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Q: A friend and I have had a long-standing argument over when the opening crawl of the first Star Wars movie was changed to add "Episode IV: A New Hope." He says it was 1978, but I think it was a couple of years later.
A: You win. But the mind does play tricks, and this wasn't as easy to answer as you might think. Soon after the unexpected huge success of Star Wars, George Lucas announced that it was only one part in a multi-chapter saga, and almost immediately started production on the next part, The Empire Strikes Back. But there was also a pre-story that might get made someday, he said. The first movie really started "in the middle" of the story.
Star Wars was still playing in numerous theaters a year after its opening on May 25, 1977. It was re-released in 1979, 1981 and 1982. But when was the change made? For the indisputable answer, we went to Lucasfilm's film archivist, Sterling Hedgpeth. Here's what he says:
"I found a box with all the positive elements for the 'revised' opening crawl, and the assorted trim boxes are dated from October through December 1980. This, then, is consistent with the view that Episode IV: A New Hope was added for the first time to the opening crawl for the April 10, 1981 re-release."
Q: Why was the stormtrooper line "Close the blast doors!" added to the Special Edition release of A New Hope?
A: It wasn't so much added as it was put back in. That line was part of A New Hope since the very beginning, but an entire generation who grew up with the original Star Wars on video never heard it.
There are at least five different mixes for the Star Wars audio track, with three of them dating back to the film's original theatrical release. In some markets, you could literally hear a different version of the film if you knew what theater to go to.
During A New Hope's theatrical run, there was a 70mm 6-track mix, a 35mm Dolby stereo mix, and a 35mm monaural mix. The 70mm version was the first audio track out the door, rushed to completion for delivery to so-called "showcase" theaters. The 35mm Dolby mix had a longer lead-time as Star Wars spread out from its initial 32-screen debut to its eventual spread to 1,098 screens 13 weeks later. Some of those theaters, though, lacked Dolby sound altogether, hence the need for mono mixes.
With each different mix, there are differences in the emphasis or placement of sound effects. Some are really minor -- the laser sounds of the Death Star prison breakout are a lot zingier in some versions, or Dice Ibegon -- the snake-headed lamproid in the cantina -- chirps instead of snarls. Some are a bit more pronounced, such as Luke asking, "Blast it, Wedge, where are you?" instead of asking for Biggs, Princess Leia's blaster sounding like Dirty Harry's .45, or Aunt Beru having a different voice altogether. The "blast door" line is another example.
When it came time to release Star Wars on VHS, one particular audio mix was chosen, and it became the de facto version for many, many fans. A subsequent laserdisc release created a fourth audio mix, taking elements from the previous three. Of course, the Special Edition prompted a fifth mix, and the DVD release, a sixth.
Q: In The Empire Strikes Back, why does Vader stop Boba Fett from shooting Chewbacca in the carbon-freezing chamber? Was it the fact that C-3PO, Vader's droid, was attached to Chewie's back?
A: Although a stirring short story that appeared in Star Wars Tales #6 suggests that Vader did indeed recognize C-3PO on Cloud City, there really was no connection between the Dark Lord and the golden droid back when Empire was made. Vader's restriction of Fett was primarily meant to show just who was in charge and that no one fires a shot without Vader's say-so. Granted, it's hard to read expressions through immovable plasteel armor, but it looks more as if Vader is reminding Fett about his "no disintegrations" order than as if he's having gooey memories about a protocol droid he once built.
Gee, but I thought Lucas had these stories all planned out from the beginning?!?
Q: In The Empire Strikes Back, when Darth Vader is informed that the Rebels are on Hoth, he says, "and I'm sure Skywalker is with them." How did he know Luke's name?
A: Vader had some opportunity to do some fact checking in the three years between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. According to the Marvel Comics series, he found out Skywalker's identity from a captive Rebel pilot undergoing interrogation. This scene is also retold in the Vader's Quest comics series from Dark Horse.
What Vader didn't know... or perhaps feigned ignorance about before his dark Master... was the connection between Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker.
Oh yeah, because Vader and Anakin were different people, and he didn't even know who his son was until one day on Cloud City, the two figures mysteriously joined their brains together and for an oh so brief second, Vader and Anakin were one again. "Son, is that you?!?" LOL GIVE ME A BREAK!!!
Q: In The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke is leaving Dagobah, Obi-Wan says to Yoda "That boy is our only hope." Yoda then states, "No there is another." Does this mean that Obi-Wan does not know about Leia? Will he not see her in Episode III?
A: As you'll find out in Episode III, Obi-Wan Kenobi is fully aware of Leia's existence. His gloomy statement has more to do with the faith he had put in Luke. Knowing Leia's strengths in the political arenas, he had profound doubts about her abilities to become a Jedi capable of ending the Sith rule.
Riiigghhttt....
Q: When Han Solo is being put into carbon-freeze (The Empire Strikes Back), his hands are cuffed. When he comes out of the chamber his hands are up in the air and spread apart. Also, when he is thawed in Jedi, the bindings are gone. How does this happen?
A: The Ugnaughts remove the bindings on Han's hands before he is lowered into the chamber. If you watch carefully you should be able to catch it. The bindings that are on his upper arms are made of carbonite, and thus melt away when Leia releases Han from his carbonite coffin.
This stuff is priceless! http://www.starwars.com/ [middle of page under "Are Y-wings in Episode V?"]
