I don’t know how to feel about this, but I just did color restoration work on some porn for my own use.
Probably best to discuss that further on a porn site (or porn restoration site of choice) - and not here. Though thanks for sharing that ‘random thought’ mate.
I just found this and read the first post. I had to laugh at the idea that Rey flew the Falcon so well. She practically crashed the thing trying to take off. Once they were in the air she did pretty good, but when you compare that to Luke, he flew his X-wing like a pro from the beginning. Rey has to try things before she succeeds, pretty much the way Luke did. And she does have a teacher. She learns just about everything she does from Kylo Ren. I’d still like to know who taught Luke to lift his lightsaber in TESB.
Aye, this is Rey flying the Falcon “at least as well (if not better than) Han or Lando do” - according to the OP.
^ a good point that, mate.
There is this video comparison for Despecialized and the official 2011 blu ray release:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-g2TNqk4m0
^ from the ‘Star Wars Video Comparison’ YouTube Channel
Really enjoyed watching that - nice one and cheers for posting.
Here’s to all the video stores still out there - and please remember… be kind, please rewind 😉
‘Lyra McKee: 29-year-old journalist shot dead in Derry – video obituary’:-
‘Lyra McKee was fatally wounded during rioting in Derry on Thursday night, becoming what is believed to be the first journalist killed in the UK since Martin O’Hagan was shot in Lurgan, County Armagh, in 2001. The 29-year-old was an acclaimed Northern Irish journalist, who wrote about the Troubles and campaigned for LGBT rights.’
I really hope that we’re not regressing back to the bad old days of The Troubles - yet unfortunately it does seem to be escalating to a point where we’ll be there soon enough.
Edit: Lyra McKee killing: ‘New IRA’ admits responsibility - from the BBC.
RIP Lyra McKee.
Hi.
Does anyone have this edition?. I’m looking for a transfer.
I am willing to reach an economic agreement.
No mate - we do not have economic agreements on here. If a project is available then it is always free to obtain 😃
Thank you.
• 'Gary Kurtz - on the Star Wars Special Edition’ youtube video, - by gordongecko1975
• 'Gary Kurtz - on Return of the Jedi’ youtube video, - by gordongecko1975Now i feel honored that my youtube uploads contributed to this awesome thread. 😃 A truly intricate collection of sources oojason! Great work.
^ Ha! Brilliant mate 😃 I’d no idea of that - though am really pleased to find more of the sources used for this are from members of our own community ❤️
And many thanks everyone for all the kind words - they are very much appreciated ✊
Hopefully we’ll see more of this - including gameplay footage - at E3 in June (or hopefully sooner…)
An intriguing concept, TK42-WAN - good luck with this 😃
The Champions League Quarter-Final Draw:-
Spurs beat Man City, 4-4 on aggregate (Spurs go through on away goals) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=insYFfPrrFo
Liverpool beat Porto, 6-1 on aggregate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp3i_TVlI5k
Barcelona beat Man Utd, 4-0 on aggregate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G84nbLfT95w
Ajax beat Juventus, 3-2 on aggregate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q5g8kD92nY
^ Man City thinking they’d scored a 93rd minute injury-time goal, in a fantastic end-to-end and topsy-turvy match, to take them through to the Semi-Final - yet to only have it ruled out by VAR for offside… that must hurt…
The CL Semi-Final Draw is:-
Spurs vs Ajax
Barcelona vs Liverpool
https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague : https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague : https://www.facebook.com/ChampionsLeague/
Well in Mielr - and congrats and best wishes on the new career 😃
That looks a quality and intriguing documentary…
Terminator 2’s T-1000: The “Splash Head” Effect…
^ An A-Wing Submarine - the guy built it himself! More info here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng_E0e5w05s
Members of the 501st helping out in The Mandalorian…
^ fair play to the everyone who made that happen - and what a great story for those fans involved to tell… 😃
7 more categories have been added to the original post above (as well as a few more images added to some of the other categories):-
• How many differing releases have there been of the Original Trilogy?
• ‘George’s Vision’ - The Final Cut / 1997 Special Edition - was never released on DVD or blu ray (or other digital formats)
• The 2004 DVD release; there are no mistakes - just ‘deliberate creative decisions’…
• The 2006 DVD ‘bonus disk’ release of the theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy (aka the GOUT…) (as per Rodney’s quality GOUT suggestion for inclusion - nice one & many thanks)
• The 2011 blu ray release; even more changes - ‘NOOooooo!’ - and yet still not many fixes…
• The changing colour and reduced detail of the Original Trilogy films - through the various Special Edition releases…
• Why does this site want a release of the unaltered theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy?
If you have any suggestions for topics or subjects to be included here, please let us know - thank you.
Hopefully this OT•com signpost thread will help highlight and chronicle just some of George Lucas’ many contradictions and his continual revisionism of Star Wars history - especially in regards to the ideas and planning stages for the Original Trilogy films.
To be introductory source of information - attempting to catalog the countless erroneous claims and seemingly hypocritical statements from Lucasfilm and / or George himself - in one centralised thread. Also featured in here is some information on the evolution of Star Wars; from the ideas & planning stages, to the screen, and then later changes made for the 1997, 2004, and 2011 Special Edition releases…
’Why is this needed?’ some may ask…
A recent conversation on here regarding some of Lucas’ re-writing of events struck a chord; for over 20 years now the theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy has been suppressed. Other than old VHS tapes, laserdiscs or the substandard non-anamorphic DVD ‘bonus’ release in 2006 (a then-13 year old laserdisc transfer), the only way to watch these versions has been by unofficial means [cough] - or settle and watch the various official ‘George’s visions’ & much-changed ‘Special Edition’ releases…
Many of the new generation(s) of fans are seemingly oblivious that the original theatrical versions actually exist - and also seemingly quite unaware and uninformed about Lucas’ alterations to the history of Star Wars. Therefore, they are generally accepting of George’s revised statements; taking them as true and accurate accounts - when in reality… many are anything but.
Of course, some excellent and exhaustively detailed resources already exist and are available in book form - notably zombie84’s insightful ‘The Secret History of Star Wars’, and JW Rinzler’s illuminatory ‘Making Of’ trilogy of books (based on the Charles Lippincott interviews) for the three classic films, amongst other books of quality too. Yet these can be quite expensive to obtain - and are only up to date with information to hand at the time of going to the presses.
Simple, easy-to-digest and free information cataloging many of Lucas’ re-interpretations remains few and far between.
Whilst there are a few quality articles remain online, they often concentrate on a singular topic or issue - and are also now fewer in number - as years go by some sites become defunct, or links to them removed & broken. Though a number of posts and threads made here on the OT•com do highlight some of the historical alterations by Lucas, some are with links to articles and interviews that no longer function too, or are without citations, or focus more on the better-known revisionist aspects…
And so there is seemingly no focal point of information which catalogs many of the various retcons and conflicting statements from George himself - that can be found in one centralised place. Hence the creation of this thread - an attempt to try and remedy that… - or hopefully inspire (or horrify) someone to improve upon this & create a far better account of their own! 👍
(Though if anyone does find or know of such an online bastion of knowledge & information which already exists - please let us know!)
If you have any suggestions, or have specific subjects / topics for inclusion to this thread, or any additional info and quality sources, please post them below - with a citation (a link to an article, website, book, interview, or a video etc) - thank you.
Just a quick note…
As mentioned above, there have been quite a few contradictory claims and retcons on the history and development of Star Wars over the years from George himself. Attempting to highlight the intriguing and factual account of The Galaxy Far Far Away isn’t a ‘bashing Lucas’ exercise or unfounded criticism of the man himself - more a striving for an accurate, revision-free, and authentic record on the history and evolution of Star Wars.
Also, not everyone will agree with certain segments of the information provided below - some of it is indeed subjective - and may likely come down to that old, familiar, and somewhat convenient phrase…
Speaking of which, for clarity - this post has been compiled as a member of this site - and NOT as a moderator.
1 • The Number of Episodes in the Star Wars Saga…
2 • How Star Wars Was Saved In The Edit…
3 • Star Wars 1977 title crawl - no ‘A New Hope’, and no ‘Episode IV’.
4 • Vader: ‘Luke, originally I was NOT your father’ (Anakin & Vader were two entirely separate characters)
5 • The origin of the Vader name…
6 • Who is the main character in the Star Wars Saga?
7 • On Leia not being Luke’s sister…
8 • Jabba originally was a human; from planning to filming…
9 • How secrecy drove a wedge between Darth Vader actor David Prowse and Lucasfilm.
10 • Changes to the Return Of The Jedi script & film - and also Lucas’ outlook on film-making…
11 • Lucas reduces the collaboration process of film-making during Return Of The Jedi, reducing it further over time, and into the Prequels…
12 • The many changes made to the Original Trilogy over time…
13 • How many differing releases have there been of the Original Trilogy?
14 • The 1997 Special Editions - George Lucas’ ‘vision’ - was essentially a paid-for experiment and practice for the coming CGI-heavy Prequel Trilogy.
15 • Lucas stated the 1997 Special Edition was meant to be ‘the final cut’…
16 • ‘George’s Vision’ - The Final Cut / 1997 Special Edition - was never released on DVD or blu ray (or other digital format)
17 • The 2004 Special Edition DVD release; there were no mistakes - just ‘deliberate creative decisions’…
18 • The Lucasfilm claim that… ‘The negatives of the movies were permanently altered for the creation of the Special Editions’…
19 • The 2006 DVD ‘bonus disk’ release of the theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy (aka the GOUT…)
20 • The 2011 blu ray release; even more changes - ‘NOOooooo!’ - and yet still not many fixes…
21 • The changing colour and reduced detail of the Original Trilogy films - through the various Special Edition releases…
22 • Much of the original groundbreaking & award winning work, along with that by the talented artists and craftsmen (and women), has been lost or altered since the introduction of the Special Editions…
23 • Lucasfilm removing people who worked on / contributed to the Original Trilogy films from history…
24 • Han Shot First…
25 • George Lucas claims in 2012 that Han NEVER Shot First…
26 • How Harrison Ford got the part of Han Solo; Harrison’s story - and George’s…
27 • Han Solo was planned to appear in Episode III.
28 • Jabba; the differences from being human in a 1977 (deleted scene), to changes in 1997, and further changes in 2004…
29 • The contradictions / discrepancies / plot holes between the Prequel and Original Trilogies…
30 • Midichlorians and The Force… (and a 30 year retcon by Lucas)
31 • Buyer Beware: Lucasfilm authorised / released material indicating a certain era or time - may well contain Special Edition content inserted into it.
32 • Lucas hypocritical statements 1; George Lucas: ‘People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians’…
33 • Lucas hypocritical statements 2; George Lucas: ‘American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history’…
34 • Lucas hypocritical statements 3; Do As I Say, Not As I Do: George Lucas Quotes on Film Preservation.
35 • Lucas hypocritical statements 4; Lucas Refuses to Co-Operate with Government Film Preservation Organizations.
