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The originalStar Warsfilms have undergone more change than pretty much any other big screen trilogy in history . Although Almighty George Lucas started tinkering with the first three flick almost from the get - go , things really ramped up with 1997’sSpecial Edition20th day of remembrance re - release . Despite fan backlash , Lucas continued to make controversial modifications toA New Hope , The Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jediwith each subsequent home tone ending , untilhe at long last sell the belongings to Disneyin 2012 .
In fairness to Lucas , notallof these alteration were that bad . In summation to a serial of minor cosmetic tweaks that corrected various particular effects issues ( which nobody seems to complain about ) , there were other , more drastic variety that we ’d argue really count as upgrades . That pronounce , now thatthe House of Mouse is calling the shots onStar Wars , there are several revisions from theSpecial Edition - epoch and beyond that we ’d gladly see rolled back .
Reversed – Anakin’s Youthful Force Ghost
On the one handwriting , we totally get why George Lucas replaced the likeness of Sebastian Shaw with that of Hayden Christensen whenAnakin Skywalker’sForce Ghost materializes inReturn of the Jedi . After all , we expend a lot more meter getting to live the younger Chosen One played by Christensen in the prequels than we do Shaw ’s aged personification .
But in the end , this well - intentioned endeavor to connect the prequel and original trilogy is embarrassingly bunglesome . For starters , the logical system involved is square - up break : if Anakin “ pop off ” spiritually inRevenge of the Sithand was “ reborn ” upon entering the hereafter , how was his salvation even potential ? Then there ’s Christensen ’s performance in the picture , which trades Shaw ’s benign smiling for a creepy smirk that ’s just plainwrong .
Kept – Cloud City Vistas
The Empire Strikes Backis widely regarded as the skilful entry in the originalStar Warstrilogy ( if not the entire saga ) , so it ’s hardly surprising that it was subjected to the least obtrusive changes . Yet therearestill several significant modification on display here , besides the all-inclusive fixes the Industrial Light & Magic crew made to many of the ocular effects .
The most noted and ( well - execute readjustment are those made to the Cloud City localisation . Whereas before we just glimpsed the floating metropolis thatLando Calrissiancalls home , now we ’re treated to several drawn-out views of its aspiration - corresponding cityscape . These new shots — alongside the gain of window and balconies in existing stroke — really open up Cloud City , erasing the claustrophobic atmosphere make by the original sets .
Reversed – Jedi Rocks
Confession sentence : we ’re secretly kinda onboard with George Lucas judge to shoehorn a full - blown musical number intoReturn of the Jedi . Sure , it sounds crazy on paper , but the intercutting between the Max Rebo Band jamming and the dying of striver girl Oola is pretty sly .
However , the CGI employ to bring exotic vocalists Sy Snootles and Joh Yowza to biography has n’t aged well —and the all - digital pair do n’t really blend in with the practical creature effects surrounding them . There ’s also a job with the pacing here : incorporate the “ Jedi Rocks ” performance early on on slows the movie down to a crawling , andReturn of the Jedidoesn’t exactly race out of the blocks as it is …
Kept – The Wampa Scene
continue the trend of new fabric inThe Empire Strikes Backbeing the most unseamed , theSpecial Edition ’s flesh out take on Luke ’s leak from the Wampa is a substantial improvement . Sure , the way the scenery shakes down in the theatrical gash is solid enough ; there ’s something to be said for itsJaws - like vibration , which relies on the viewer ’s imagination to be effectual .
But there ’s value in actuallyseeingthe Wampa too , and the extra instant filmed for the 1997 re - release blend in imperceptibly with the footage from nearly 20 geezerhood prior . Let ’s also not forget that there ’s already a similar “ unobserved threat ” set piece inA New Hope —when the tentacled dianoga terrorizes our heroes in theDeath Startrash compactor — so we do n’t really take another .
