10 Star Wars Special Edition Changes That Make No Sense

George Lucas very clearly has a particular vision of Star Wars that has deviated from how many of his greatest fans have perceived the pop culture phenomenon. It seems like no matter how many years go by, there is always something Lucas wants to improve about his original Star Wars trilogy or its prequels. Obviously, Lucas prides himself on being a technical visionary in cinema, but his ambitious pursuits don't always result in the best version of something. When concerning Star Wars (especially the original trilogy), fans don't much care for ways to "improve" them. Of course, Lucas has a right to do whatever he wants.

The problem with always finding something to tweak or edit is that the original living organism of a film's production becomes devalued in a way. There is always a moment of understanding a filmmaker needs to have when it is truly time to move away from a project and let it grow and age on its own. However, Lucas found a need to update his iconic Star Wars saga whenever the latest technology allowed for it and the first time he did so was in 1997. At the end of the day, fans don't feel the need, especially when some of the decisions don't really make a lot of sense.

10 Luke and Wedge Hug Each Other During a Big Moment

Return of the Jedi

The 1997 Special Editions were the first time Lucas decided to incorporate new technology into his original Star Wars trilogy. This technology would help inspire him to start making the prequel trilogy a couple of years later. However, Lucas had been making small changes to his films for years before this, foreshadowing his desire to keep doing so. In Return of the Jedi, there is a small and subtle change to the ending of the film that just doesn't make sense.

The problem with a filmmaker having the ability to constantly change their original work is that it kind of diminishes their own professionalism to some degree. It shows a lack of confidence in their abilities and their work that they feel they must keep "fixing" things. Luke and Wedge know each other well by this point. However, nobody was missing a hug between the two of them at the end of Return of the Jedi. Sure, there was victory excitement in the air, but fans understood the weight of this moment without extra interactions. This would fall under the category of adding things just to add them.

9 CGI Dewbacks and Other Creatures Took Away Some Charm

A New Hope

Lucas was about to make a new trilogy in 1997 with a ton of CGI and other special effects that would give the films a much grander scope and feel than his originals. This doesn't mean the originals needed these effects as well. There is a charm and appreciation for cinema when it uses practical effects and movie magic to tell a story. Practical creatures work just fine in the original Star Wars trilogy. Just not for George Lucas.

In A New Hope, there are a ton of little additions of sand creatures, lizards and furry friends that are once again simply added just because they can be added. The biggest examples are the dewback lizards, which are added to the town of Mos Eisley when Luke and Obi-Wan are looking for a ride off of Tatooine. Even one lizard that was originally static was replaced with a moving computer image. However, no fans were asking for this "fix" and it came off as weirder because of how primitive this early CGI actually looks.

8 Oola's Death Took Away Some of the Build-Up to Luke's Rancor Fight

Return of the Jedi

Some aspects of the 1997 special editions were added to improve the story and characters. However, it is controversial whether these additions are actually necessary at all. For instance, in Return of the Jedi, an off-screen scream for Oola's death scene, where she is eaten by a rancor was perfect because it supplied an element of mystery and tension to the creature lurking beneath.

The special editions added shots of the kill that included an idea of the space Luke would later also be trapped in. On the one hand, some believe this sets the stage for what's to come, but on the other hand, it actually diminishes the effect of the bigger moment between Luke and the rancor. When Luke falls in that pit, it's a mystery how he will survive. It becomes less of a mystery when audiences are given an idea of what Luke has to work with.

7 Lucas Thought Fans Needed Clarification On Where Everyone Ended Up

The Empire Strikes Back

There's also an element of the audience that gets disrespected to a certain degree by adding so many changes to a product. With the audience being such a big part of the experience, they should be treated with an air of intelligence. Fans know things and don't need extra bits to clarify something that doesn't need clarification. This was the case with additional frames to the ending of The Empire Strikes Back.

In the special edition of The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas adds a shot of Vader's shuttle landing on the Death Star to clarify that it is where the villain ends up before the credits roll. They also replace a line of dialogue in this sequence. The audience is smart enough to assume where Darth Vader is going. To further diminish the moment, Lucas would add more moments of characters on specific ships in later editions of the original trilogy. Return of the Jedi is going to answer where everyone ends up anyway, so there was really no point to the changes.

6 The Ewok Celebration Lost Some Cultural Authenticity

Return of the Jedi

If talking about cultural authenticity being lost in the Star Wars 1997 special editions, the culture being discussed is the iconic furry Endor creatures, the Ewoks. Their distinct cultural elements are essential to Luke, Han and Leia's survival on Endor in Return of the Jedi. Their belief in C3PO as a God helps them in multiple ways during their fight against the Empire in the film. Therefore, the Ewok-based celebration was in line with the rest of the film.

