Changes in Star Wars re-releases

The first film was released in 1977 under the title Star Wars. The subtitle Episode IV – A New Hope was retroactively added to the opening crawl in a subsequent release.[12][36] Lucasfilm dates the addition to the theatrical re-release on April 10, 1981.[11][12][36] This change was made to bring the original film in line with the titling of its sequel, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980).[11]

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. Two newly filmed shots of stormtroopers and CGI dewbacks were inserted before a shot in which the static creature in the background was replaced with moving CGI.[17][37][lower-alpha 11] Other modifications introduced in various releases include a CGI replacement of the Jawa sandcrawler,[38] a different sound effect for Obi-Wan Kenobi making a krayt dragon call to scare off the Tusken Raiders,[39][lower-alpha 12] the addition of rocks in front of the cave R2-D2 hides in,[17][lower-alpha 13] the replacement of an external shot of Obi-Wan's hut with a new angle showing Luke Skywalker's parked landspeeder,[11][40] and color and continuity changes involving the binary sunset.[41] The shadow of the landspeeder was redone in one shot,[42] and creatures, robots, and ships were added to Mos Eisley, including elements created for the Shadows of the Empire multimedia campaign.[17][43][lower-alpha 14] Some of the aliens in the cantina were replaced with new CGI designs, and a shot of the Millennium Falcon fighting its way out of Mos Eisley was added.[17]

Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is cornered in the Mos Eisley cantina by the Rodian bounty hunter Greedo (Paul Blake), and Han shoots under the table to kill Greedo.[29] The 1997 release of the film alters the scene so that Greedo shoots first and misses (with Han's head digitally pivoted away from the blaster bolt). The scene was changed again for the 2004 DVD release of the film so that Han and Greedo shoot almost simultaneously;[31] this was shortened by several frames for the 2011 Blu-ray.[45] 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),[lower-alpha 15] the removal of a reverse shot of Greedo, and a re-rendering of the visual effects.[28][48][lower-alpha 16]

The original version of the Greedo scene is considered iconic,[48] while the altered version is one of the most controversial changes to the film. Fans have coined the phrase "Han shot first" to protest the change,[51] which according to Polygon alters Han's moral ambiguity and his fundamental character.[52] Lucas has stated that he always intended for Greedo to shoot first.[50][53] In 2015, a replica of an early script for Star Wars was discovered in the archives of the University of New Brunswick library. In the script, dated March 15, 1976, only Han shoots.[54][55]

The original script for Star Wars included a scene between Han and Jabba the Hutt, set 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.[39][56][57] Lucas intended to replace Mulholland in post-production with a stop-motion character, but due to time limitations and budget constraints, the scene was cut. In the 1997 edition, the scene was reinserted with a CGI Jabba replacing Mulholland,[39] marking an early example of a fully CGI character with dialogue to appear in a film[57] (preceding the introduction of Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace by two years).[58] 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.[59]

In the original footage, 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;[39] this has been poorly received, including by its original animator.[39][57] Several Rodians (at least one of whom is a look-alike of Greedo) appear in the background.[56] Boba Fett was also added to the end of the scene, and seems to break the fourth wall.[60][57]

The insertion of this scene into the film was criticized for being superfluous to the previous cantina scene with Greedo, slowing down the pacing without moving the plot forward, and undermining the reveal of the Millennium Falcon in the next scene as well as Jabba's original debut in Return of the Jedi.[11][39][56][61][62] The 1997 CGI Jabba has been described as "atrocious",[39] and for the 2004 DVD release was replaced with a higher-fidelity model resembling his CGI appearance in The Phantom Menace.[39][63][57] On the 2004 audio commentary for A New Hope, Lucas reflected that while he did not mind cutting the scene when he was not sure if he would make sequels, he subsequently wanted it to be included as it introduces a character important to Han's story arc.[64] ScreenCrush later reflected that the 2004 version "was an improvement, but only in the way that nausea is an improvement over vomit".[65]

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.[66][35]

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.[56] Two Screen Rant writers call the updated version "utterly ridiculous" but "much funnier".[67][68] 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.[69][70]

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).[71] A glow was added in 2004, and a fully finished blade was added to these shots in 2019.[72][73] 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.[35][74]

Both the explosions of Alderaan and the Death Star had shockwaves added to them starting with the 1997 edition.[11][68]

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.[75][76][lower-alpha 18] 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.[77]

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."[17] Additionally, engine sounds were added to the battle scene which make parts of the musical score difficult to hear.[56]

In addition to other changes, the Special Edition inserted new footage of stormtroopers, portrayed by Lucasfilm interns, including future director Christopher Miller, who later worked on Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).[78]

Close-up shots of the wampa that captures Luke on Hoth were inserted.[17][lower-alpha 19]

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.[80][81][lower-alpha 20] The dialogue was changed in the new version, making Vader seem to have been unaware of Luke's paternity despite knowing his last name.[84]