36 • Lucas hypocritical statements 5; The Greatest Speech Against the Special Edition was from George Lucas…
37 • Why does this site want a release of the unaltered theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy?
1. The Number of Episodes in the Star Wars Saga…
Two interviews with quotes from George Lucas; one from Bantha Tracks, one from Prevue…
In May 1980, Lucas announced in Bantha Tracks the 12-film approach had been scrapped:-
Bantha Tracks: “At one point there were going to be twelve Star Wars films.”
GL: “I cut that number down to nine because the other three were tangential to the saga.”
&
in the 1980 interview with Prevue:-
GL: “When the smoke cleared, I said, ‘This is really great. I’ll do another trilogy that takes place after this.’ I had three trilogies of nine films, and then another couple of odd films. Essentially, there were twelve films.”
^ The Lost Star Wars Stories: Episodes X-XII - article from The Secret History of Star Wars website.
’Once Upon A Galaxy: A Journal of The Making of The Empire Strikes Back’ by Alan Arnold (pages 244-248).
GL: “I have story treatments on all nine. I also have voluminous notes, histories, and other material I’ve developed for various purposes. Some of it will be used, some not. Originally, when I wrote Star Wars, it developed into an epic on the scale of War and Peace, so big I couldn’t possibly make it into a movie. So I cut it in half, but it was still too big, so I cut each half into three parts. I then had material for six movies. After the success of Star Wars I added another trilogy but stopped there, primarily because reality took over. After all, it takes three years to prepare and make a Star Wars picture. How many years are left? So I’m still left with three trilogies of nine films. At two hours each, that’s about eighteen hours of film!”
^ OT.com Thread : TheForce.net Forum Thread
’Creating The Galaxy: Myth Maker And Jedi Master George Lucas In His Own Words’, by Amy Longsdorf.
GL: "Yes. The series starts with Darth Vader as a young lad and ends with him dying. So I don’t know where else I can take it.
Interviewer: “Wasn’t there talk at one time of three trilogies?”
GL: “That was created by the media, not by me.”
And yet George is also on film, clearly stating that…
GL: ‘They’re nine films - I think of it more the as three three-act plays’ - at 2m 27s in this video from Celebration 2019 - link
Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye
'In the midst of fraught post-production on Star Wars, George Lucas was planning ahead. As we reported in our previous The Great Unmade: Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye, Lucas was hedging his bets. He wasn’t convinced that his space opera would be a great success, and considered using his ghost author for the novelization, Alan Dean Foster, to help him thrash out a sequel.
Rather than just be a tie-in novel, this could be a cheaply filmed follow-up. In October 1976, Lucas, Foster and Lucasfilm vice president Charles Lippincott had protracted story conferences about how to follow up Star Wars, and adapt this sequel for the screen.
Their conversation was recently transcribed by J W Rinzler, author of the acclaimed “Making Of” books on the Star Wars films, and appeared in Star Wars Insider magazine. Among the surprises that result from their brainstorming is the fact that:
Lucas didn’t think Vader was a strong villain
Leia could run off with a Wookiee, and possibly be killed off, or at least get a gruesome pummeling
Luke would be tougher and more worldly (they didn’t think they’d get Harrison Ford back)’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
Star Wars Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye Story Conference - article at the Cinetropolis website.
‘Imagine if you will, Star Wars hasn’t taken off quite as well as we now know. George Lucas had a contingency plan. He approached writer Alan Dean Foster, who ghost wrote the novelization of Star Wars, to come up with a story that could be knocked out as a quickie screen sequel. That story became the first Star Wars spin-off novel, and later comic adaptation, Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
The Great Unmade? Star Wars: Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye - article at the Cinetropolis website.
2. How Star Wars Was Saved In The Edit…
An insightful video essay exploring how the talented editing team for Star Wars recut and rearranged 1977’s Star Wars to create the cinematic classic it became:-
How Star Wars was saved in the Edit youtube video, by RocketJump
&
‘Biographer Dale Pollock once wrote that Marcia was George Lucas’ “secret weapon.” Most people are aware that George Lucas was once married, and probably some are aware that his wife worked in the film industry herself and edited all of George’s early films before their 1983 divorce. But few are aware of the implications that her presence brought, and the transformations her departure allowed. She was, in many ways, more than just the supportive wife–she was a partner as well. “Not a fifty percent partner,” as she herself admits, but nonetheless an important one, and the only person that Lucas could totally confide in back then. Today, she has been practically erased from the history books at Lucasfilm.
Looking through J.W. Rinzler’s Making of Star Wars, she is mentioned only occasionally in passing, a background element, and not a single word of hers is quoted; she is a silent extra, absent from any photographs and only indirectly acknowledged, her contributions downplayed. In the documentary Empire of Dreams, she is barely even mentioned in passing, except when the narration states that she edited the film and Lucas says he “got divorced as Jedi was complete” in the last two minutes of the supposedly-definitive documentary. Other products fare not much better, since many of them are published through Lucasfilm; her entire existence has nearly been ignored. Marcia Lucas, the “other” Lucas, has basically become the forgotten Lucas.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
In Tribute to Marcia Lucas - article from The Secret History of Star Wars website.
It is interesting to note that Marcia Lucas remains the only Lucas to win an Academy Award for Star Wars (along with Paul Hirsch & Richard Chew for Film Editing).
3. Star Wars 1977 title crawl - no ‘A New Hope’, and no ‘Episode IV’…
Not so much a contradictory statement or attempt to rewrite history - though listed here for info & reference…
Star Wars: Art Of The Title - article from the Art Of The Title website
&
'When Star Wars was originally released in 1977 it was but a single movie.
A single movie that smashed attendance records all around the world and everyone who saw that movie in that theatrical run saw that now famous title crawl without reference to ‘A New Hope’.
Star Wars was simply called Star Wars.
Spring forward to the making of The Empire Strikes Back. During production, George Lucas was sufficiently sound of a mind that he had lots of Star Wars stories to tell - some of them were set before Star Wars so he came up with the idea that The Empire Strikes Back was actually Episode 5.
So Empire was released in 1980 to even bigger success than the original film with a crawl that referenced the story as being Episode 5.
This lead to a second theatrical release of the original movies in 1981 and it was at this point that George Lucas added ‘A New Hope’ to the film’s crawl.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
When did Star Wars become known as A New Hope? - article from the In A Far Away Galaxy website.
‘The original opening crawl had text on 21 lines, so to still keep it the same runtime after adding the title in 1981 the spacing of the words were adjusted (1). This also changed the musical timing of the paragraphs (2). “Rebel” is now capitalized as well. (1981)’:-
^ The above text and image are taken from the Star Wars Comparison twitter page - by OT•com member doubleofive
4. Vader: ‘Luke, originally I was not your father’…
Vader and Luke’s father (Anakin - or rather ‘Annikin’) were two entirely separate characters…
The Birth of Father Skywalker - article from The Secret History of Star Wars website.
Also please read the ‘Darth Vader’s name does not mean Dark Father’ article from the In A Far Away Galaxy website, linked below, in the next category…
5. The origin of the Vader name…
GL: ‘“Darth” is a variation of dark. And “Vader” is a variation of father. So it’s basically Dark Father. All the names have history, but sometimes I make mistakes – Luke was originally going to be called Luke Starkiller, but then I realized that wan’t appropriate for the character. It was appropriate for Anakin, but not his son. I said, “Wait, we can’t weigh this down too much – he’s the one that redeems him.’
^ George Lucas and the Cult of Darth Vader - article from Rolling Stone (2005)
Yet we already know that Darth Vader was not Luke’s father (Anakin, a separate character was Luke’s father) - and Vader being made Luke’s father was only a ret-con made for Empire Strikes Back. It is in fact a pure coincidence that Vader became Luke’s Father - and the German “Vater” meaning father, are similar.
More information can be found here:-
Darth Vader’s name was NOT a clue that he was Luke’s father…
Darth Vader’s name does not mean Dark Father - article from the In A Far Away Galaxy website.
&
Did German Speakers Understand The Darth Vader Reveal Before Anyone Else? - article from the Forbes website.
6. Who is the main character in the Star Wars Saga?
’Creating The Galaxy: Myth Maker And Jedi Master George Lucas In His Own Words’, by Amy Longsdorf. : OT.com Thread
GL: “It’s really a story about Darth Vader. Luke and Leia became central figures and had a strong impact. But I knew if I gave Darth Vader his due, you would understand what a tragic story the whole thing was and it would change the way you look at the other movies. So that’s why I did it.”
Contrary to the above, in 1976, when talking about a sequel film that would become the ‘Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye’ novel…
GL: “The other thing we haven’t dealt with is Darth Vader. But Darth Vader, as we discovered in this picture, tends to be pushy; he’s not strong enough as the villain to hold the villain role. he doesn’t have the persona that you need. You really need a Cushing guy, a really slimy, ugly….”
(As already listed in this thread - we know that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were two entirely separate characters… until being retconned in Empire Strikes Back.)
^ The above info is taken from the Star Wars Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye Story Conference article - at the Cinetropolis website.
Many of the draft scripts for Star Wars were titled ‘Star Wars: The Adventures of Luke Starkiller’ too (before Luke was given the surname ‘Skywalker’ instead), which would seem to confirm the story being about Luke, as can be found at the link below:-
Starkiller - The Jedi Bendu Script Site
There is also no mention of Darth Vader at all in the earlier 1973 Story Synopsis - yet a version of the character of Luke features prominently, which can be found at:-
Starkiller - The Jedi Bendu Script Site
Officially released Star Wars novelisations also referred to the ‘Adventures Of Luke Skywalker’ too…
‘Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker’ - archived StarWars•com website link to the novelisation of the film
‘Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker’ - Wikipedia page (for additional info)
As well as officially released record and cassettes for The Empire Strikes Back too…
The Empire Strikes Back - From the Adventures Of Luke Skywalker - vinyl & cassette cover info at the Restraining Bolt website
7. On Leia not being Luke’s sister…
Leia was not originally Luke’s sister - there was another character who was Luke’s sister in the planning stages, and through the Star Wars & Empire Strikes Back films (cue incestuous kisses - and more emphasis for a love triangle between Luke, Han & Leia in earlier drafts of Empire) - then retconned to be Luke’s sister for Return Of The Jedi…
The Empire Strikes Back – First Draft by Leigh Brackett article from T-bone’s StarWarz.com site
&
The name of Luke’s sister (before Leia was retconned to be his sister for ROTJ) was… Nellith.
Did German Speakers Understand The Darth Vader Reveal Before Anyone Else? article from the Forbes website.
8. Jabba was originally a human - from planning stages to filming…
Jabba was originally planned to be human - and was indeed played by actor Declan Mulholland - in full screen-ready costume. The scene never made it to the final cut of the film - though was re-introduced for the 1997 Special Edition with a now alien CGI Jabba (with further changes being made on the CGI in 2004).
More info - Jabba the Hutt: “Wonderful Human Being” - article from The Secret History of Star Wars website.
Additional info - The truth about Jabba the Hutt article, from the Episode Nothing: Star Wars in the 1970’s blog.