Originally, the Return of the Jedi ending had a musical overlay called "Ewok Celebration" or "Yub-Nub" that fits the scene perfectly and brings audiences out of the trilogy with high spirits. For whatever reason, George Lucas thought it would be better to change the music to a John Williams score called "Victory Celebration" instead. The most likely reason is to fit the new frames in the sequence that show other planets also celebrating the destruction of the Empire. However, this little detail just seems unnecessary. No matter how many fans love John Williams.

5 A CGI Sarlacc Did Not Go as Planned

Return of the Jedi

It is understandable why Lucas was so fascinated with what 1997 technology could allow him to do. Many of the creatures and species in Star Wars are so fantastical that they would most likely benefit from computer-generated "fixes." However, that is not always the case. CGI works best when it works best, and it was still very new and clunky in 1997. Furthermore, there are traditionalists who would prefer practical effects in certain situations to this day.

When Jabba the Hutt and his gang decide to sentence Luke and Han to the fate of the Sarlacc Pit in Return of the Jedi, the shroud of terror surrounding the beast within was one of the coolest things about the sequence. Even with its practical effects revelation, the Sarlacc was iconic for many years. The CGI change made to the creature in 1997 just came off as cartoonish at best and laughable at worst.

4 Luke Skywalker's Scream Doesn't Fit His Decision

The Empire Strikes Back

Sometimes the initial instincts of a director are right as opposed to mulling something over too long and then making a change. When Luke Skywalker decides not to take Darth Vader's hand at the end of their duel in The Empire Strikes Back, it is because he would rather jump than join the dark side. Therefore, why would Luke Skywalker scream?

The same question many fans asked when Lucas decided to add a scream to Luke's fall in Cloud City that completely altered the original moment. Luke is standing his ground and making a huge decision. As he takes a leap of faith, he allows it to play out for him however it will. Therefore, a scream doesn't make any sense. Lucas came to realize his initial decision was right because the later special editions would eventually remove the scream again.

3 More Doesn't Always Mean Better - Even in Star Wars

A New Hope

Fans remember the sequence in the Death Star from the original Star Wars because it is a constantly moving sequence with obstacle after obstacle for the heroes. It has action, drama and humor rolled into one at various moments. One of the best moments comes when Han Solo is running down one of the corridors and turns a corner to find a handful of stormtroopers there to meet him. He is incredibly over-matched and immediately turns and heads back the other way (shooting a blaster bolt as he does).

The moment is funny and entertaining already. George Lucas thought it would be even better if there were so many more stormtroopers in that scene. He added dozens more, in fact, in the 1997 special edition. While the moment still works, it also makes Han Solo's blaster fire a little less believable. Needless to say, it is another one of those changes that don't really need to be made and was just done because it could be done. At least it doesn't hurt the moment too badly.

2 Jabba the Hutt Was Sorely Missed By George Lucas

A New Hope

It became more and more clear that it pained George Lucas to have to cut a scene he really wanted in the original cut of Star Wars. One of the most iconic characters is Jabba the Hutt and Lucas had originally intended him to be in the first film. He even shot a scene where Jabba meets Han Solo outside in a hangar bay on Mos Eisley. However, various constraints kept him from being able to put it in the movie. That all changed with the special editions.

With CGI to help him, Lucas recut the deleted scene and put it back in the movie. The problem is that the CGI looks clunky and the moment kind of halts the narrative from where it was left off in the Cantina. Greedo had already mentioned that there was a price on Han's head and that Jabba was after him. That information just feels repetitive when Han and Jabba talk a few moments later.

1 George Lucas Decided That Greedo Shot First

A New Hope

One of the most controversial changes in the special editions was editing the Han and Greedo confrontation and making Greedo shoot first. For years, fans debated who shot first, and it was a conversation that became part of the social zeitgeist. The ambiguity of the moment was fun and effective. There was really no reason to change it other than to make Han seem more morally untainted.

It became clear over time that Han clearly shot first. This didn't change anyone's opinion about him. He was still cool and quick with a blaster. Furthermore, at this point in Han's career, he is a bit morally compromised and not yet a hero of the rebellion. Therefore, it shouldn't matter that he shot first. Lucas' change makes Greedo shoot first and Han lean a bit to dodge the bullet. It remains one of the most controversial changes to this day.