Reversed – Jabba Confronts Han Solo
Admittedly , someStar Warsfans corroborate George Lucas ’ decision to restore the scene ofJabba the Huttconfronting Han Solo inA New Hope , but we really ca n’t see why . Sure , it precede one of the original trilogy ’s major stomach resister ahead of his more salient role inReturn of the Jedi . But the realness is , this is a pure example of redundant storytelling , which probably explain why it was excised from the original theatrical edit .
consider about it — we do n’t learn anything here that is n’t cover during Han ’s showdown with Greedo only moment sooner – so what ’s the point in time ? Let ’s also not ignore how cringeworthy the CG - render space lick look , and even though the 2004 house release addresses this with an overhauled character model , it ’d take more than a digital facelift to make this scene worthwhile …
Kept – The Emperor’s Hologram
Much like the tantrum in the Wampa ’s cave we refer earlier , both versions ofEmperor Palpatine ’s next - gen conference call with Darth Vader inThe Empire Strikes Backwork just hunky-dory . But purely from a persistence stand , we ’re far more corking on the amend iteration first acquaint in the 2004 DVD release .
It ’s not that the shadowy Emperor who debut in theaters back in 1980 is n’t creepy-crawly , or that voice player Clive Revill ’s performance is n’t suitably ominous . It ’s just that this version of the evil galactic overlord only vaguely resemble the role as portray by Ian McDiarmid fromReturn of the Jedionward . Indeed , McDiarmid ’s take on the character is so iconic that we’llalwaysopt for the genuine clause .
Reversed – Vader Screaming “No!”
More than any other variety on this list , Darth Vader bellowing “ No ! ” repeatedly during the sexual climax ofReturn of the Jediis the oneStar Warsre - discharge changes we ’d urgently wish to see undone . Honestly , we can hold out with virtually all the other mayhem Lucas has wrought on his institution .
But this clumsy prequel trilogy / original trilogy bridging effort , which mirror a much - lampooned shot inRevenge of the Sith , perfectly ruins Vader ’s once - powerful minute of silent valiance . It ’s so defective , it aboveboard makes us loth to ever re - visitReturn of the Jedi .
Kept – The Rebel Squadron Approaches The Death Star
The interstellar dogfights in the firstStar Warsflick were groundbreaking in 1977 and still hold back up remarkably well today . Even so , our live take is that every individual guess where George Lucas and the digital effects hotshot at ILM substituted a CGI starship in place of a model inA New Hopeis an definitive footstep up .
Nowhere is this more apparent than during the Death Star battle that closes out the movie . Not only are the digitalX - Wingsand Y - Wings undistinguishable from their practical counterparts in most shots , but they ’re capable of doing thing that were inconceivable decades earlier . From Rebel pilot pitch in their cockpit to the smooth motion of the fighters as they commence their attacking run , everything is just that footling bit more convincing .
Reversed – Greedo Shoots First
H.M.S. Bounty hunting watch Greedo bulge off a crack at Han Solo beforebeing lit up by the roguish smugglerinA New Hopehas become the poster child for everything wrong withStar war : Special Edition . It ’s not grueling to see why , either .
For starter motor , nothing about the reworked view is naturalistic . Although the unnatural fudge motion add to Harrison Ford ’s head has been finessed with each re - release , it ’s still farfetched that a lease triggerman like Greedo could miss the mark at gunpoint - blank range .
More importantly , though , recasting the scene so that Han acts in ego - defense seriously undermines his character discharge . By background Han ’s more unsavoury traits , his evolution from a cold - full-blooded mercenary type into a reluctant hero just registers , which is a tangible shame .
Kept – The Galaxy-Wide Celebration Montage
So far , we ’ve taken George Lucas to task over his botched attempts at linking the prequel and originalStar Warstrilogies — but he does get it proper some of the time . Take the collage of planets tacked onto the end ofReturn of the Jedi . The CGI is largely unobtrusive , while the additional material enhances to the story of the wide saga without breaking the film ’s narration flow .
Indeed , by taking us on a abbreviated enlistment ofthe worlds we ’ve visitedacross the first six episodes as they celebrate the Empire ’s downfall , Lucas economically convey the impingement that the Rebellion ’s victory has had throughout the wider galaxy . Aside from all this , composer John Williams sagely substitute in a new closing trail that is markedly just than the old composition featuring an Ewok consort , further helping to earn this altered ending an incompetent pollex up .
NEXT : The raise of Skywalker : 10 Fan Theories About Finn
