Rants About the Special Editions

**Valigarmander** · 01-28-2007, 10:35 PM

Well, I know y'all probably don't care about what I think, but I just felt like talking about the Star Wars Special Editions. Star Wars was good to begin with, but Lucas wanted something better, so he picked at it until we had this: the special editions. Are they better? Worse? Here's my opinion.

A NEW HOPE

Thanks to computer technology, we now have additional footage: extra stormtroopers in the background, more civilains on the streets, nicer overhead views of Mos Eisley. My opinion? BETTER

Ah, the whole "who shot first deal." Originally, Han shot. Now, Greedo shot. Well, personally, I do not give a crap. I don't see why anyone would. Greedo is a bit quicker at the draw, so what. Let's move on. My opinion? UNSURE

Um, what the **** is that? Is that supposed to be Jabba? Because that looks like a CGI pile of dog crap. Were the FX teams on crack when they made this? WORSE

Much better. However, you still got the voice all wrong. And Boba Fett's cameo is nice. BETTER

In the space battle, we get better views of the ships. We even get to see inside the cockpits at the pilots. Nice. BETTER

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

The wampa ice monster sequence now features the whole creature. You get to see it eating meat, stomping through the cave, and screaming in agony after getting its arm chopped off. However, I think the older version where you hear the monster but you never quite see it, is better. It's more "artistic." WORSE

In the sequence where Vader speaks to the Emperor, the outdated view of the Emperor is replaced by Ian McDiarmid. Not much of a change, but I like it better than the old. BETTER

In the 1997 SE, Luke is heard screaming when he falls down the shaft after facing Vader. Uh... it didn't even sound like Luke. It sounded like the village idiot running naked down the streets. WORSE

RETURN OF THE JEDI

A new musical in Jabba's palace. With CGI animated Sy Snootles and some other hairy dude. The original musical wasn't that good, but this new one wasn't really necesarry. UNSURE

The Sarlacc pit monster now includes more tentacles and a beak. The tentacles are understandable, but the beak was just stupid IMO. WORSE

The new ending sequence (Victory Celebration) replacing the old one ("Yub Nub") is by far the best improvement Lucas made. Instead of corny ewok music and dancing around, you get to hear dramatic music and see views of celebrations across the entire galaxy. You get a much better feel of the weight of what's just happened. BETTER

In the 2004 re-release, actor Sebastian Shaw (playing Anakin) is replaced by Hayden Christensen. A lot of people are confused by this, but it makes some sense to me. Apparently, Anakin's spirit retained his human form from back before he had turned evil. Still, I think the old version made much more sense. WORSE

Well, that's all I have for now. Tell me your opinions on these new releases. Are they better? Worse? Let's hear your opinion.

Bomby · 01-28-2007, 10:53 PM

WORSE.
WORSE.
WORSE.
WORSE.
WORSEWORSEWORSEWORSEWORSE!!!

I grew up with the original versions. I grew up with Han shooting first. I grew up without a stupid Jabba scene. I grew up with the old Emperor. I grew up with the old music in Jabba's hut. I grew up without a corny, childish CGI band playing it. I grew up on empty Sarlacc pits. I grew up on "Yub Nub."

HEY GEORGE LUCAS! Let's go back and re-edit Citizen Kane while we're at it! I always thought Orson Welles should've had a beard to go along witht that moustache!

***CaptHayfever*** · 01-29-2007, 08:03 AM

The issue with Greedo shooting first isn't "o noes, Han's not fast enough!"
The issue is "WTH, the professional bounty hunter missed at point blank!"
The issue is "Han is supposed to be such a cold, hard punk that he would shoot someone under the table without being fired on first."
The issue is "Why would he have to apologize for 'the mess' when everyone in the bar would've seen that Greedo shot first?"
Greedo shooting first just doesn't make sense.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Bomby · 01-29-2007, 02:35 PM

I guess they wanted Han to be "more moral" and therefore "more likeable" and definitely "more family-friendly."

I guess I'm just glad that Empire Strikes Back recieved the least amount of changes.

And, of course, I still have my VHS tapes of the original trilogy. I should've bought the DVD's of them while they were still available... ah, it's not a big deal.

Rainbow Dash · 01-31-2007, 03:43 PM

Bomby's overreacting.