Interesting to also note there are no sketches, workings or plans for an alien Jabba prior of those for the 1997 Special Editions. And despite the time and budget constraints at the time… a full screen-ready costume was still made and fitted for actor Declan Mulholland to wear for the part of Jabba.
Gary Kurtz being interviewed on video re the 1997 Special Editions; remarks if Jabba had been an alien the scene would have been shot differently, and that the 1997 SE Jabba scenes was superfluous - as the Greedo Cantina scenes had already explained what was needed to the audience beforehand:-
Gary Kurtz on the Star Wars Special Edition youtube video, by gordongecko1975 (aka OT•com member Haarspalter)
9. How secrecy drove a wedge between Darth Vader actor David Prowse and Lucasfilm.
'When work began on The Empire Strikes Back the following year, Lucas went to famously elaborate lengths to protect further leaks. The film’s third-act revelation was left out of the shooting script given to the cast and crew; while the physical confrontation between Luke and Darth Vader remained, the famous line, “I am your father,” was kept a secret.
According to several interviews given by members of the cast since, the only people who knew about the line were Lucas, producer Gary Kurtz, and director Irvin Kershner. Kershner eventually told Luke actor Mark Hamill, but only shortly before the scene was filmed. James Earl Jones, the actor who provided Darth Vader’s voice, was given the correct dialogue much later during post-production; during filming, Prowse was either given a different line to utter on stage, or never said it at all, depending on which account you read.
To obfuscate the truth even further, the filmmakers took the unusual step of handing around fake versions of the script to actors “who we felt were security risks,” according to Richard Marquand.
“There was one particular actor who gave an interview to the English press about the movie’s plot,” Marquand said, “which extremely upset us. But we knew that the actor was a security risk and had actually not given him the correct lines of dialogue. He fell completely into the trap.”
Marquand then went on to suggest that the actor - who he doesn’t name - then repeated the information in the fake script to the journalist. Sure enough, the next day, “the paper came out, having printed all this totally misleading information.”
'The making of Empire and Return Of The Jedi were both difficult processes, for a variety of reasons, whether it was actors clashing with directors or directors clashing with Lucas. The desire for utmost secrecy certainly didn’t help - especially when wily reporters started calling.
According to Prowse, one journalist called him at his gym one day in the early 80s, ostensibly to talk to him about his weightlifting career. Prowse agreed, and, according to his recollection, published at The Void, the reporter didn’t start talking about Star Wars until halfway through their conversation.
He turned up at my gymnasium that evening and halfway through he says, ‘you know you’re being killed off in this movie, don’t you? And another guy’s playing the dying Darth Vader?’ I said ‘they wouldn’t do that – they wouldn’t go and unmask somebody else after I’ve played the part for six years’. He asked if I had a call sheet, and he looked at it and it said: ‘Dave Prowse, Darth Vader, Studio 1’, and underneath it ‘Sebastian Shaw, Anakin Skywalker, Studio 10’.’
Prowse goes on to say that, the next day, the Daily Mail ran a story with the headline, “Darth Vader to be killed off in the next movie, in an interview with David Prowse.”
“And that ruined my association with Star Wars,” Prowse said. “I was ostracised while on the movie, the producer and director wouldn’t work with me and Lucas wouldn’t speak to me. I had six weeks of purgatory.”
'Years later, director Marcus Cabotoa’s 2015 documentary ‘I Am Your Father’ attempted to dig into the story behind Prowse’s deteriorating relationship with Lucasfilm, and even managed to track down the Daily Mail journalist who’d spoken to Prowse at his gymnasium all those year earlier. According to the journalist, Prowse hadn’t spoiled anything - the leak had evidently emerged from another source.
Nevertheless, the damage was done. Prowse was barely used in Return Of The Jedi, lost contact with George Lucas after the film’s making and, in 2010, effectively blocked from appearing at official Star Wars conventions - apparently because of his participation in ‘The People Versus George Lucas’, a documentary that painted the Star Wars creator in a less than flattering light.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
Star Wars: how secrecy drove a wedge between Darth Vader and Lucasfilm - article from the Den Of Geek website.
10. Changes to the Return Of The Jedi script & film - and also Lucas’ outlook on film-making…
'Luke Skywalker, the Lucas-like hero in Star Wars, left more than his uncle’s moisture farm on the arid planet of Tatooine. He’s also headed for America’s merchandise marts. “In a way this film was designed around toys,” Lucas says, lighting up at the subject. He may look like a brooding scientist, but the man is boyish, on one subject at least. “I actually make toys. I’m not making much for directing this movie. If I make money, it will be from the toys.”
Upcoming are Marvel comic books, inflatable laser swords, miniature ape-like Wookiees, T-shirts, a gilded C-3PO (the movie’s homage to the Tin Man), computer games, posters, a mock-up Imperial Death Star spaceship, and Obi-Wan, perhaps the first-ever senior-citizen doll. The goodies are due at counters this summer.
“I don’t consider it cashing in, but I have invested in a toy company operation. Also, we’ll be involved with the largest toy company in the world. This could be very large.”
“I think of this as a movie Disney would have made when Walt Disney was alive.” Chatting while watching rushes, Lucas feels the need to explain. “I call it ‘space opera.’ That’s a genre that’s been around a long time, in the books of Burroughs and Heinlein, but never really done on film.”
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
40-year-old George Lucas interview predicts Star Wars’ future with Disney - at LATimes.com (original interview in 1977).
By the time Return of The Jedi was being planned… the Star Wars universe had already become a phenomenon, the first two films in the Trilogy had been box office successes, merchandise was everywhere, and The Galaxy Far Far Away had entrenched itself in popular culture.
Lucas was now in charge of his own very successful, respected and powerful film company - and yet he felt somewhat disappointed by the Empire Strikes Back. The film hadn’t made as much money as the previous Star Wars; was a much-delayed and costly production, had conflicted fans by not having a resolution to the end of the film, and wasn’t designed to appeal to younger fans - the very people who Lucas wanted to be buying more post-film toys and merchandise (of which Lucas had the lucrative exclusive licencing rights to).
Empire had been left in the hands of producer Gary Kurtz and director Irwin Kershner - Lucas had hardly featured onset for Empire (apparently only visiting for three days). Yet Empire came in significantly over-budget and yet despite making a handsome profit, had left Lucas somewhat disenthralled - he had risked his own money to finance the film, afterall.
Further Reading: The Empire Strikes Back and So Does George Lucas - 1980 article at RollingStone.com
Further Reading: An ‘interview with Gary Kurtz back in 2002’ - article at ASiteCalledFred.com
George had since spent time on making ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’ with Steven Spielberg - a simple yet engaging set-piece adventure romp that proved to be a runaway success - which made considerably more money than Empire at a lower cost of production, and was also a less troubled & much shorter production too.
And so for the coming Return Of The Jedi, Lucas decided to back himself and reclaim the reigns for the final part of the Star Wars Trilogy - whilst making some adjustments; including bringing back on board ‘Raiders’ scriptwriter Lawrence Kasdan, and hiring of a young, more malleable, in Richard Marquand. This time Lucas would be on set every day, even doing 2nd unit directing - essentially being the co-director, and also overseeing the entire production.
Other adjustments were to the film story and script - gone was the original character-led bittersweet climax envisaged for ROTJ (discussed below), and it’s place a more action-led set-piece adventure - appealing to a more younger audience - complete with a simpler, happier and final resolution for the film. Afterall, it is the younger audiences who would be clamouring for all those toys and other merchandise of which Lucas also profited from.
Yet not everyone at Lucasfilm was enamoured by Lucas’ change of plans…
Gary Kurtz - on Return of the Jedi youtube video, - by gordongecko1975 (aka OT•com member Haarspalter)
^ The video includes why he didn’t work on the film, as well as the changes made to the story to establish a more more-action orientated film (and repeat things already done before previously) - at the expense of originally planned character-developed film.
“I could see where things were headed,” Kurtz said. “The toy business began to drive the [Lucasfilm] empire. It’s a shame. They make three times as much on toys as they do on films. It’s natural to make decisions that protect the toy business but that’s not the best thing for making quality films.”
He added: “The first film and ‘Empire’ were about story and character but I could see that George’s priorities were changing.”
"The emphasis on the toys, it’s like the cart driving the horse," Kurtz said. “If it wasn’t for that the films would be done for their own merits. The creative team wouldn’t be looking over their shoulder all the time.”
“We had an outline and George changed everything in it,” Kurtz said. “Instead of bittersweet and poignant he wanted a euphoric ending with everybody happy. The original idea was that they would recover [the kidnapped] Han Solo in the early part of story and that he would then die in the middle part of the film in a raid on an Imperial base. George then decided he didn’t want any of the principals killed. By that time there were really big toy sales and that was a reason.”
The discussed ending of the film that Kurtz favored presented the rebel forces in tatters, Leia grappling with her new duties as queen and Luke walking off alone “like Clint Eastwood in the spaghetti westerns,” as Kurtz put it.
Kurtz said that ending would have been a more emotionally nuanced finale to an epic adventure than the forest celebration of the Ewoks that essentially ended the trilogy with a teddy-bear luau.
He was especially disdainful of the Lucas idea of a second Death Star, which he felt would be too derivative of the 1977 film. “So we agreed that I should probably leave.”
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz speaks out a 2010 article from the LA Times website.
From a 2002 interview with Star Wars & Empire Strikes Back producer Gary Kurtz, by Ken Plume:-
^ The above images, and far more intriguing and detailed information from the entire absorbing interview can be found in the links below…
The An ‘interview with Gary Kurtz back in 2002’ (by Ken Plume) article from the A Site Called Fred website. The snippet images above are taken from Page 6 & Page 7 of the 9 page interview.
Various drafts, notes and the script for Return Of The Jedi (and when it was also known as ‘Revenge Of The Jedi’) can be found at the Starkiller - The Jedi Bendu Script Site.
11. Lucas reduces the collaboration process of film-making during Return Of The Jedi, reducing it further over time, and into the Prequels…
At 64m 48s in ‘The People vs George Lucas’ documentary:-
GL: ‘I did have a very strong feeling about being able to be in control of my work and not having people tamper with it.’
immediately continued with footage from a different interview:-
'I don’t have to answer to anybody, I don’t have anyone telling me what to do - that’s what I’ve earned.’
Later, at 1h 21m 47s in ‘The People vs George Lucas’ documentary (and also from ‘The Empire Of Dreams’ documentary):-
GL: 'When I was sort of fighting the corporate system, which I didn’t like, and I’m not happy that the corporations had taken over the film industry… Now I find myself being the head of a large corporation. So there is a certain irony there - I have become the very thing I was trying to avoid. That is a bit Darth Vader - he becomes the very thing he tries to protect himself against.’
Anthony Daniels: “George has changed a lot over the years, but I think he finds it slightly hard to collaborate. He made decisions that I believe might have been better discussed with other people.”
^ From Anthony Daniels Slams Disney’s ‘Kremlin Attitude’ Over ‘Force Awakens’ - article at the Variety website.
