Summary
George Lucas’Star Warsspecial edition cuts were divisive when first released, leading the filmmaker to launch a defense against their criticisms. Lucas' original trilogy films were released in 1977, 1980, and 1983 respectively. Upon the release of the firstchronologicalStar Warsmovie-Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace- Lucas revisited the original films and updated them with several changes, additions, and CGI upgrades. They have since been dubbed theStar Warsspecial editions, with some changes being well-received and others notably less so.
Interestingly, George Lucas made an appearance at CinemaCon 2024 where he defended the changes made in the special editions (viaThe Star Wars Underworldon Twitter/X). When asked about the divisiveness of theStar Warsspecial editions, Lucas stated:“I think a film belongs to its creator. When Michelangelo made the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he looked at it and said: I’m going to redo this part.”This outlines how theStar Warscreator feels about the special edition discourse; they are Lucas' movies, and if he wants to change them, he has every right to do so.
Lucas Can Make Any Additions Or Removals From His Own Films
As evident by Lucas' comments, theStar Warsspecial editions reflect his ownership of the franchise. This is not to say Lucas was self-indulgent and changedStar Warssimply because he could when he released the special editions, but instead that he has every right to make any amendments he wishes. After all, the bulk of the changes made to the originalStar Warstrilogy were to partner with the release of the prequels, thus ensuring all six movies flowed together and reflected the same, overarching story Lucas had previously envisioned.
5 Worst Changes Star Wars Made From The Original Cuts
With the evolution of technology in filmmaking, George Lucas felt it necessary to make many revisions to the original trilogy that no one asked for.
Lucas' ownership of theStar Warsfranchise as its creator gave him every reason to make changes to the originalStar Warsfilms. While some may disagree with some of the minor changes such asReturn of the Jedi’s musical number, Jabba the Hutt’sA New Hopeappearance, orGreedo shooting Han Solo first, the bigger changes to match the visual style of both trilogies make a lot of sense. These changes were simply about Lucas furthering his ownership for the franchise he created, explaining his defense of them.
Some of the bigger, and admittedly much more logical, changes made to the original trilogy involved adding prequel actors. For example, Hayden Christensen’s Force Ghost was added to the end ofReturn of the Jedi, while Ian McDiarmid was added to the Emperor’s scene inThe Empire Strikes Back. All of this allows these six movies of the Skywalker Saga to flow mostly seamlessly from one to the next. As proven by Lucas' comments, theStar Warscreator had every right to do so to solidify his ownership of the franchise, just as Michelangelo did with the Sistine Chapel.
