STACK November Issue 68

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I f you’re old enough to remember lining up
to see Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back
and Return of the Jedi at the cinema back in
1977, 1980 and 1983, respectively, chances are
you’re still regretting ever having opened and
played with the action figures, or sticking the
original one sheet posters on your bedroom wall
with sticky tape or blu-tack. You’re also likely
to be lamenting that you can no longer see the
versions of the original trilogy as you remember
them from way back when, due to George
Lucas’s persistent need to tamper with and
improve the films in the decades since their very
first cinema release.
Unless you own the US Laserdiscs (and an
LD player) or picked up the Limited Edition
DVDs back in 2006 (which featured the original
versions as bonus features in non-anamorphic
4:3 ratio), the only way to watch episodes IV–VI
at home is via the
Special Editions
on DVD or Blu-ray,
complete with CGI
enhancements and
annoying additions that
link them to Lucas’s
prequels.
It’s somewhat
disconcerting that
today’s generation of
viewers have only ever
experienced the SE
versions. However, with
rumours now circulating
that the original unaltered
trilogy is being prepped
for a remastered Blu-ray
release to coincide with
the arrival of Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force
Awakens, they might finally have the opportunity
to see what once was.
But not if George Lucas still has any say in it.
“The special edition, that's the one I wanted out
there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody
wants it. I'm not going to spend — we're talking
millions of dollars here – the money and the
time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't
really exist anymore.”
Lucas has revised the original trilogy three
times in the last 18 years. The first was in 1997,
when the Special Editions were prepped for
the trilogy’s re-release in cinemas and on VHS.
The changes were mostly cosmetic, to take
advantage of the digital technology he didn’t
have at his disposal back in the ‘70s and ‘80s –
visible matte lines were removed, digital ships
replaced models, and shockwaves were added
to the exploding Death Star and Alderaan. But
more significant additions like Greedo shooting
first and a new song by Sy Snootles in Jabba’s
palace continue to infuriate
old school fans.
Further changes followed
for the trilogy’s DVD debut
in 2004 to ensure continuity
with the prequels, including
the Emperor’s hologram
being replaced by Palpatine
actor Ian McDiarmid (it
was originally Elaine Baker, wife of
makeup master Rick Baker, in a mask with
the voice of Clive Revill), Boba Fett with a Kiwi
accent, and actor Sebastian Shaw swapped
for Hayden Christensen as Anakin’s ghost.
Moreover, when the films returned on Blu-ray
in 2011, Lucas inflicted further alterations that
were entirely superficial – and some that were
just plain dire, like Vader’s howl of “Noooooo” as
he throws the Emperor to his death at the end
of Jedi.
Now that Lucas is presumably finally satisfied
that Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and
Return of the Jedi reflect his original grand
vision, it’s unlikely they’ll be altered again. But
never say never. At the very least, the constant
revisions and re-releases of the original trilogy
have ensured that diehard Star Wars fans can be
content with owning all possible permutations
of the films. After all, they’re the only ones with
any chance of recognising the innumerable
audio and visual differences that distinguish
each and every version.
IF IT AIN’T
BROKE…Scott Hocking wistfully remembers the Original Trilogy
that was, before George Lucas's meddling.
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