Mark Hamill: [on Gary Kurtz leaving Star Wars] it was like “Mom and Dad getting a divorce.”
^ From Original Star Wars producer explains what went wrong after Empire Strikes Back - article at the io9Gizmodo website.
Mark Hamill: “She [Marcia Lucas] was really the warmth and the heart of those films, a good person he could talk to, bounce ideas off of, who would tell him when he was wrong.”
^ From Mark Hamill Walks Down Memory Lane with Film Freak Central - article at the Film Freak Central website.
Dale Pollock: ‘He hated directing, because he hated collaboration. “I just don’t want my vision muddied,” he [Lucas] told me in an interview for my book ‘Skywalking: The Life & Films of George Lucas’, regarding accusations that he is resistant to feedback’.
^ From How Star Wars Nearly Destroyed George Lucas - article at The New Republic website.
^ From An ‘interview with Gary Kurtz back in 2002’ (by Ken Plume) - article at the A Site Called Fred website.
^ From An ‘interview with Gary Kurtz back in 2002’ (by Ken Plume) - article at the A Site Called Fred website.
GL: “There is no such thing as working over someone’s shoulder,” & “You’re either the dictator or you’re not. And to do that would never work, so I said ‘I’m going to get divorced.’ . . . I knew that I couldn’t be involved. All I’d do is make them miserable. I’d make myself miserable. It would probably ruin a vision — J.J. has a vision, and it’s his vision.”
^ From George Lucas: To feel the true force of Star Wars, he had to learn to let it go - article at The Washington Post website.
Star Wars Episode I: What Went Wrong - youtube video, by singletakeproduction
‘Lucas’ own conception of the series is lacking in character depth and nuance; Lucas lost creative control of Empire Strikes Back, creating the false expectation that the films would stylistically continue to be mature and character-driven; Lucas creatively collaborated in a very heavy manner in his earlier efforts; and he did not have as much clout or status and thus was challenged more. Conversely, beginning with Return of the Jedi a process of centralization occurred, where Lucas assigned himself dictatorial control and imposed his demands much more strongly, without as much counterbalance of input from others. This methodology was comparably minor in that film but in the prequels it became all-pervasive–the scripting was a singular effort, without much criticism, editing or input from outside individuals, at least in the same profound and integral manner that the earlier films were made with.’
^ From Nature of the Beast… (‘Lucas’ Early Methods’ section) - article at The Secret History Of Star Wars website.
The collaboration process - of having many talented and skilled people in their respective fields of expertise around to offer advice, ask questions of, make suggestions, bounce ideas back and forth, to challenge you, and essentially say ‘no, that’s a bad idea’… which seemed to be there in abundance for the for Star Wars & Empire - with being somewhat reduced for Jedi…
And yet for the Prequels, these all seemed to be absent. George, as writer, director, producer and overseer of the whole project - seemingly did just too much, without the input from those around him previously. Even stating after watching an early edit of the film - ‘I may have gone too far in some places’ and also the later claim of it being a ‘bold new style’…
Going on some of the various quotes above, George admittedly prefers it to be this way - which is his prerogative, of course. Fewer differences of opinion, fewer voices of dissent, the majority of filming done in a studio with CGI making it for a quicker, easier and cheaper process. No extreme weather conditions delaying filming anymore - costing valuable time & money - eating into the profits. Get the shot done whilst sitting and drinking coffee in the studio - and then just move onto the next shot.
George had evolved his film-making process over the years to just that - to be quicker, easier, more seductive - yet we all know what lay ahead down that path…
12. The many changes made to the Original Trilogy over time…
Info on many of the changes made to the Original Trilogy films over the years:-
‘Who Shot First? The Complete List Of Star Wars Changes’ - an Empire film magazine article
Wookieepedia’s ‘List of changes in Star Wars re-releases’ page
‘All Changes Made To Star Wars’ (Original Trilogy) - YouTube Videos by Marcelo Zuniga : SW - Part 1 : SW - Part 2 : ESB : ROTJ
‘Star Wars Special Edition Visual Comparisons’ blog by doubleofive; with links to Photo Galleries here - SW : ESB : ROTJ
‘Star Wars Special Edition Visual Comparisons’ twitter page by doubleofive
A helpful overview of the changes to the OT - and surrounding issues - from zombie84’s SaveStarWars•com’s FAQ Page - link
DVDActive•com’s ‘Star Wars - The Changes’ articles (via Web•Archive•org) - SW : ESB : ROTJ : The Prequels
and these superb and informative OriginalTrilogy•com threads, here - Complete Comparison of Special Edition Visual Changes, Sources on the Special Edition and Modern SE Revisionism - all painstakingly compiled by the multi-talented doubleofive - a much valued member & contributor to this site.
Many of the changes made to the Original Trilogy over time can be also found in the following thread:-
An OriginalTrilogy.com timeline thread - a history of the site and why & how it came to be…
13. How many differing releases have there been of the Original Trilogy?
This Wookieepedia page provides a decent chronicle of the various home releases of the Star Wars films - including the Prequel and Sequel trilogies, along with many of the other Star Wars spin-offs:-
This quality resource (by OT•com member NeverarGreat) may be of interest for anyone wanting to know the screen quality of the various Original Trilogy official releases - and also some of the more popular preservation and recreation projects on here from down the years:-
Video Collector (also an OT•com member) has an informative website full of useful info and photos from the many various Original Trilogy release formats - all the way through to the DVD releases:-
14. The 1997 Special Editions - George Lucas’ ‘vision’ - was essentially a paid-for experiment and practice for the coming CGI-heavy Prequel Trilogy.
[In 1993…] 'Lucasfilm and Fox began discussing the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the original film. “One of the reasons I chose to reissue the films rather than do a convention or one of the other things that was suggested for the twentieth anniversary was at the time we thought about all of this I had a two-year-old son,” Lucas would later explain. "And I thought, ‘I’m not going to show him the film on video, I’m going to wait and let him see it on the big screen the way it was meant to be, and let him really be overwhelmed by the whole thing.’ Lucas remembers in 1997: “This was supposed to be a nice little twentieth anniversary for the fans.” Lucas had also long complained about a compromising 1976 shoot, and surmised that perhaps a few special effects could be added or cleaned up, similar to the way Steven Spielberg had done a slightly spiffier Close Enocunters “Special Edition” in 1980.
FX wiz Dennis Muren then suggested that the release offered the opportunity to correct a list of fifteen to twenty shots that had always bothered him. “I suggested to George that we expand the vision and he was open to it,” Muren says. “Motion issues, particularly in the space battle scenes, were my concerns. Then Tom Kennedy and the others contributed their own ideas for redoing shots.”
The “Special Edition” was slowly growing in scale. Lucas was eager to use new CG technology–he had just announced he was making the Prequels, and the Special Edition of STAR WARS was free research and development since Fox was paying the bill. "We called it an experiment in learning new technology," Lucas says, “and hoped that the theatrical release would pay for the work we had done.” Many new insertions were decided upon the basis of their usefulness as learning tools–how to do crowd replication, how to handle extreme close-ups on CG characters, etc.
By the time this “Special Edition” was complete in 1997, the original camera negative had been restored, the sound remixed in 5.1 channel surround, many special effects were re-composited digitally, and the film had been enhanced with CGI in approximately 35 shots, and with an additional 30 brand new shots, offering a markedly different viewing experience.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
How the Grinch Stole Star Wars - article from The Secret History of Star Wars website.
‘While some changes [for the Special Editions] were enacted to re-introduce portions originally (and intentionally) left out of the film–like the Jabba scene, which was never intended to feature an alien Jabba anyway–the bulk of them were enacted for pure revisionism, as Lucas and the effects wizards admitted at the time (though not so much today). It was “an experiment in learning new technology,” as Lucas said at the time, research for ILM that Fox was paying for, and most new shots and altered shots were the product of ILMers Tom Kennedy and Denis Muren, and art director TyRuben Ellingson, rather than Lucas.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
Saving Star Wars: The Special Edition Restoration Process and its Changing Physicality - article from The Secret History of Star Wars website.
15. Lucas stated the 1997 Special Edition was meant to be ‘the final cut’…
'This version–a “Special Edition”: an enhanced, “nice little twentieth anniversary for the fans” and “an experiment in learning new technology”– would soon enough replace the historical, groundbreaking original, which would never, ever be seen again.
Lucas furthermore told American Cinematographer in 1997: “There will only be one. And it won’t be what I would call the ‘rought cut’, it’ll be the 'final cut.’ The other one will be some sort of interesting artifact that people will look at and say, ‘There was an earlier draft of this.’…What ends up being important in my mind is what the DVD version is going to look like, because that’s what everybody is going to remember. The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition]”.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
How the Grinch Stole Star Wars - article from the Save Star Wars website.
16. ‘George’s Vision’ - The Final Cut / 1997 Special Edition - was never released on DVD or blu ray (or any other digital format)
Although the 1997 Special Editions saw releases on VHS and laserdisc, as highlighted in the previous category…
'Lucas furthermore told American Cinematographer in 1997: “There will only be one. And it won’t be what I would call the ‘rought cut’, it’ll be the 'final cut.’ The other one will be some sort of interesting artifact that people will look at and say, ‘There was an earlier draft of this.’…What ends up being important in my mind is what the DVD version is going to look like, because that’s what everybody is going to remember. The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition]”.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
How the Grinch Stole Star Wars - article from the Save Star Wars website.
Yet, as we know, this 1997 Special Edition - ‘The Final Cut’ - was never deemed worthy enough of a release on DVD. Despite George admitting tapes (and analogue media; ie laserdiscs) wouldn’t last for many years - they remained the only options to buy ‘George’s vision’ of the Original Trilogy.
The first time the Original Trilogy would be released on a digital format (DVD) was in 2004 - for another version of the Special Editions - featuring yet even more changes…
The first time the Original Trilogy would be released on blu ray format was in 2011 - for yet another version of the Special Editions - again, and somewhat unsurprisingly, featuring more changes…
17. The 2004 Special Edition DVD release; there were no mistakes - just ‘deliberate creative decisions’…
In September of 2004 the Original Trilogy was released for the first time on DVD - with more changes made to all three films for another Special Edition release…
'These DVDs also received digital restoration and visual enhancement by John D. Lowry. All three films feature an extensively altered color palette, resulting in issues such as crushed blacks, strange blue or magenta color casts, miscolored lightsaber blades, and many other anomalies. The new 5.1 audio mix of [Star Wars ‘77] also had the music’s left and right channels swapped in the rear channels, and in several instances the music was nearly completely mixed out of the film.’
^ from the ‘List of changes in Star Wars re-releases’ - article at the IPFS website.
‘The music is also frequently dialed down so as to be buried under the sound effects; this is less apparent in the stereo mix but it’s noticeable in the 5.1 version. In the worst instances, it is totally gone. Particularly noticeable is the memorable swell during the very first dive towards the Death Star, which now simply isn’t there, whether in stereo or Dolby Digital. Like the swapped channels, it looks like they accidentally dropped the music track here.’
^ from the ‘Can’t Even Get the Special Edition Right’ article at the Save Star Wars website.