ScreenCrush argues that this change is the worst to any Star Wars film, owing to the altered dialogue.[84] 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".[17] Sources such as Polygon and io9 regard the actor replacement itself as logical,[52][76] 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".[67]

Boba Fett's dialogue in the film was originally recorded by Jason Wingreen.[31][85] Subsequently, Attack of the Clones revealed Boba to be a clone of Jango Fett, played by Temuera Morrison.[86] To reflect this, Morrison re-recorded Wingreen's lines for the 2004 edition of the film.[31][85][87][lower-alpha 21]

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.[17] Both WhatCulture and Wired opine that the change makes it hard to believe that Han could not see Fett.[90][17]

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.[91] The additions create some inconsistencies with later shots. Another shot has a railing added to it, which does not reflect properly.[17] New shots of Cloud City's citizens reacting to Lando Calrissian's evacuation orders were also added.[17][lower-alpha 22]

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.[17]

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.[9]

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.[17][92] Wired calls this "Yet another addition that answers a question no one had."[17]

In the Special Edition, an establishing shot of a bantha herd was inserted,[92] and a CGI beak and extra tentacles were added to the sarlacc.[17][93][94] Jabba's dialogue was given subtitles, although C-3PO translates most of his lines.[95] The 2011 edition extends the front door of Jabba's palace as seen from the outside to make it appear about three times wider.[96] 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.[61][97]

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",[98] which mostly received negative criticism.[52][99][100] 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".[52][lower-alpha 23] 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.[98] Additional footage was filmed of Boba Fett flirting with one of the dancers;[101] original Fett actor Jeremy Bulloch thought this was somewhat contrary to the character's nature.[102]

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.[76] Femi Taylor, who played Oola, impressed critics with her ability to reprise the role over a decade later without visible difference.[76][56] Wired notes that "they put a different eyeshadow color on her, so she's not exactly seamless."[17] 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.[76] 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.[56]

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.[103] 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).[88][89]

At the climax of the film, the Emperor tortures Luke with Force lightning, prompting Darth Vader to throw the Emperor down a chasm. In the original version of the scene, Vader has no dialogue.[104] 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.[105] 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.[104][105][11] 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".[52]

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.[87] Actor Sebastian Shaw's brown eyes were also digitally changed to blue to match Hayden Christensen's eye color.[106]

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.[11][99] The 1997 edition release of the film replaced "Ewok Celebration" with score composed by John Williams titled "Victory Celebration",[11] and the scene was lengthened to include shots of celebration on the planets Coruscant,[11][107] Bespin, and Tatooine.[108] The 2004 edition further added a shot set on Naboo, in which a Gungan is given a line of dialogue,[11] and added the Senate building and Jedi Temple to Coruscant.[109]

The concept for the interplanetary montage was discussed during the film's pre-production.[110]

At the end of the film, Darth Vader is redeemed by killing the Emperor to save Luke Skywalker's life, then dies of his injuries shortly after, and appears to Luke as Anakin Skywalker alongside the Force spirits of Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the original version, Sebastian Shaw plays this Force spirit in addition to an unmasked Vader. Hayden Christensen later played Anakin in the prequel trilogy films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. To reflect this, the 2004 edition of Return of the Jedi replaced Shaw's appearance as the Force spirit with Christensen.[112] Some considered the change controversial,[87] with Den of Geek rating it as the worst change to the original trilogy.[56] The Digital Bits notes that the 2019 restoration made it more obvious where Anakin's head was replaced.[109]

The DVD released in 2001 features a longer cut of the podrace sequence,[19] as well as a brief scene on Coruscant focusing on Anakin and Jar Jar Binks.[113] The 2011 Blu-ray incorporates a CGI Yoda.[114] For the 2012 3D re-release, the end of Anakin's magnetic wand was redesigned in one shot of the podrace.[27]

The extended podrace includes a longer introduction of the racers and the second lap of the race,[115] 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.[113][115]

In the original version of The Phantom Menace, a puppet was used to portray Yoda except in two wide shots which required CGI.[116][117] 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.[114]

A few special effects which were not ready for the initial wide release were completed for release in digital-projection theaters.[lower-alpha 5] The DVD features the digital version[21] with some extended lines of dialogue.[22][23] The 2011 edition features a small editing change to the Coruscant speeder chase, adds a voiceover to Anakin's vision of Shmi,[11] and changes the order of shots depicting Count Dooku's escape.[118]

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.[26] The latter release also has additional clone trooper dialogue[11] as they land on Utapau, and added moss to the treehouse on Kashyyyk.[119] The film's filming led the filmmakers to discuss possible changes in past films or even in further versions of the 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 to replace the footage of 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,[120] while McCallum expressed his hopes in the film's audio commentary that, as part of a hypothetical six-episode DVD box set, for Lucas to restore a removed scene of Yoda arriving at Dagobah to begin his self-imposed exile, which Lucas cut to prevent the film from having "too many endings".[121]