**Valigarmander** · 01-31-2007, 06:26 PM

Hmm, now that I've read Capt's post, the whole Greedo/Han issue does seem to make more sense. Yeah, that was pretty stupid.

The thing about these Special Editions is, I can understand Lucas wanting to "digitally update" the sage. By that I mean making the image clearer, polishing special effects, that sort of thing. Adding deleted scenes (the Jabba scene in A New Hope)? That's okay by me (as long as you didn't use that God-awful CGI Jabba from the 1997 edition). But the thing is, you don't need to make any drastic changes. Probably the only change I really like was the new ending sequence for Return of the Jedi. The others we could have done without.

Bomby · 01-31-2007, 06:43 PM

The new ending of Return of the Jedi was my most hated of all the changes. Actually, all the changes in RotJ quite angered me, as that was my favorite of the series as a child. That honor now belongs to the Empire Strikes Back, of course, for all its complexities and its unusually realistic character development (something which George Lucas has always had trouble with).

**Valigarmander** · 01-31-2007, 06:47 PM

I much prefered the new ending. It seemed much better in my opinion, at least better than ewoks singing and dancing.

Bomby · 01-31-2007, 07:14 PM

Maybe it's better for a new generation of kids who are gonna wander around imitating Star Wars. But I was introduced to Star Wars before the Special Editions, and my friends and I would devote much of our time to the subject, so you must at least understand where I'm coming from with this and why the special editions angered me.

Plus, the whole idea of going back and re-editing three classic films 20, 17, and 14 years after they had already proven successful and became engrained into the minds of their fans is just plain ridiculous if you ask me.

**Valigarmander** · 01-31-2007, 07:19 PM

^ I understand. I was raised on the originals too. And I understand getting mad at Lucas for messing things up. How I try to think about it is: Star Wars isn't my thing. I like it, but I'm not obsessed with it. Therefore, I don't see why anyone would be angered at Lucas for altering the series. So, I try to think of something I am obsessed with. Super Mario. I absolutely love the franchise. But what if Miyamoto decided to make drastic changes to the games? Changes I hated? I wouldn't be happy.

So, yes, I do understand your position. And while I think some of the changes were for the better, and you seem to be against them all, that's alright. Everyone has different views. I respect yours.

Bomby · 01-31-2007, 07:22 PM

Well, I actually didn't mind adding the Jabba scene to the first, since it helped fill in a minor gap in the plot.

**Valigarmander** · 01-31-2007, 07:24 PM

But I think most of the edits we could have done without. I do, however, love the new ending to RotJ.

Totally Kennerson · 01-31-2007, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Wangsword

So, I try to think of something I am obsessed with. Super Mario. I absolutely love the franchise. But what if Miyamoto decided to make drastic changes to the games? Changes I hated? I wouldn't be happy.

Try playing the Super Mario Advance games. Did they REALLY all need that Mario Bros. game?

Rainbow Dash · 01-31-2007, 08:00 PM

Yes. What if you hadn't gotten the one that had it? "lol u r screwed, go get dat one for mar-ee-o bruddas"

Totally Kennerson · 01-31-2007, 09:19 PM

^Yeah, or you could just get it on the Virtural Console. >_>

**Valigarmander** · 01-31-2007, 10:35 PM

It's an arcade game. Nobody would pay more than ten cents to play a game they could just get online.

Lilac DownDeep · 02-02-2007, 12:48 PM

ugh. The RotJ ending screwed up the whole movie for me. Dx

We have all the movies on DVD, including the origianal, origianal three (including the improved form) and the newer three.

I swear if I see Shaw again, I will....

**Valigarmander** · 02-02-2007, 06:32 PM

How did the new ending screw anything up!? I can't see how it couldn't be an improvement! The dramatic music! The views of all the people celebrating on the different planets! The only thing I don't like is replacing Shaw with Christensen! What else is there to dislike!?

Bomby · 02-02-2007, 06:45 PM

^ For one thing, the change in music was my least favorite change in the whole series. I liked "Yub Nub." The new music is that awful, dull, stereotypical, American studio crap.

**Valigarmander** · 02-02-2007, 06:46 PM

Oh. For me, it's the exact opposite. I hated Yub Nub, but I liked the new music.