Fans at the time were already weary and apprehensive of further multiple changes to being made for another Special Edition release for the these beloved films. And yet Quality Control for this release had been somewhat found wanting - if there at all. Such was the media coverage and fans’ public disquiet on the subject that Lucasfilm issued the following response to try and allay fans’ concerns…
Lucasfilm: “We are always impressed with how closely fans listen to the many different sound mixes we have made for the Star Wars movies over the years. It is flattering to know that, indeed, the audience is listening. Consequently, each mix comes out differently and any changes that you hear on the all-new Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX tracks on the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set are deliberate creative decisions. We can confirm that there are no technical glitches as reported.”
The Lucasfilm statement was widely derided.
It is also worthy of note that for the 2011 blu ray release these ‘deliberate creative decisions’ had been fixed - so the 5.1 audio mix of Star Wars '77 had the correct left and right channels playing in the rear channels.
As stated above…
‘In 2004 George Lucas had the Star Wars Trilogy re-colored for the long awaited DVD release. According to StarWars.com, John Lowry had just “30 break-neck days” to recolor each film. The result was a completely new color palette. The final product has been screened for Lucas multiple times. Watch for crushed black levels, loss of detail, and oversaturation.’ (text taken from the video linked below…)
Star Wars: COLOR COMPARISON - Theatrical vs. 2004 DVD - YouTube video by Save Star Wars
^ Above, the starfield in the background has all but disappeared for the 2004 DVD release…
^ Above, picture detail is lost amongst the darker image for the 2004 DVD release…
Lightsaber colour inconsistencies…
^ From Empire; Vader’s pink lightsaber…
^ From the same scene in Empire, Vader’s lightsaber is now an orangey-yellow…
^ From Return Of The Jedi; Vader’s same lightsaber as used in previously is now reddish-orange… (with an obvious visual error somehow missed by the Quality Control for the 2004 DVD release)
‘In fact, in that example [above], the white cores aren’t just diminished, they don’t even have cores at all. This shot was so infamous that Lucasfilm corrected it for the 2011 Blu-ray (most other instances were left uncorrected).’
^ The above images and much more in-depth information can be found in the link below…
Can’t Even Get the Special Edition Right - article at the Save Star Wars website.
18. The Lucasfilm claim that… ‘The negatives of the movies were permanently altered for the creation of the Special Editions’.
Back in May of 2006, Lucasfilm responded to the the many emails, letters and messages received from fans all over the world voicing their displeasure and disappointment that the upcoming release of the 2006 DVD Boxset would feature a non-anamorphic (and 13 year old laserdisc transfer) release of the theatrical editions of the Original Trilogy films as a ‘bonus’ feature of the 2004 Special Editions.
Highlighted on this very website, (and also at 33m 20s of ‘The People vs George Lucas’ documentary), the following statement on the forthcoming 2006 DVD release of the Original Trilogy - and fans’ issues and concerns with it - was issued by Lucasfilm:-
‘We hoped that releasing those “original” movies on a bonus disc would be a way to have some additional fun with the debut of the movies as individual DVDs.’
^ The original theatrical versions are just that - the original; they really don’t require “” around them. Being the only official digital release of the the original theatrical versions to date (albeit a substandard then-13 year old laserdisc transfer) is ‘additional fun’?
and…
‘The negatives of the movies were permanently altered for the creation of the Special Editions, and existing prints of the first versions are in poor condition.’
^ Few people believe Lucasfilm (or the restoration team) cut up the original negative - or that copies weren’t made before work commenced on the negatives.
Saving Star Wars: The Special Edition Restoration Process and its Changing Physicality - article at the Secret History of Star Wars website, provides more in-depth information on this.
and then later…
'…since these movies do not represent George’s artistic vision, we could not put the extraordinary time and resources into this project as we did with the Special Editions.’
^ Yet most of the film - bar the new Special Edition changes - had already been completed as part of the whole process. So it was just the sections of the film that were replaced or altered by the SE changes that required ‘the extraordinary time and resources’ which had already put into the release.
The ‘the extraordinary time and resources into this project’ turned out not to be so extraordinary either. As indicated by people who actually worked on the 2004 Restoration… time constraints and money prevented them from achieving a better quality product - as well as an apparent lack of quality control or care from Lucas himself.
More info can found in these two OT•com threads - Interview with Marc Wielage, colorist Star Wars 2004 DVD releases & 4K restoration on Star Wars (Lowry Digital / Reliance Media).
and finally…
‘We want you to be aware we have no plans, now or in the future, to restore the earlier versions.’
^ The earlier claim of ‘We certainly didn’t want it to become a source of concern or frustration for any of our fans’ rings somewhat hollow when applied here.
The OT•com discussion thread on the Lucasfilm Statement from the time can be found here - The Official Lucasfilm Response
Speaking of fans - it seems the fans themselves have provided the opportunity to view and experience the original theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy - for the many that wish to see them… From early fan-made VHS and lasderdisc preservations, to the Despecialized Editions (and also the Revisited Edits and other similar projects as alternatives to the ‘Special Editions’ that more in keeping with the Original Trilogy), through to 35mm film preservations on modern digital formats… all of which will be freely available for a long, long time to come.
19. The 2006 DVD ‘bonus disk’ release of the theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy (aka the GOUT…)
After much pressure from fans - led and backed by this very site along with the petition here - Lucasfilm finally relented and announced there would be a DVD release of the original theatrical versions for 2006.
Unfortunately, as we all later found out, they would be released as ‘bonus discs’ in a repackaged box set of the 2004 Special Editions on DVD. It was presented in an outdated Letterbox format (non-anamorphic); and was sourced from a transfer for a 1993 Laserdisc release - having poor image quality; plagued by poor digital video noise reduction, and with a compressed Dolby Digital 2.0 sound - resulting in a lazy, underwhelming, and substandard quality release - even by 2006 standards.
The following text and images below, along with much more information, are from the following article at the Save Star Wars website:-
Got GOUT? The 2006 Original Version DVD Bonus Feature Fiasco
‘Some people might argue: “What are you complaining about? Weren’t the original versions of the films released on DVD in 2006?” This is true. You might also have noticed how poorly the films look. “That’s because they are old, unrestored films, the original versions with all their defects.” Right? Not by a long shot. The original, unaltered films on the DVD look poor because the transfer was done in the early 1990s for Laserdisc, and was hopelessly outdated by the home video standards of 2006.’
‘Aside from the poor resolution of a 1993 master, this particular telecine was plagued with DVNR, or digital video noise reduction. However, DVNR, when it was introduced in the early 1990s, was notorious in home theatre circles when not used carefully, because it made the image look worse. In smoothing out the image, it erased detail, and more noticeably left trailing artifacts behind in its attempt to blend frames for a smoother image, so you have elements of the previous frame still visible in any moving object. Below is an example from Star Wars–the notorious four-eyed stormtrooper. As his head pops up into frame, detail from previous frames is left behind as he moves’:-
‘The detail in the sand has been smoothed away too. You can see this when you watch the film: the stationary camera that starts the shot has all the fine detail, and then as it pans left all the detail gets smeared away and leaves trails. A lot of the spaceship shots have this problem as well, and sometimes the stars leave trailing artifacts behind. Luke moving his head back and forth smears away his face as it blends the two frames’:-
It isn’t that surprising such little effort was put into this substandard ‘bonus’ release though, especially going on previous comments from Lucas…
GL in 2004: “The other version, it’s on VHS if anybody wants it,” he said in a 2004 interview. “I’m not going to spend the, we’re talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn’t really exist anymore. It’s like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I’m sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it.”
^ However… ‘making a new transfer from a 35mm source is not expensive. It literally costs thousands of dollars, which is why stuff like Revenge of the Nerds 2 are presented in modern, anamorphic transfers from 35mm material. Lucas has convinced some people that one would have to totally restore the films for them to look good and spend millions of dollars, but they would still look acceptable if taken from existing prints and materials, and certainly many times better than a master made in 1993’.
GL in 2006: “It’s just the original versions, as they were. We didn’t do anything to it at all. But we’re not sure how many people want that…Now we’ll find out whether they really wanted the original or whether they wanted the improved versions. It’ll all come out in the end.”
'However, fans had a sneaking suspicion about the reasons for the quality of the release. It borders on paranoia, but there seems to be lots of truth in it. On originaltrilogy.com, the release was coined the GOUT – George’s, Original, Unaltered Theatrical versions.
…the least amount of quality possible to still have this as the “best available version.” A high quality new transfer is unwanted because it also makes the Special Edition not look as good, so all you have to do is pull that 1993 master tape out of a dust bin in the Lucasfilm archives and you’ve accomplished your mission of not letting people really enjoy watching the originals; they look rough, crude, the way Lucas wants us to think they look.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
Got GOUT? The 2006 Original Version DVD Bonus Feature Fiasco - article from the Save Star Wars website.
20. The 2011 blu ray release; even more changes - ‘NOOooooo!’ - and yet still not many fixes…
'In September 2011, a Blu-ray version of the Special Edition was released. Although many hoped this would be a chance to do a fresh scan in a higher resolution and solve a lot of the problems from the previous release, such was not the case. The 2011 master is just the 2004 master, with additional content changes layered over top.
The colours and black levels have not been adjusted at all. They look the same. So, unless noted, everything noted so far applies to the Blu-rays. The 2004 master was always intended to be used as the primary master for the films from here on out–it was, as noted, approved by Lucas.
However, Lucasfilm did thankfully fix a handful of issues. The main one was the lightsaber issues. In this promotional piece for the official site, an ILM Associate Visual Effects Supervisor tries to pass off the “deliberate artistic choices” as problems caused by technology. “Some of the issues come from these movies being finished for film and projected for film, and that’s how people saw them. A lot of things that look a little different on HD or DVD are really the nature of how video treats color space,” he says in regards to the saber problems.
Of course, this is patently absurd, and totally untrue. Besides which, the 1997 home video of the Special Edition had no such issues - nor did the 1995, 1993, 1992 and on and on home video versions.’
^ The above text, and more in-depth information can be found in the link below…
Can’t Even Get the Special Edition Right - article at the Save Star Wars website.
’NOOooooo!’…
'Remember how in 2005, in Revenge of the Sith when Darth Vader had a really important scene where his character was supposed to be cemented for the following three films. Where he finds out he accidentally killed his wife, and now he turned to the dark side for nothing, transformed into a mechanical monster. But instead of it being dramatic, Vader yelled out “NOOooooooo!” and it was completely hilarious in an unintended way and completely ruined the emotional climax of the film. Remember how much flak that got, and it became a whole internet meme with entire websites and mockumentaries about how embarassingly dumb it was?
Well, Lucas put it into Return of the Jedi. When Vader has to decide to kill the Emperor, instead of the tension-driving silence, where we can enter Vader’s head and immediately understand the life-changing decision he is contemplating as he watches his son die…now he cries out, “No! NOOoo!” as he picks up the Emperor. It’s really prominent in the mix too.’
