"The Severed Arm Hearings"
- Day 42
- Statement taken from corellian77 in the matter of the people vs. the arm

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I really do feel like we're making a mountain out of a molehill here... but then again, isn't that what Star Wars fans do best?

I'm really surprised so many people don't like this shot. I usually agree with (or at least understand) most of the critical feedback I see posted here, but it would seem I'm totally on a different page with regards to this topic.

First off, for those who want to see a hand in there instead of the flipper, I must say I totally disagree. It's clearly Ponda Baba's arm, it's always been considered as such, and I really see no reason for any tinkering to alter this fact. The only reason I think the shot needed to be altered in the first place was for continuity's sake (there are at least 4 shots prior to seeing the severed arm on the ground where it can clearly be seen that he has a flipper-suction-cup-thingy for a hand). Even starwars.com explains that it's Ponda Baba's arm, as well as the reason for the continuity error:

A continuity error involving Ponda Baba is readily apparent in careful viewing of the film. In the cantina sequences filmed in England, Baba has large fin-like hands. In the insert shot of Baba's severed hand, those fins were not available so a hairy clawed hand was used instead.

Link: http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/pondababa/?id=bts

So, at the very least, I think the flipper should stay, as it is clearly Ponda's arm and the flipper fixes the continuity error. From here, I believe the only issue becomes whether or not the shot looks okay as is. Again, I think it looks fine, but if Ady feels it needs tweaking as others have said, then I suggest going with NormanS' model, as I must say it looks very good.