-3. 0-241-11034-3 ↩

  2. Coate, Michael (August 1, 2013). "Where Were You In '73? Remembering American Graffiti On Its 40th Anniversary". The Digital Bits. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2021. https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/history-legacy--showmanship/where-were-you-in-73-american-graffiti-40th ↩

  3. Pollock, Dale (1983). Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas. London: Elm Tree Books. p. 98. ISBN 0-241-11034-3. 0-241-11034-3 ↩

  4. Coate, Michael (August 1, 2013). "Where Were You In '73? Remembering American Graffiti On Its 40th Anniversary". The Digital Bits. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2021. https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/history-legacy--showmanship/where-were-you-in-73-american-graffiti-40th ↩

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  20. Some releases additionally had minor aspect ratio changes.[12] /wiki/Aspect_ratio_(image) ↩

  21. Kirby, Ben (January 31, 2017). "Who Shot First? The Complete List Of Star Wars Changes". Empire. Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017. http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-wars-changes/ ↩

  22. Dracula, Matt (November 10, 2015). "Collectibles from the Outer Rim: Star Wars VHS Releases!". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2020. https://www.starwars.com/news/collectibles-from-the-outer-rim-star-wars-vhs-releases ↩

  23. Daly, Steve (September 15, 1995). "Video Review: 'The Star Wars Trilogy'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2017. http://ew.com/article/1995/09/15/video-review-star-wars-trilogy/ ↩

  24. Fitzpatrick, Eileen; Goldstein, Seth (July 1, 1997). "Video at 'Miracle' Price; Last Shot for 'Star Wars'". Billboard. p. 107. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2017 – via Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=rgsEAAAAMBAJ ↩

  25. Stewart, Drew (March 31, 2020). "Disney+ Should Offer the Star Wars Original Cuts—All of Them". Wired. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2020. https://www.wired.com/story/put-original-star-wars-on-disney-plus/ ↩

  26. Kirby, Ben (January 31, 2017). "Who Shot First? The Complete List Of Star Wars Changes". Empire. Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017. http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-wars-changes/ ↩

  27. Lucas has stated that "There are two or three shots that are really bad and I know that [1977's Star Wars] is going to be judged on that. I was embarrassed. In 1993, the 20th anniversary was coming up and that was the impetus for doing a Special Edition of A New Hope – to bring it up to the standard we were aiming for." Lucas has also stated, "Once I had started redoing the first film, it was such a good experience, I said "we should go back and finish the other two as well".[19][page needed] ↩

  28. Some state that the changes were intended to modernize the films and create consistency with the prequel trilogy.[12] ↩

  29. "George Lucas". Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20140328111312/http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/SearchResult.aspx?s%3D%26TBL%3DPN%26Type%3DDP%26ID%3D58957%26pName%3D++George+Lucas ↩

  30. DuPont, Alexandra (2001). "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace". The DVD Journal. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018. http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviews/s/starwars_phantommenace.shtml ↩

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  32. These include the addition of sparks to Jango Fett's jetpack just before he is beheaded by Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker using his mechanical hand to take Padmé's hand during the wedding scene.[21][22] /wiki/Jango_Fett ↩

  33. Lucas, George (2002). Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones audio commentary (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Event occurs at 112, 135. ↩

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  36. "Making it BIG: Episode II -- The IMAX Experience". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2004. Retrieved September 17, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20041023103030/http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/feature/20021011/indexp2.html ↩

  37. Kallay, William (December 2002). "An Interview With Jim Ward, V.P. of Marketing, Lucasfilm, Ltd". in70mm.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022. ... it seemed like 1.81:1 was the best balance ... without having to get too dramatic on a pan-and-scan basis. ... We used the pan-and-scan version of the DVD as sort of a guideline. https://in70mm.com/news/2002/star_wars/index.htm ↩

  38. Kirby, Ben (January 31, 2017). "Who Shot First? The Complete List Of Star Wars Changes". Empire. Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017. http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-wars-changes/ ↩

  39. Stewart, Drew (March 31, 2020). "Disney+ Should Offer the Star Wars Original Cuts—All of Them". Wired. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2020. https://www.wired.com/story/put-original-star-wars-on-disney-plus/ ↩

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  42. This was reversed for the 2011 Blu-ray.[27] /wiki/Blu-ray ↩

  43. Kirby, Ben (January 31, 2017). "Who Shot First? The Complete List Of Star Wars Changes". Empire. Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017. http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-wars-changes/ ↩

  44. According to Empire, "the quality of the transfer is laughably bad, with a non-anamorphic letterboxed 4:3 aspect ratio creating huge black bars on all sides of the film, if watched on a widescreen TV."[12] A review from IGN was more mixed, praising the DVDs themselves and the inclusion of both the original and enhanced versions, while the main area of criticism was on Lucas' decision to delay specifically the theatrical versions' home media release, calling it a "back-handed show of gratitude to fans."[28] /wiki/Empire_(magazine) ↩

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  48. The 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare were removed from The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and the prequel films as a result of Disney's 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm. It remained on A New Hope as Fox retained the full rights to the film after the acquisition. As a result, a new fanfare, based on the ending part of "The Rebel Fleet/End Title", from The Empire Strikes Back, composed by John Williams, plays over the 1997 Lucasfilm logo.[30] /wiki/20th_Century_Fox#Logo_and_fanfare ↩

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  50. In 1989, the original release of Star Wars was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.[32] In 2014, it still did not have a "working copy" (a copy available for public viewing) of the 1977 film; George Lucas refused to submit the original, stating that he no longer authorized the release of the theatrical version.[33] Lucasfilm offered the 1997 Special Edition release, but the Registry refused it as the first published version must be accepted.[34] The Library subsequently used a 35 mm print of the original version of the film (which had been submitted in 1978 as part of the film's copyright deposit) to make a digital working copy.[33][31] /wiki/National_Film_Registry ↩

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  61. Anatomy of a Dewback (1997). Featurette produced for StarWars.com. ↩

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  78. The close-up is composed of cropped footage used a few seconds before.[37] The dialogue, transcribed by fans as "maclunkey", is also spoken in The Phantom Menace, where the apparently Huttese phrase is subtitled "This will be the end of you."[48][49] ↩

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  81. The change was made by Lucas before the 2012 sale of his company to Disney.[50] ↩

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  91. In various films, such as Riders of Destiny (1933) and Red River (1948), John Wayne's character shoots down his opponent as he draws his pistol.[58][59] /wiki/Riders_of_Destiny ↩

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