^ The above text, and more in-depth information can be found in the link below…
Site News - section article at the Save Star Wars website.
The above scene in question can be viewed here:-
‘Return of The Jedi’ Blu-Ray : Darth Vader’s “No” - video from the movierereleases youtube channel
Putting aside the continuing changes made to the Original Trilogy films throughout the Special Editions so far… the 2011 blu ray release was the 3rd Special Edition home release - and yet despite this, many simple and obvious gaffes and mistakes remain that George hasn’t bothered to yet fix or amend. Some of which can be found listed here, in this 2011 OT•com discussion thread:-
What HASN’T been changed on Blu-ray - the uncorrected mistakes of Star Wars
And yet as mentioned in the linked thread above, adywan - OT•com member and the talented fan editor behind the Revisited Editions of the Original Trilogy - managed to fix all these, and much more, for his own Special Editions of the trilogy…
Star Wars: Revisited : Empire Strikes Back: Revisited : Return Of The Jedi: Revisited
The blu ray release is also main source of the Despecialized Editions of the Original Trilogy - a HD preservation project by OT•com member Harmy, with the aim to get as close as possible to the original versions of the films as seen in cinemas on opening day, while maintaining high picture and audio quality:-
Star Wars: Despecialized : Empire Strikes Back: Despecialized : Return Of The Jedi: Despecialized
21. The changing colour and reduced detail of the Original Trilogy films - through the various Special Edition releases…
As previously stated in ‘The 2004 Special Edition DVD release’ category…
‘In 2004 George Lucas had the Star Wars Trilogy re-colored for the long awaited DVD release. According to StarWars.com, John Lowry had just “30 break-neck days” to recolor each film. The result was a completely new color palette. The final product has been screened for Lucas multiple times. Watch for crushed black levels, loss of detail, and oversaturation.’ (text taken from the video linked below…)
Star Wars: COLOR COMPARISON - Theatrical vs. 2004 DVD - YouTube video by Save Star Wars
The following videos also highlight the colour changes between the various releases of the original Trilogy…
‘All Changes Made To Star Wars’ (Original Trilogy) - YouTube Videos by Marcelo Zuniga : SW - Part 1 : SW - Part 2 : ESB : ROTJ
^ More in-depth and detailed information can also be found in this article here - ‘Can’t Even Get the Special Edition Right’ - from the Save Star Wars website.
Some comparison images from the Original Trilogy films highlighting some of the colour changes over time - and the various Special Edition releases…
Star Wars:-
Empire Strikes Back:-
Return Of The Jedi:-
^ all 3 images are from the Star Wars Comparison twitter page - by OT•com member doubleofive.
Also from doubleofive’s Star Wars Comparison twitter page…
^ ‘As Lucas was never pleased with the expanded Falcon cockpit set made for ESB, every shot of the cockpit was zoomed & cropped for the DVD release. (2004)’
^ ‘The lightsabers in this shot have been given better digital cores in the Blu-ray, though the glows are identical. (2004/2011)’
^ ‘Which of course, begs the question of how he fit in there, and what happened to the rocks on the left when he gets out.’
22. Much of the original groundbreaking & award winning work, along with that by the talented artists and craftsmen (and women), has been lost or altered since the introduction of the Special Editions…
The removal and alteration of scenes from the theatrical films has resulted in these scenes, and the work, craft and talent that went into making them, no longer being able be to viewed. The very work that which won awards and accolades, and helped change the face of modern cinema - essentially lost - replaced by CGI; then replaced by newer CGI for further Special Edition releases for ‘George’s vision(s)’.
Regarding the changes made to the theatrical editions of the Star Wars Original Trilogy… ‘George Lucas may be the brainchild behind Star Wars; he may have come up with the story and a lot of the characters, but everyone who participated in making those films had some type of creative input. I mean they won an Oscar for best special effects. Some of those effects are stripped out and replaced with CGI enhancements, if you wanna call them that. I think that that’s really disrespectful to the people who worked on those models and did those shots.’ - some bloke named Jay.
^ The People vs George Lucas - IMDb website quote for erm… The People vs George Lucas documentary, released in 2010.
Star Wars 40th Anniversary: 71 Awesome Behind-The-Scenes Photos - article at the Empire website.
An array of interviews with some of the people who worked on the Original Trilogy were filmed at the 40th Anniversary Reunion in 2017. These can be found at:-
https://vimeo.com/athenastudios
http://www.32ten.com/celebrating-star-wars-at-forty
^ Featuring Marcia Lucas, Duwayane Dunham, Howard Kazanjian, Scott Farar, Phil Tippett, Kirk Thatcher, Kim Marks, Bruce Logan, Ben Burtt, John Alexander, Ned Gorman, Jean Bolte, Lorne Peterson, Richard Edlund, Patrick Sweeney, John Dykstra, Harrison Ellenshaw, Peter Kuran, Jim Bloom, David Scott, Pete Ronzani, Frank Ordaz, Christopher Evans, Ken Ralston, Marty Brennels, Patricia Rose Dulgnan, Steve Gawley, Craig Barron, Ira Keeler, Ease Owyeung, Don Dow, Charlie Bailey, Sid Ganis, Jeff Mann, Neil Krepela, Warren Franklin, Tom Smith, Randy Ottenberg Parentl, Cory McCrum, Joe Johnston, Jon Berg, Randy Dutra, Lorne Peterson, and more… (not forgetting with the those who have sadly passed away between the years, and also those who couldn’t attend the Reunion) some of which likely haven’t seen their work, skills and contributions to the Original Trilogy made available since the Special Edition changes altered it - or even replaced it.
^ People who had worked on the Original Trilogy at the 40th Anniversary Reunion in 2017.
^ The ILM Model Shop Crew in 1977.
Even if taking George at his word regarding his ‘vision’ for the Original Trilogy films [insert whichever version of the Special Editions being his one true vision, here] - and that “the other version no longer exists”… it does NOT mean the work featured in the films for 20+ years before being replaced (or altered) should ‘no longer exist’ too.
Despite Lucas not wanting them as part of his later vision(s) for the OT films… they would still make for insightful, informative and educational accounts in Star Wars film history. The notion that these works are somehow unworthy of preservation or of being archived seems unjust. That the replaced or unaltered works remain unavailable to view and experience in a modern high quality format seems disrespectful to those who worked on them.
23. Lucasfilm removing people who worked on / contributed to the Original Trilogy films from history…
‘Gary Kurtz’ daughter, Tiffany Hillkurtz, commented “This is an interesting article. Dad had a similar influence and was for a long time “written out” of history.”’
&
'The books [Rinzler’s 3 ‘Making Of’ OT books] which have been written were done so with the assistance of LFL, which means, Marcia was written out of history. Gary was written out of history. I was written out of history. I don’t know if it’s altruistic of me, but up ‘til now, I’ve lived without financial benefit from the work I did on STAR WARS, so I can die without them.’ - Charles Lippincott
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
“The ‘secret weapon’ behind Star Wars” - article at From the Desk of Charles Lippincott blog.
'Today, she has been practically erased from the history books at Lucasfilm. Looking through J.W. Rinzler’s Making of Star Wars, she is mentioned only occasionally in passing, a background element, and not a single word of hers is quoted; she is a silent extra, absent from any photographs and only indirectly acknowledged, her contributions downplayed.
In the documentary Empire of Dreams, she is barely even mentioned in passing, except when the narration states that she edited the film and Lucas says he “got divorced as Jedi was complete” in the last two minutes of the supposedly-definitive documentary. Other products fare not much better, since many of them are published through Lucasfilm; her entire existence has nearly been ignored. Marcia Lucas, the “other” Lucas, has basically become the forgotten Lucas.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
In Tribute to Marcia Lucas - article from The Secret History of Star Wars website.
24. Han Shot First…
For many people it is the most well-known change made for the 1997 Special Editions, and for the new generation of fans who have never seen the theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy (as years go by they increase in number)… it is worth highlighting in it’s own category here. (As well as helping illustrate the next category below in this thread, too.)
^ from TheStarWarsTrilogy.com youtube channel
Han Shot First MEANING - a youtube video by HelloGreedo; an explanation on the meaning of the term ‘Han Shot First’.
Who Shot First? Remembering the most infamous Special Edition change 20 years later - article from ScreenCrush examining the original scene - and history of the changes made to this scene over time.
25. George Lucas claims in 2012 that Han NEVER Shot First…
Lucas claiming that Han NEVER shot first is somewhat outlandish - even for George himself…
GL: ‘The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn’t. It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that Han shot first, because they wanted to think that he actually just gunned him down.’
^ from the George Lucas Now Says That Han NEVER Shot First article at the Gizmodo website.
The original interview, in an article with the Hollywood Reporter, can be found here - 5 Questions With George Lucas: Controversial ‘Star Wars’ Changes, SOPA and ‘Indiana Jones 5’
The articles below however, not to mention the various scripts (from drafts to shooting scripts) available at the Starkiller: The Jedi Bendu Script Site, put George’s claim above to bed…
The guy who played Greedo just ended one of the biggest ‘Star Wars’ debates - article at the BGR website.
Greedo actor wants ‘Star Wars’ to restore Han Solo shooting first scene: ‘It does give him a little more glory’ - article at NY Daily News website.
Chewbacca Actor Confirms Han Shot First In Original Star Wars Script - article at the ScreenRant website, including an image of Peter Mayhew’s script…
26. How Harrison Ford got the part of Han Solo; Harrison’s story - and George’s…
Star Wars, a franchise that’s full of myths, has developed a few myths about its own improbable creation over the years. One of them was repeated by Star Wars creator George Lucas himself. It’s about how Harrison Ford was hired to play Han Solo in the first place.
But the version of the story Lucas told, on a Star Wars Celebration panel Thursday celebrating the original movie’s upcoming 40th anniversary, was immediately contradicted by Ford, who happened to be sitting right next to him.
See the below for more details…
Harrison Ford schooled George Lucas on how he got the Han Solo role - article from the Mashable website
27. Han Solo was planned to appear in Episode III.
Not so much a contradictory statement or attempt to rewrite history - though listed here for info & reference…
‘George Lucas wanted to include a young Han Solo in Revenge of the Sith, but due to the timeline of that film, the character was only to be about ten years old. This idea made it far along in the development process. He appeared, complete with dialogue, in the Kashyyyk battle scenes of the rough draft of the screenplay. Lucasfilm even had concept art approved. Solo’s role was to be a helpful kid who helps find the elusive General Grievous’ location.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
See Lucasfilm’s Concept Art of Young Han Solo - article from the SlashFilm website.
Artist Iain McCaig talks about his Solo concept art, in the officially licensed Lucasfilm book ‘The Art of Revenge of the Sith’.
28. Jabba; the differences from being human in a 1977 (deleted scene), to changes in 1997, and further changes in 2004…
^ The Star Wars Special Editions - article from The Star Wars Trilogy website.
&
Jabba Scene Comparison 1997-2011 youtube video, by Conker
29. The contradictions / discrepancies / plot holes between the Prequel and Original Trilogies…
This category will likely be one of the ‘from a certain point of view’ school of thought…
It is also a subject that likely deserves it’s own thread given the topic’s sheer scope and size - though it’s also worth of a cursory mention in here too.
