Alternate Versions for
Star Wars (1977)
When the original theatrical version was first released, it was simply titled Star Wars.The opening crawl was changed to "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" during the 1981 re-release. According to Sterling Hedgpeth, Lucasfilm film archivist: "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."
There are at least two different prints of the original Star Wars in circulation. One definite difference between them is that the brief scene in the Death Star corridor where Chewbacca roars and "frightens" a little messenger droid is missing. This scene was NOT in the "opening day" version.
The original version reportedly includes another difference besides the corridor scene. The actress who played Aunt Beru, Shelagh Fraser, does not have her voice in all prints of the Star Wars movies - except in the original print. Lucas dubbed it over in all subsequent prints.
A Special Edition has been released in 1997 on January, 31st (USA).
The overall quality of the film, i.e. resolution, etc., has been cleaned up, and colors are more vibrant. The sound has been digitally remastered (THX). In addition, the film now features new special effects shots and scenes including:
the Jabba the Hut scene;
Boba Fett;
new explosions for the Death Star and Alderaan;
a bigger and busier Mos Eisley with several computer generated droids and animals running around;
Obi-wan's house on a mountain;
a newly-refurbished Sandcrawler;
lightsabers looking more like swords;
two new aliens in the cantina;
in the cantina scene Greedo now fires on Han Solo before being shot;
new sounds added to ships and blasts;
a bird's eye view of the Millennium Falcon's departure of Mos Eisley;
when Han chases the stormtroopers around the corner, instead of a small group there is a whole platoon;
a lot of new shots and dogfighting scenes for the Death Star battle;
a touched up shot of the Rebel fighters approaching the Death Star from Yavin. More fighters were digitally added so that there are more than two times the amount originaly seen. In addition the pilots can be seen moving about within the cockpit. The pilots' heads in the Special Edition X-Wings belong to special effects supervisor John Knoll. Knoll says, on the Star Wars Special Editon: Making the Magic CDROM, that he used a scan of his head from a few years before the movie, so that "I am every pilot at Yavin." Incidentally, Knoll actually does have a (non-digital) cameo in the Phantom Menace as an N1 Fighter Pilot who gets shot down in outer space.
the opening sequence with the Rebel Blockade Runner (corvette) and Star Destroyer was recomposited to eliminate dirt and wear;
more involved search for the droids;
a scene with Luke and Biggs, a friend from his home planet just before the Battle of Yavin.
James Earl Jones now gets credited as the Voice of Darth Vader.
In the scene where the Millenium Falcon arrives at the Rebel base, it is now visible flying over the jungle as the sentries keep watch.
While looking at the monitor on how to locate the power source for the tractor beam, 3PO now speaks about how to get there (reportedly this scene also appeared on some pre-Special Edition releases).
When leaving from the Mos Eisley port, the Millenium Falcon now makes a turn instead of going straight at a fixed angle.
The look of the rebel base in the jungle has been changed so it looks now as if carved out of the rough stone.
When the Millenium Falcon arrives at the Rebel base, the huge door to the inside is moving as opposed to being stationary in the original.
In the video version of the original, when the stormtroopers are chasing Han down the hall, you can hear one of them say "Open the blast door. Open the blast door" as Han and Chewbacca pass through it and leave the troopers on the other side. In the special edition, you can hear one of the stormtroopes say "Close the blast door" before it closes. The scene is actually a little funnier because it's his own fault that the door closed. The extra dialogue was "lost" on the home video release but the line did exists in earlier theatrical versions, as evidenced by the 1977 audio recording of the film entitled "The Story of Star Wars." This LP/audio casette includes that line, in the exact same voice and reading as it appears in the special edition. Also note that foreign language versions of the film did have the translation of that line (I know the French one did). The "close the blast doors" line is also seen in a Star Wars clip in the 1993 PBS American Masters special: George Lucas - Heroes, Myth and Magic.
The "lost scenes" from this film, namely Luke's discovering the Tantive-IV-Battle, Luke storming into Station Tosche and Luke's and Biggs' extended talk on Tatooine reveal that one of Luke's friends, Camie, was played by Koo Stark (of early Eighties Prince Andrew liaison fame). Sadly the scenes never made it into the movie and can only be seen on the "Behind the magic" CD-ROM-discs.
Stills from the "lost" Tatooine scenes have been published (in "The Star Wars Storybook", for example) and at least one sequence is shown in the documentary 'The Making of 'Star Wars'". Also, the scenes were included in the novel, comic book and radio adaptations of the story.
The Cd-Rom "Behind the Magic", includes a few additional scenes not shown in any subsequent release.
Luke watching the space battle with his electrobinaculars, and a droid with him breaks down as he leaves it behind and drives off in his speeder.
Luke goes into Anchorhead and there are several characters that are playing a pool-like game with sticks. Biggs is there and greets Luke, and they all go outside to watch the space battle, which has ended by now. Everyone laughs at Luke and refer to him as "Wormie" and exclaim "Not again."
Luke describes a race where he used his Skyhopper in Beggar's Canyon and almost crashed (a description matching Episode I's pod race exactly, also set in Beggar's Canyon). Biggs then describes how he intends to defect and join the Rebel Alliance and how things are not what they seem because of the Empire.
There is an alternate version of the Cantina sequence where Han Solo is with, and kisses a woman. Many of the creatures were studio generic masks from other movies because Stewart Freeborn was ill during this portion of production.
David West Reynolds