Stars Wars comes out on Blu-ray a week from tomorrow. Ever since the release of the Special Editions in 1997, George Lucas has constantly been tinkering with his creation. He has made even more changes, some of which can be found here, to the upcoming Blu-ray release which have upset some fans. I love Star Wars and I’m not that upset about the changes. Here are some reasons why.
George Lucas
Star Wars is wholly George Lucas’ creation. The story, characters and universe are all the product of his imagination. He wanted to create a new mythology of good and evil for a modern audience and he achieved that goal. Star Wars is entirely his and he can do whatever he wants with it. We as fans feel a sense of ownership with the movies because we’ve grown up with them. That sense of ownership, though, is entirely misplaced. I never get too much nerd rage over changes Lucas makes to Star Wars because it belongs to him and I am just an observer of his creation.
The Story
The changes made to the original trilogy don’t affect the story at all. Sure, I think it’s terrible that Greedo shot first and Sy Snootles sings an entire number. Changes and additions like that, though, don’t change the story. Even with all the changes, Star Wars is still a great narrative about good, evil and redemption. The way people have responded to the changes, you would think that the Force had been eliminated, Yoda had been turned into a dirty old man and Luke gave into the Dark Side. At most, the changes are cosmetic and haven’t done anything to tarnish the story and its impact on society.
Nostalgia
No matter how many changes George Lucas makes to Star Wars, he can never take away the feeling I got when sitting down to watch my old copied VHS of Return of the Jedi. And even now, 20 years later, I still get a little bit of that feeling every time I hear John Williams score and the yellow letters crawl up the screen. People say that Lucas has ruined their childhoods because of the changes he has made. My memories about Star Wars can’t be affected by CGI sunsets or the addition of Jabba the Hutt in A New Hope. My memories are about watching Jedi in the theatre with cousins when I was three or being scared of all the bounty hunters in Empire or reenacting the Emperor electrocuting Luke with my sister. Star Wars is a part of my life and no amount of changes can change that.
I’m all about nerd rage but I just can’t work any up over the changes to the Star Wars Blu-ray. I’m excited to have the complete saga in one box set in stunning 1080p. Even with the all the changes, I know that when the music plays and the movie starts I’ll feel like a kid again. Why would anyone get angry about that?
How do you feel about the changes to the Star Wars Blu-ray release?
I actually remember when the first Star Wars was in theatres. I was just a kid at the time…in elementary school. I remember a buddy, Elrond, would make cardboard renditions of the starfighters and was pretty good at it. It truly did have an impact on our culture at that time and still does today. I absolutely love it when God gets secular and speaks to the masses under the radar. Thanks Scott for your post…truly insightful…you are a gifted nerd! (I say in love an admiration.)
Thanks, Scott. I didn’t see either of the first two in the theaters but, even at 3-years-old, I still remember seeing Jedi.
Honestly it doesn’t bother me ether. I headed there is a new seen in return of the Jedi where Luke is making his new light saber.
I think that’s an additional scene that never got added to a release before.
I agree Scott. If anything George is making it the way he wanted now that the technology is there for him to use.
The DVD boxset I have of the original trilogy has both the theater release and the extended versions. I think the blue-ray set will be similar.
Off topic question Scott have you seen The Big Bang Theory?