The Prequel Trilogy - whether you like them, or love, loathe, tolerate, ignore them, or are indifferent to them [or insert your own descriptor here]… do contain some contradictions in according to what was stated - and previously established - in the Original Trilogy.
Not the universe-shrinking Vader having built C3PO, or the Falcon appearing in Episode III, the abandoned plans to have Han Solo appear in III, or have members of pop band 'N Sync cameo in Episode II…
Content such as Chewbacca now knowing, and fighting alongside the great Jedi Master Yoda in Episode III - and yet… despite being Han Solo’s friend and partner in crime for some time, decided to keep quiet and let Han carry on with his ‘Kid, I’ve flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff, but I’ve never seen anything to make me believe there’s one all-powerful force controlling everything. There’s no mystical energy field that controls my destiny.’ spiel - and not say anything at all… even to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Or other discrepancies such as…
• ‘For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic…’ or ‘I will not let this Republic, which has stood for a thousand years, be split in two.’
• ‘Do you remember your mother, your real mother?’ - Leia remembers her mother, yet after Episode III how can she…
• Obi Wan Kenobi doesn’t remember R2D2? (let alone ‘…don’t seem to remember owning a droid’)
• ‘Well of course, of course I know him. He’s me! I haven’t gone by the name Obi-Wan since oh, before you were born.’ - Errrr…
• R2D2 knows who Yoda is - the great Jedi Master of the Clone Wars etc - having met him a few times before in the Prequels… Despite this, R2 will fight with Yoda over a torchlight when Yoda is acting like a crazy little creature on Dagobah.
• R2D2’s rocket boosters from the Prequels sure may have come in handy for when in the Original Trilogy…
• ‘Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough’ - it would seem not, after viewing the Prequels.
• ‘There you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi Master who instructed me’ - and not Qui-Gon Jinn; as seen in the TPM…
• ‘An old friend has learned the path to immortality’ - and yet we’ll hear no more from him of this…
For some fans, these may not be a problem or much of an issue - and don’t detract from the enjoyment of viewing the films. And let’s not forget the Original Trilogy also contains some contradictions within them too…
Yet the discrepancies and plot holes can also be viewed as lazy writing (and also a lack of care and attention) on George’s part here. It was George who (in the main) wrote the Prequel Trilogy - and yet didn’t seemingly check for continuity issues between the two trilogies… or maybe did and yet decided to pay them no heed? (and apparently neither did anyone else working on the Prequels too?)
Afterall, it is quite puzzling that Lucas took the trouble to alter and retcon the Original Trilogy films to fit in more with the newer Prequel Trilogy (inserting Prequel actor Hayden Christensen into Return Of The Jedi to replace the original actor Sebastian Shaw, for example) - yet decided on not bothering to address the above discrepancies (and also a fair few more too) - or even adapt the writing of the Prequels in the pre-filming stages to fit in more with the already established Original Trilogy…
A collection of various OT•com threads from over the years which discuss some of the plot holes, discrepancies and contradictions from the films can be found in the ‘Star Wars Scenes, Tropes and Meta etc’ section of the ‘General Star Wars Discussion’ category of this linked Index Thread - An Index Thread for General Star Wars Discussion….
For anyone wishing to continue discussing these issues it is probably more fitting to do so in those already established threads - rather than starting again in this thread - thank you.
Obviously, there are countless online articles highlighting some of these issues. Many await to be found by your good selves if you are so inclined to read up on them - a few may not even just be repeating each others’ article lists and findings… 😉
30. Midichlorians and The Force… (and a 30 year retcon by Lucas)
As was pointed out in the linked article below article, for many the main issue with introducing Midichlorians in the Prequel Trilogy was that it directly contradicted his original description of them. Obi-Wan says that The Force is “an energy field created by all living beings.” - but Midichlorians aren’t an energy field. They are cells inside living beings which somewhat retcons the issue…
‘All of a sudden, instead of there being an energy field that “binds the galaxy together,” there are little microscopic life forms inside of the Jedi, allowing them to… do what? What do the microscopic entities have to do with the galaxy-wide life force? Are they like symbiotes that allow you to connect to the energy field? If the Force is in every living thing, then why do only some people have Midichlorians? Does the Dark Side of the Force have different-flavored Midichlorians than the light side? What was a fairly clear-cut explanation suddenly becomes incredibly muddled.’
The Real Problem With Midichlorians - article by Charlie Jane Anders on the io9.gizmodo website (with a few Lost references - apologies, it was 2010!)
More reading can be found here - with the view that the Force is open and accessible to many more people than those with a high Midichlorian count (Caution!: contains praise for The Last Jedi 😉)…
Star Wars: The Last Jedi fixes one of the prequels’ worst problems article at the Polygon website.
It is also worth noting that some 30 years later… Lucas retconned the term Midichlorians into JW Rinzler’s ‘Making Of Star Wars’ book (page 353) - changing the quotes Lucas had used in 1977, when explaining some notions regarding ‘the Force’ - as admitted by JW Rinzler, here:-
‘[Please note: While we were preparing the text for The Making of Star Wars, Lucas added a note to this passage about midi-chlorians, bringing his original words in line with his later thoughts and the events of the prequel trilogy.]’
^ from the So what the heck are Midichlorians? article at the official Star Wars website.
The ret-conned quote added by Lucas in JW Rinzler’s ‘Making Of Star Wars’ book is:-
”It is said certain creatures are born with a higher awareness of the Force than humans. Their brains are different; they have more midi-chlorians in their cells. The Force is a perception of the reality that exists around us.”
The original quote from Lucas’ 1977 interview with Carol Titelman (author of ‘The Art of Star Wars’) is:-
”It is said that certain creatures are born with a higher awareness of the Force than humans. Their brains are different. The Force is a perception of the reality that exists around us.”
31. Buyer Beware: Lucasfilm authorised / released material indicating a certain era or time - may well contain Special Edition content inserted into it.
This may come as a surprise to some people - though maybe not to others…
For example, the lavish and deluxe (in both price and quality) ‘The Star Wars Archives: 1977-1983’ book, by Paul Duncan, does contain images and info from the various Special Editions too; some 20 years out of place.
So if you thought the ‘1977-1983’ part of the title for the above book to mean it would specifically feature content from that era… think again. For example - the frame grabs of the films used in the book are from the Special Editions - and not from the original theatrical versions of the films.
Amazon link for the ‘The Star Wars Archives: 1977-1983’ book - link
If you are thinking of purchasing some Original Trilogy products or merchandise that you believe to be from a certain time or era - it may well be best to check thoroughly before buying; what it says on the tin isn’t always what is inside…
And we already know, Lucas is not above retconning information and quoted statements from the past to include his more modern and revisionist terms or statements - as per the changing of quotes re Midichlorians in JW Rinzler’s otherwise quality and absorbing ‘Making Of Star Wars’ book.
^ from Star Wars Comparison twitter page - by OT•com member doubleofive
doubleofive’s Modern SE Revisionism OT•com thread highlights some of the instances where Special Edition content has been inserted into, and passed off as, material from the theatrical versions (or that era) of the Original Trilogy.
32. George Lucas: ‘People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians’…
Many years ago, colorization of black and white movies was a hot-button issue. In 1988 the U.S. Congress actually held hearings on the topic, and number of prominent filmmakers spoke on the subject. One of those filmmakers was George Lucas…
GL: “People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society.”
^ What George Lucas Thinks Of Other People Altering Old Films - article from the CinemaBlend website.
33. George Lucas: ‘American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history’…
'Many years ago, colorization of black and white movies was a hot-button issue. In 1988 the U.S. Congress actually held hearings on the topic, and number of prominent filmmakers spoke on the subject. One of those filmmakers was George Lucas…
Lucas has often stated that the reason he has made the changes was because he wanted to make them more in line with his original vision. This is a fine argument, but according to himself, he’s not the person in possession of those films’:-
GL: "American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history."
^ What George Lucas Thinks Of Other People Altering Old Films - article from the CinemaBlend website.
34. Do As I Say, Not As I Do: George Lucas Quotes on Film Preservation.
‘A modest collection of George Lucas quotes pertaining to film preservation and the public’s right to their own cultural heritage’…
Do As I Say, Not As I Do: George Lucas Quotes on Film Preservation - article from the Save Star Wars website.
Just to what the appetite for clicking on the above link…
35. Request Denied: Lucas Refuses to Co-Operate with Government Film Preservation Organizations…
‘While Lucas refuses to restore the original versions and has expressed his desire to see them never released again and entirely forgotten, some optimists see hope in the coming century: public domain. Eventually, Star Wars will become public domain. It is pointed out that the Library of Congress is the best source outside of Lucasfilm, since they professionally store and maintain historical films. They received prints of the original trilogy in their copyright depository at the time of their release, for one. Most importantly, in 1987 and 1988, George Lucas and other filmmakers went to Congress to testify on the need for the protection of films, both against companies wishing to alter them and against the forces of time. Lucas expressed that historic films are our cultural heritage and need to be preserved for future generations.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
Request Denied: Lucas Refuses to Co-Operate with Government Film Preservation Organizations - article from the Save Star Wars website.
36. The Greatest Speech Against the Special Edition was from George Lucas…
‘So, what happened to this man? How could he hatch plans to permanently alter his and other directors’ films a mere half-decade later? This is especially troublesome as his big push in this speech, not quoted due to its irrelevance, is that only directors and the primary writers can agree to alteration of a film, and if one of them is dead the film is locked as it was; which would freeze Return of the Jedi, since director Richard Marquand died in 1987, and need to have Kershner and Kasdan be the decision-makers for Empire.
However, I believe Lucas started down a slippery slope. In 1993, he wanted to add only a few enhancements to Star Wars, mainly the deleted scene with Jabba the Hutt. As the writer and director of the film, and as restoring material shot for the original production, he saw it as his prerogative to change the film. Indeed, even in 1988 he emphasizes that if a film is to be altered it must be at the filmmaker’s choosing–he doesn’t explicitly state how this can be reconciled with “preserving cultural heritage as it was,” but he seems to imply that rights holders should continue to release the original versions out of respect for its history, which is a very reasonable stance.
'However, the insertion of a couple new effects and a deleted scene to Mos Eisley slowly gave way to trying out new shots for the space battle as people like Dennis Muren got involved. Lucas then wanted to try new techniques as research for the prequels he had at that point begun to plan, and so many new changes were arbitrarily added. The negative was then discovered to have deteriorated massively, and so a full-out restoration was enacted, literally taking apart the film. At this point, by now 1995, he began to look at Empire and Jedi as the films reached new heights of renewed popularity that year.
The project gradually ballooned. Perhaps he began to see the films as “his”, as he would explain in years shortly later, conveniently forgetting his implicit assertion that Kershner and Kasdan should be arbitrers for Empire and that out of respect for the deceased Richard Marquand Jedi be left as it was. He at first began to speak about “his vision”, and then how all the changes were always “meant to be” and therefore justified. When he began adding Hayden Christensen to Return of the Jedi in 2004 he wasn’t even saying this anymore, he was just changing Marquand’s film for the hell of it. But he had gradually worked his way up to doing that.’
