Changes in Star Wars re-releases

The first film was released in 1977 under the title Star Wars. The subtitle Episode IV – A New Hope was retroactively added to the opening crawl in a subsequent release.[8][27] Lucasfilm dates the addition to the theatrical re-release on April 10, 1981.[7][8][27] This change was made to bring the original film in line with the titling of its sequel, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980).[7]

Some scenes on Tatooine were modified for the 1997 Special Edition, most notably an alteration to the Greedo scene and the restoration of a deleted scene featuring Jabba the Hutt. Other modifications include new and modified shots of stormtroopers and dewbacks to have the creatures move using CGI,[13][lower-alpha 11] a CGI replacement of the Jawa sandcrawler,[28] a different sound effect for Obi-Wan Kenobi making a krayt dragon call to scare off the Tusken Raiders,[29][lower-alpha 12] the addition of rocks in front of the cave R2-D2 hides in,[13][lower-alpha 13] the replacement of an external shot of Obi-Wan's hut with a new angle showing Luke Skywalker's parked landspeeder,[7][30] and color and continuity changes involving the binary sunset.[31] The shadow of the landspeeder was redone in one shot,[32] and creatures, robots, and ships were added to Mos Eisley, including elements created for the Shadows of the Empire multimedia campaign.[33][lower-alpha 14] A shot of the Millennium Falcon fighting its way out of Mos Eisley was also added.[13]

Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is cornered in the Mos Eisley cantina by the bounty hunter Greedo (Paul Blake), and Han shoots under the table to kill Greedo.[20] The 1997 Special Edition release of the film alters the scene so that Greedo shoots first and misses (with Han's head digitally altered to move away from the laser blast). The scene was altered again for the 2004 DVD release of the film so that Han and Greedo shoot simultaneously;[22] this was shortened by several frames for the 2011 Blu-ray.[35] The scene was further modified for the 2019 4K Ultra HD release with the addition of a close-up shot of Greedo speaking (without subtitles),[lower-alpha 15] the removal of a reverse shot of Greedo, and a re-rendering of the visual effects.[19][38][lower-alpha 16]

According to Paul Blake, the scene was originally created as a result of Lucas having to cut a special-effects-heavy scene introducing Jabba the Hutt[40] due to budget and schedule concerns.[41] The original version of the Greedo scene is considered iconic,[38] while the altered version is one of the most controversial changes to the film. Fans have coined the phrase "Han shot first" to protest the change,[42] which according to Polygon alters Han's moral ambiguity and his fundamental character.[43] Lucas has stated that he always intended for Greedo to shoot first.[39][44] In 2015, a replica of an early script for Star Wars was discovered in the archives of the University of New Brunswick library. In the script, dated March 15, 1976, Han shoots first.[45] Blake said in a 2016 interview: "Of course, it said it all in the original script, we played in the scene in English and at the end of the scene, it reads, 'Han shoots the alien.' It's all it says and that's what happened."[46]

The original script for Star Wars included a scene between Jabba the Hutt (who was designed in concept art drawings similarly to his appearance in Return of the Jedi and often traveling on a sedan chair) and Han Solo, set in Mos Eisley's Docking Bay 94. The scene was filmed with Harrison Ford as Solo and Declan Mulholland, a large man, wearing a furry vest as a stand-in for Jabba.[29][47] Lucas intended to replace Mulholland in post-production with a stop-motion character. Due to time limitations and budget constraints, the scene was cut. In the 1997 Special Edition, the scene was reinserted with a CGI Jabba replacing Mulholland. In the original footage, Ford walked too close to Mulholland; as a workaround, Han was digitally moved to appear as if he steps on Jabba's tail, causing the Hutt to squeal.[29] Boba Fett was also added to the background of the scene.[47]

The insertion of this scene into the film was criticized for being superfluous to the previous cantina scene with Greedo, slowing down the pacing, and failing to move the plot forward.[7][29][47] The 1997 CGI Jabba has been described as "atrocious",[29] and was replaced for the 2004 DVD release, making the character more realistic and similar to his depiction in Return of the Jedi.[29] On the audio commentary for this release, Lucas reflected that while he did not mind cutting the scene when he was not sure if he would make sequels, he subsequently wanted it to be included as it introduces a character important to Han's story arc.[41]

During the training scene aboard the Millennium Falcon, Luke's lightsaber—which in some releases had erroneously appeared green—was corrected to blue for the 2019 4K Ultra HD release.[26]