01-28-2007, 10:35 PM	#1
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Rants About the Special Editions Well, I know y'all probably don't care about what I think, but I just felt like talking about the Star Wars Special Editions. Star Wars was good to begin with, but Lucas wanted something better, so he picked at it until we had this: the special editions. Are they better? Worse? Here's my opinion. A NEW HOPE Thanks to computer technology, we now have additional footage: extra stormtroopers in the background, more civilains on the streets, nicer overhead views of Mos Eisley. My opinion? BETTER Ah, the whole "who shot first deal." Originally, Han shot. Now, Greedo shot. Well, personally, I do not give a crap. I don't see why anyone would. Greedo is a bit quicker at the draw, so what. Let's move on. My opinion? UNSURE Um, what the ** is that? Is that supposed to be Jabba? Because that looks like a CGI pile of dog crap. Were the FX teams on crack when they made this? WORSE** Much better. However, you still got the voice all wrong. And Boba Fett's cameo is nice. BETTER In the space battle, we get better views of the ships. We even get to see inside the cockpits at the pilots. Nice. BETTER THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK The wampa ice monster sequence now features the whole creature. You get to see it eating meat, stomping through the cave, and screaming in agony after getting its arm chopped off. However, I think the older version where you hear the monster but you never quite see it, is better. It's more "artistic." WORSE In the sequence where Vader speaks to the Emperor, the outdated view of the Emperor is replaced by Ian McDiarmid. Not much of a change, but I like it better than the old. BETTER In the 1997 SE, Luke is heard screaming when he falls down the shaft after facing Vader. Uh... it didn't even sound like Luke. It sounded like the village idiot running naked down the streets. WORSE RETURN OF THE JEDI A new musical in Jabba's palace. With CGI animated Sy Snootles and some other hairy dude. The original musical wasn't that good, but this new one wasn't really necesarry. UNSURE The Sarlacc pit monster now includes more tentacles and a beak. The tentacles are understandable, but the beak was just stupid IMO. WORSE The new ending sequence (Victory Celebration) replacing the old one ("Yub Nub") is by far the best improvement Lucas made. Instead of corny ewok music and dancing around, you get to hear dramatic music and see views of celebrations across the entire galaxy. You get a much better feel of the weight of what's just happened. BETTER In the 2004 re-release, actor Sebastian Shaw (playing Anakin) is replaced by Hayden Christensen. A lot of people are confused by this, but it makes some sense to me. Apparently, Anakin's spirit retained his human form from back before he had turned evil. Still, I think the old version made much more sense. WORSE Well, that's all I have for now. Tell me your opinions on these new releases. Are they better? Worse? Let's hear your opinion.

01-28-2007, 10:53 PM	#2
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	WORSE. WORSE. WORSE. WORSE. WORSEWORSEWORSEWORSEWORSE!!! I grew up with the original versions. I grew up with Han shooting first. I grew up without a stupid Jabba scene. I grew up with the old Emperor. I grew up with the old music in Jabba's hut. I grew up without a corny, childish CGI band playing it. I grew up on empty Sarlacc pits. I grew up on "Yub Nub." HEY GEORGE LUCAS! Let's go back and re-edit Citizen Kane while we're at it! I always thought Orson Welles should've had a beard to go along witht that moustache!

01-29-2007, 08:03 AM	#3
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,661 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	The issue with Greedo shooting first isn't "o noes, Han's not fast enough!" The issue is "WTH, the professional bounty hunter missed at point blank!" The issue is "Han is supposed to be such a cold, hard punk that he would shoot someone under the table without being fired on first." The issue is "Why would he have to apologize for 'the mess' when everyone in the bar would've seen that Greedo shot first?" Greedo shooting first just doesn't make sense. And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

01-29-2007, 02:35 PM	#4
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	I guess they wanted Han to be "more moral" and therefore "more likeable" and definitely "more family-friendly." I guess I'm just glad that Empire Strikes Back recieved the least amount of changes. And, of course, I still have my VHS tapes of the original trilogy. I should've bought the DVD's of them while they were still available... ah, it's not a big deal.

01-31-2007, 03:43 PM	#5
Rainbow Dash been dreamin', i've been waitin' Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: a bomb-ass cloud house bachelorette pad Gender: Posts: 24,402 Thanks: 173 Thanked 1,179 Times in 716 Posts	Bomby's overreacting.