^ The above text, and more information can be found in the link below…
The Greatest Speech Against the Special Edition was from George Lucas - article from the Save Star Wars website.
(^ For some reason the formatting of the site is not quite ‘right’; though the invisible text within a white block of space in this link can be viewed via highlighting it).
The speech by George Lucas can also be found here - George Lucas explains why you shouldn’t digitally alter films - an article on the Force Material website.
37. Why does this site want a release of the unaltered theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy?
'While many of us appreciate and enjoy George Lucas’ creative evolution of the classic Star Wars films via the various releases of the ever-changing ‘Special Editions’, we respectfully state that there is tremendous importance in the original theatrical prints of the Star Wars Trilogy.
Above and beyond the nostalgic value that they hold for millions of fans the world over, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi are landmark films that represent watershed moments in motion picture history. To preserve the original, award-winning work of the many artisans, sound technicians, craftsmen, and special effects artists is to do justice to their priceless contributions.
Undeniably, these movies are also cultural placeholders for millions of film fans. The impact that the original Star Wars Trilogy made on countless numbers of children, young people, and grownups everywhere is indisputable. Preserving the unaltered theatrical release forms of these movies and making them available to the public is of utmost importance.
An entire generation grew up with these movies and still love them dearly. We have created treasured memories and will always hold a place in our lives. We have bought the cinema tickets, VHS tapes, Laserdiscs, DVDs, Blu Rays, figures, lunchboxes, toys, games, books, comics, the various Special Editions, the spin-offs, the Prequels, the Sequels, Standalone movies - and literally bought the t-shirt…
…we just ask to have the option to purchase the unaltered original Star Wars Trilogy on a modern, high quality, digital format.’ (paraphrased) - some bloke named Jay.
• The SavingStarWars.com website, - by zombie84. : OT.com thread
• The Secret History of Star Wars website, - by zombie84 (rehosted by none).
• ‘The Secret History of Star Wars’ book, - by zombie84. : OT.com Thread
• ‘The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film’ book, - by JW Rinzler. : OT.com Thread
• ‘The Making of The Empire Strikes Back: The Definitive Story Behind the Film’ book, - by JW Rinzler. : OT.com Thread
• ‘The Making of Return of the Jedi: The Definitive Story Behind the Film’ book, - by JW Rinzler. : OT.com Thread
• ‘Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy’ book, - by JW Rinzler. : OT.com Thread
• ‘Star Wars - Costumes: The Original Trilogy’ book, by Brandon Alinger. : OT.com Costume Thread
• ‘From the Desk of Charles Lippincott’ blog, - by Charles Lippincott
• ‘Star Wars Chronicles’ - book, - by Deborah Fine.
• ‘Skywalking: The Life And Films Of George Lucas’ book, - by Dale Pollock
• ‘Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of the Making of The Empire Strikes Back’ book, - by Alan Arnold
• ‘Mythmaker: The Life and Works of George Lucas’ book, - by John Baxter
• ‘The Art of Star Wars: ANH’ book, - by Carol Titelman
• ‘The Art of Empire Strikes Back’ book, - by Vic Bullock & Valerie Hoffman
• ‘The Art of Return Of The Jedi’ book, - by Lucasfilm Ltd
• ‘Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy’ book, - by Brandon Alinger
• 'How Star Wars was Saved in the Edit’ youtube video, - by RocketJump
• 'Gary Kurtz - on the Star Wars Special Edition’ youtube video, - by gordongecko1975 (aka OT•com member Haarspalter)
• 'Gary Kurtz - on Return of the Jedi’ youtube video, - by gordongecko1975 (aka OT•com member Haarspalter)
• The Starkiller - The Jedi Bendu Script Site website, - at T-bone’s www.starwarz.com
• For information on more of the changes made to the Original Trilogy over the years, as well as the contributions of some of the artists and craftspeople that worked on original films - some of which no longer appears - despite winning awards & accolades, helping change the face & filming of modern cinema, and being a significant part of Star Wars history… lost to the various changes of the Special Editions… this OT•com thread may be of interest:-
An OriginalTrilogy.com timeline thread - a history of the site and why & how it came to be…
• An array of various OT•com threads over the years discussing the many contradictory and somewhat hypocritical statements - and the rewriting of Star Wars history - by George, can be found in the ‘Archival / Historical Discussions’ section of this thread, linked below:-
An Index Thread for General Star Wars Discussion…
and also in the relevant threads found in the An Index Thread for Theatrical Cuts vs. Subsequent Releases… too.
^ Credit, kudos and massive thanks to every member here who has highlighted, researched, and debated the issues in those threads - many of which can be found in the links above. Also credit to anyone who is still awake & reading this thread in just one sitting too 😉
Articles online:-
• What Did The Original Script For The Empire Strikes Back Look Like? - at io9.gizmodo.com
• 10 things you didn’t know about The Empire Strikes Back - at io9.gizmodo.com
• Star Wars Producer Blasts Star Wars Myths - at Mashable.com
• The Anatomy of Star Wars Class - Reviewed - at TheForce.net (Gary Kurtz on some unfair revisionism of history)
• Did German Speakers Understand The Darth Vader Reveal Before Anyone Else? - at Forbes.com
• American Cinematographer interview with George Lucas - in 2002 - at the ASC.com
• The Star Wars Special Editions - at TheStarWarsTrilogy.com
• The Great Unmade? Star Wars: Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye - at cinetropolis.net
• Star Wars Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye Story Conference - at cinetropolis.net
• George Lucas and the Cult of Darth Vader - at RollingStone.com
• 50 Things You Might Not Know About Star Wars - at MentalFloss.com
• A Brief History of George Lucas’ Star Wars Sequel Trilogy - at FilmSchoolRejects.com
• The Mythology of ‘Star Wars’ with George Lucas - article at BillMoyers.com
• The Mythology of ‘Star Wars’ with George Lucas and Bill Moyers - video at the BillyMoyers.com Vimeo site.
• George Lucas’s Revisions - By William Rogers - at Confluence.com
• From The Vault: A 2002 interview with Gary Kurtz (by Ken Plume) - at ASiteCalledFred.com
• Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz speaks out - at LATimes.com
• 40-year-old George Lucas interview predicts Star Wars’ future with Disney - at LATimes.com
• How Star Wars Nearly Destroyed George Lucas - at NewRepublic.com
• George Lucas: To feel the true force of Star Wars, he had to learn to let it go - at TheWashingtonPost.com
• George Lucas Admitted He “May Have Gone Too Far” After Early ‘Phantom Menace’ Screening - at TheHollywoodReporter.com
• RARE INTERVIEW: Charles Lippincott - Marketing Star Wars - at RebelForceRadio.com
• Thoughts on J.W. Rinzler’s The Making of Star Wars - at SHoSW.com
• Revisionism - Our Cultural Heritage - at watchstarwars.com
Websites of note / interest (not already mentioned above):-
• In A Far Away Galaxy website
• Episode Nothing blog
• The People vs George Lucas website (for the 2010 Documentary) is currently offline : IMDb page : OT•com threads 1 & 2
• Star Wars Special Edition Visual Comparisons blog by doubleofive; with links to Photo Galleries here - SW : ESB : ROTJ
• Star Wars Special Edition Visual Comparisons twitter page by doubleofive
• HelloGreedo youtube channel
• HelloGreedo - Star Wars Profiles youtube playlist of some of the people in front & behind the camera in the Original Trilogy
• Star Wars Interviews with people in front & behind the camera of the Original Trilogy
• 40th Anniversary Reunion for people who worked on the Original Trilogy website by 32Ten Studios. Athena Video Channel
• Filmumentaries website by Jamie Benning. Featuring his filmumentaries + interviews with people associated with the OT films
• Star Wars Archives website; a great source of info on the Original Trilogy
• Star Wars At The Movies website; another great source of info on the Original Trilogy
• Restraining Bolt website; a great source of info on older OT music releases (with sections on Props, Galleries, Collections, etc)
• The Making of Star Wars blog
• Force Material blog
• Star Wars Scenes youtube channel
• Star Wars On Video website by Video Collector
Special thanks to zombie84, none, doubleofive, NeverarGreat, Video Collector, Haarspalter, Jay, Zion, Moth3r, Anchorhead, and SilverWook - for either having previously researched or produced much of the information featured in this ‘bullet-point’ style compilation thread (material of which is abundantly more detailed and in-depth than listed in here), or for their dedication to making the OriginalTrilogy•com what it is - and what it stands for.
Firstly, the About and Help sections may be of interest to you regarding this site and what the OriginalTrilogy•com is about.
Secondly, the ’How do I do this?’ on the OriginalTrilogy.com - some info & answers to members’ queries thread should also hopefully be of some help as to many of the functions of the site, along with other related info as well.
Thirdly, the Announcements Section - including Site Rules & Guidelines, Fan Edit & Preservation Rules & FAQ, as well info for Signatures, Linking Policy for Downloads, and Plot Spoiler Policy (and much more) that may be of use too.
If you are having any issues with the site, have a question, an idea to improve the site, or would like to give some feedback - then these can be done in the Feedback Forum and General Assistance sections.
Finally, the self-explanatory An OriginalTrilogy.com timeline thread - a history of the site and why & how it came to be… contains a fair bit of additional info chronicling both the site & also numerous changes made to the Original Trilogy over time.
Last updated - 23rd April, 2019.
Your 2020 section sounds really mature. Not!!
Just a little humour there at the end of a long post - also with an attempt to put into context some of the seemingly endless toxic negativity in fandoms of late, with a play on a quote from Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.
Not mature? Good 😃
Cracking start to the final season - near on everyone had something to contribute in this episode - which was great to see and also cleverly executed too.
SPOILERS
Could so with more Ghost though - hope those dragons haven’t eaten him 😉
Lord Glover may pay for his cowardice - which is a shame as I rather hoped he’d get through the whole show, go back to work at Pratt and Sons, keep wicket for the Croydon Gentlemen, marry Doris. Instead, he sent a raven home with a message. It simply says… Bugger.
If you could show us some of your work on your Buffy promos then someone on here may be inclined to come up with something based on it.
Good luck with it.
‘Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy on Planning “Next 10 Years” of Star Wars Films’…
^ by Phil Noto
^ by Joe Kowalski
^ by Thomas Deer
^ by James Burns
It even got a like from Pedro Pascal - https://twitter.com/PedroPascal1/status/1117614754607058944
^ by Dave Acosta
(Okay, it’s Bobba Fett, though also a homage to the spaghetti western feel / vibe that may well be for The Mandalorian too…)
A few pieces of great fan art are starting to appear for this as the first live-action Star Wars tv series nears it’s premier date in November of this year.
So, a thread here for it seems in order…
‘Doug Chiang Designing Episode 1 Panel’ from SWCC 2019 (with some great concept art, early sketches and inspirations, plus unused images too):-