In the original version of Obi-Wan and Darth Vader's duel on the Death Star, Obi-Wan's saber appeared to "short out" when foreshortened toward the camera, a result of the in-camera effects failing to account for this viewing angle.[48] A glow was added in 2004, and a fully finished blade was added to these shots in 2019.[49] Also in the 2019 version, Obi-Wan's lightsaber was adjusted to appear consistently blue, and the flash effects of the lightsabers clashing was redone.[26][50]

The Special Edition of A New Hope incorporated a deleted scene on Yavin 4, in which Luke is briefly reunited with his childhood friend Biggs Darklighter. This was felt by some to strengthen the relationship of the characters during the climactic Death Star attack run.[51][52][lower-alpha 17]

A 180° turn of CGI X-wing fighters flying from Yavin 4 towards the Death Star was added to the 1997 Special Edition. Wired points out that this erroneously shows that the moon is "very clearly in range of the Death Star from the very beginning of the battle."[13]

Amongst other changes, close-up shots of the wampa on Hoth were inserted.[13][lower-alpha 18] In the shot when the Millennium Falcon detaches from the Star Destroyer, Boba Fett's ship, the Slave I, was replaced with a version following the Falcon more closely.[13][lower-alpha 19] New establishing shots were added to Cloud City, which create some inconsistencies with later shots. Another shot has a railing added to it, which does not reflect properly.[13] New shots of Cloud City's citizens reacting to Lando Calrissian's evacuation orders are added.[13][lower-alpha 20] In the 1997 Special Edition, the audio of Emperor Palpatine falling down the shaft in Return of the Jedi was played when Luke Skywalker falls down the chute; this was removed in later releases.[13]

Clive Revill originally provided the Emperor's voice in The Empire Strikes Back, while actress Marjorie Eaton portrayed him physically, wearing a mask.[lower-alpha 21] Ultimately the actress and voice actor were replaced by Ian McDiarmid, who portrayed the character in later films, for the 2004 DVD edition and subsequent releases.[57][58][lower-alpha 22] The dialogue was changed with this alteration, making Vader seem to be unaware of Luke's paternity despite knowing his last name.[60] Wired criticized the change, saying that Palpatine "looks more like he did 20 years before in the timeline than he does a year later in Return of the Jedi and again reminds you of poorer movies in the middle of this excellent one," and that the altered dialogue "reads as ignorant within the context of the rest of the film."[13]

Boba Fett's dialogue in the film was originally recorded by Jason Wingreen.[22][61] Subsequently, Attack of the Clones revealed Boba to be a clone of Jango Fett, played by Temuera Morrison.[62] To reflect this, Morrison re-recorded Boba's lines for the 2004 DVD release of the film.[22][61][63][lower-alpha 23]

Following the initial limited theatrical release, Lucas added three exterior shots to the denouement to clarify that Lando and Chewbacca are on the Falcon, not the Rebel frigate that Luke, Leia, and the droids are on.[5] In the 1997 Special Edition, a line of Vader's dialogue was replaced and a shot of his shuttle landing in his Star Destroyer (using stock footage of the second Death Star from Return of the Jedi) was inserted into the sequence in which Luke uses the Force to contact Leia.[13][65] Wired calls this "Yet another addition that answers a question no one had."[13]

In the Special Edition, an establishing shot of a bantha herd was inserted,[65] and a CGI beak and extra tentacles were added to the sarlacc.[13][66][67] The 2011 Blu-ray extended the front door of Jabba's palace, making the door appear three times longer from the outside than it does on the inside.[68]

The scene in which Jabba feeds the dancer Oola to his rancor opens with a performance by the Max Rebo Band and its lead singer, Sy Snootles. In the original theatrical release, the song is "Lapti Nek", sung in the fictional language Huttese. The Special Edition changed the performance to the new song "Jedi Rocks",[69] which mostly received negative criticism.[lower-alpha 24] The puppet used for Snootles was also replaced with CGI. According to Special Edition producer Rick McCallum, this change was made because Lucas could not originally achieve the "large musical number" he envisioned because characters could not move in certain ways; Snootles could not open her mouth to lip sync correctly, and her eyes did not move. The Special Edition increased the size of the Max Rebo Band from three members to twelve.[69] Additional footage was filmed of Boba Fett flirting with one of the dancers.[72]