01-31-2007, 06:26 PM	#6
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Hmm, now that I've read Capt's post, the whole Greedo/Han issue does seem to make more sense. Yeah, that was pretty stupid. The thing about these Special Editions is, I can understand Lucas wanting to "digitally update" the sage. By that I mean making the image clearer, polishing special effects, that sort of thing. Adding deleted scenes (the Jabba scene in A New Hope)? That's okay by me (as long as you didn't use that God-awful CGI Jabba from the 1997 edition). But the thing is, you don't need to make any drastic changes. Probably the only change I really like was the new ending sequence for Return of the Jedi. The others we could have done without.

01-31-2007, 06:43 PM	#7
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	The new ending of Return of the Jedi was my most hated of all the changes. Actually, all the changes in RotJ quite angered me, as that was my favorite of the series as a child. That honor now belongs to the Empire Strikes Back, of course, for all its complexities and its unusually realistic character development (something which George Lucas has always had trouble with).

01-31-2007, 06:47 PM	#8
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	I much prefered the new ending. It seemed much better in my opinion, at least better than ewoks singing and dancing.

01-31-2007, 07:14 PM	#9
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	Maybe it's better for a new generation of kids who are gonna wander around imitating Star Wars. But I was introduced to Star Wars before the Special Editions, and my friends and I would devote much of our time to the subject, so you must at least understand where I'm coming from with this and why the special editions angered me. Plus, the whole idea of going back and re-editing three classic films 20, 17, and 14 years after they had already proven successful and became engrained into the minds of their fans is just plain ridiculous if you ask me.

01-31-2007, 07:19 PM	#10
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	^ I understand. I was raised on the originals too. And I understand getting mad at Lucas for messing things up. How I try to think about it is: Star Wars isn't my thing. I like it, but I'm not obsessed with it. Therefore, I don't see why anyone would be angered at Lucas for altering the series. So, I try to think of something I am obsessed with. Super Mario. I absolutely love the franchise. But what if Miyamoto decided to make drastic changes to the games? Changes I hated? I wouldn't be happy. So, yes, I do understand your position. And while I think some of the changes were for the better, and you seem to be against them all, that's alright. Everyone has different views. I respect yours.

01-31-2007, 07:22 PM	#11
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	Well, I actually didn't mind adding the Jabba scene to the first, since it helped fill in a minor gap in the plot.

01-31-2007, 07:24 PM	#12
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	But I think most of the edits we could have done without. I do, however, love the new ending to RotJ.

01-31-2007, 08:00 PM	#14
Rainbow Dash been dreamin', i've been waitin' Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: a bomb-ass cloud house bachelorette pad Gender: Posts: 24,402 Thanks: 173 Thanked 1,179 Times in 716 Posts	Yes. What if you hadn't gotten the one that had it? "lol u r screwed, go get dat one for mar-ee-o bruddas"

01-31-2007, 09:19 PM	#15
Totally Kennerson Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Falling down all these stairs Gender: Posts: 2,116 Thanks: 340 Thanked 406 Times in 136 Posts Blog Entries: 1	^Yeah, or you could just get it on the Virtural Console. >_>

01-31-2007, 10:35 PM	#16
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	It's an arcade game. Nobody would pay more than ten cents to play a game they could just get online.

02-02-2007, 12:48 PM	#17
Lilac DownDeep Arceus the Almighty Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Raxacoricofallapatorius Gender: Posts: 1,320 Thanks: 18 Thanked 37 Times in 25 Posts	ugh. The RotJ ending screwed up the whole movie for me. Dx We have all the movies on DVD, including the origianal, origianal three (including the improved form) and the newer three. I swear if I see Shaw again, I will....

02-02-2007, 06:32 PM	#18
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	How did the new ending screw anything up!? I can't see how it couldn't be an improvement! The dramatic music! The views of all the people celebrating on the different planets! The only thing I don't like is replacing Shaw with Christensen! What else is there to dislike!?

02-02-2007, 06:45 PM	#19
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	^ For one thing, the change in music was my least favorite change in the whole series. I liked "Yub Nub." The new music is that awful, dull, stereotypical, American studio crap.

02-02-2007, 06:46 PM	#20
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Oh. For me, it's the exact opposite. I hated Yub Nub, but I liked the new music.