The Star Wars Special Editions made some brilliant alterations but mostly people say that they went too far. But what if they didn’t go far enough?
We’re celebrating the good, and the bad, of all things Star Wars - and that includes the Special Editions; which are also having a landmark birthday this year. In accordance with this, we count off our top picks for moments that the Special Editions could have improved or added but chose not to. Instead giving us some meaningless CGI clutter in the background of some of your favourite practical sets.
The return of the Wampa
The Wampa (the abominable snowman that kills Luke’s Tauntaun and imprisons him in its cave at the beginning of Empire Strikes Back, before having its arm lightsabered off) is a hugely memorable part of one of the franchise’s most memorable films and another of the creatures was originally intended to make an appearance, albeit very briefly, during the Empire’s assault on the Rebel Hoth base. Fleeing the advancing stormtroopers, C-3PO hastily rips a warning sign from a door. When a trooper consequently opens it up, they’re immediately dragged inside. A passing Darth Vader takes one perplexed look and moves on. It’s one of the more well-known scenes that were cut from the original films, and a great dose of the timeless humour that only stormtroopers can give, but not one that really adds to the story. Unlike our next inclusion on the list…
Luke building his lightsaber
Another subtraction from an earlier cut, which was shown to the public many decades later. Luke’s creation of his own lightsaber, after the loss of his father’s on Bespin, is a lovely step along his path to enlightenment and Jedi mastery. So it’s a bit of shame that the small scene, where we see him assemble the weapon himself in a cave, became relatively lost. The bond between a mythical knight and their weapon is an important connection. (Kylo Ren’s sketchy first attempt at a lightsaber speaks rafts about his character.) It’s one of those things where a little goes a long way. Fans of the films have only just been introduced to the concept of the Kyber crystals in Rogue One and, while Star Wars has always been admirable for leaving most things up to the imagination, questions over the origins of the Jedi’s captivating weapons have only grown over time.
“Carrie!”
The destruction of the original Death Star in Star Wars is still, to this day, one of the most well-executed and exhilarating finales in cinematic history; so it’s a little forgivable when someone gets caught up in the post-explosion excitement. After returning to Yavin 4 from his successful attack, Luke Skywalker disembarks his X-Wing to be greeted by an equally ecstatic Princess Leia. In the commotion you can clearly hear actor Mark Hamill exclaim Carrie Fisher’s real name instead of “Leia!”. It’s one of the more charming mistakes but, much like the Rancor’s fishing line, a very easy one to fix. If that’s your intention. Mark Hamill has denied the validity of this long-held fan belief, stating it was another line that was cut short. But, as always, we choose to believe the more amusing explanation and if Hamill’s telling the truth then that makes the fact that it hasn’t been fixed even worse.