In the theatrical release of the film, Oola's death is filmed from outside the rancor pit: she falls into the pit, and her scream is heard from off-screen. In the 1997 Special Edition, extra shots were inserted depicting her in the pit, including shots where she looks up to the crowd, the pit door being raised, and a shot of her terror. The rancor and Oola as she screams remain off-screen.[52] Femi Taylor, who played Oola, impressed critics with her ability to reprise the role over a decade later without visible difference.[52][47][lower-alpha 25] James Whitbrook at io9 praised the additions to the scene, writing that it teased the rancor well while still keeping the monster a surprise for Luke's later battle with it.[52] Conversely, Den of Geek UK criticized the additions as unnecessary and felt that they made the audience familiar with the pit, weakening Luke's scene.[47]

At the climax of the film, the Emperor tortures Luke with Force lightning, prompting Darth Vader to throw the Emperor down a chasm. In the theatrical release and earlier home video releases, Vader watches and acts in silence.[73] The 2011 Blu-ray release adds Vader muttering "No" and then yelling a drawn-out "No!", creating a parallel with his apparently identical cry at the end of Revenge of the Sith.[74] This addition was described as unnecessary at best and being clumsy, sounding terrible, and seeming to mock the scene in the prequel at worst.[73][74][7] A Polygon writer said it "takes what was once emotional and makes it laughable,"[43] further arguing that the addition displays a distrust in an audience's ability to interpret Vader's emotions.[43][74]

In the scene where Anakin Skywalker is unmasked, the 2004 DVD release digitally removed his eyebrows to reflect Anakin burning on Mustafar at the end of Revenge of the Sith.[63] Actor Sebastian Shaw's brown eyes were also digitally changed to blue to match Hayden Christensen's eye color.[75]

The film ends with a scene of the Rebel Alliance and a village of Ewoks on Endor celebrating the death of the Emperor and victory over the Empire. The original theatrical release of the film featured the song "Ewok Celebration", also known as "Yub Nub", playing over the celebration.[7][70] The 1997 Special Edition release of the film replaced "Ewok Celebration" with score composed by John Williams titled "Victory Celebration",[7] and the scene was lengthened to include shots of celebration on the planets Coruscant,[7][76] Bespin, and Tatooine.[77] The 2004 DVD release further added a shot set on Naboo, in which a Gungan is given a line of dialogue,[7] and added the Senate building and Jedi Temple to Coruscant.[78]

At the end of the film, Darth Vader is redeemed by killing the Emperor to save Luke Skywalker's life, then dies of his injuries shortly after, and appears to Luke as Anakin Skywalker alongside the Force spirits of Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the 1983 theatrical release, Sebastian Shaw plays this Force ghost in addition to an unmasked Vader. Hayden Christensen later played Anakin in the prequel trilogy films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. To reflect this, the 2004 DVD release of Return of the Jedi replaced Shaw's appearance as the Force ghost with Christensen, which was considered controversial by some.[63] The Digital Bits notes that the 2019 4K restoration made it more obvious where Anakin's head was replaced.[78]

The DVD released in 2001 features a slightly extended cut of the podrace sequence,[14] as well as a brief scene on Coruscant focusing on Anakin and Jar Jar Binks.[79]

The extended podrace includes a longer introduction of the racers and the second lap of the race, both of which Screen Rant says do not contribute to the story, and potentially negatively affect the film's pacing. Additionally, Watto cheering for Anakin's rival Sebulba was removed for home media releases.[79]

In the original version of The Phantom Menace, a puppet was used to portray Yoda except for two scenes near the end of the film.[80] This was changed for the 2011 Blu-ray release, with the puppet being replaced with a CGI model, similar to those used for the film's sequels Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.[81]

A few special effects which were not ready for the initial wide release were completed for release in digital-projection theaters.[lower-alpha 4] The DVD features the digital version[15] with some extended lines of dialogue.[16][17] The 2011 Blu-ray features a small editing change to the Coruscant speeder chase, adds a voiceover to Anakin's vision of Shmi,[7] and changes the order of shots depicting Count Dooku's escape.[82]

The theatrical release had a diagonal wipe from Obi-Wan leaving Mustafar to Anakin using his hand to crawl from the lava. The DVD changed this to a direct cut, which was reverted on the 2011 Blu-ray.[18] The latter release also has additional clone trooper dialogue[7] as they land on Utapau, and added moss to the treehouse on Kashyyyk.[83] The version released on Disney+ has the reprise of "The Throne Room" music from A New Hope in the end credits removed, making the end credits shorter.