George Lucas Says His Changes to The Original Star Wars Trilogy Were Justified as Movies Always Get 'Yanked Out of Your Hands' For Release

Star Wars creator George Lucas has defended his frequent tweaks to the series' original movies, while acknowledging that "a lot of people got upset" about the changes.

Lucas' numerous updates to the classic Star Wars trilogy have become a legendary source of debate for fans, with each of Lucas' many, many subsequent alterations sparking discussion on whether they were advisable or necessary.

The trilogy's 1997 Special Edition release, which made major alterations and added an array of new CGI effects, was mostly well-received (with one notable exception we'll get to below). But Lucas has continued to tinker with the movies in the years since. Further changes were made to the movies for their DVD release in 2004, and again for their Blu-ray launch in 2011. More minor adjustments were even made for their Disney+ launch in 2019, over 40 years on from their original debut.

Some of these changes are unlikely to register to casual viewers, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi's shout to scare off the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine (which was changed for the 2004 DVD release, and then again for the 2011 Blu-ray). Others are more technical in nature, fixing color mistakes or improving the appearance of matte backgrounds.

But other edits have sparked significant criticism, such as the changes made to link the original movies with Lucas' prequel trilogy (such as the digital removal of Anakin Skywalker's eyebrows for Return of the Jedi's launch on DVD, or the addition of Hayden Christensen as Anakin's Force ghost).

And then there's the infamous 'who shot first?' debate in A New Hope's scene with Han Solo and the bounty hunter Greedo. The identity of who shot first (and the resulting implications this had for Han's personality) was reversed in the 1997 Special Edition, shortened for the 2004 DVD, shortened further for the 2011 Blu-ray, and even tweaked with new visual effects in a 2019.

Reflecting on the changes now in an interview with CBS, Lucas characterized his edits as him finally getting a chance to complete his stories, after initially having to meet production deadlines.

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"Most movies aren't finished, they're simply yanked out of your hands and put in the theaters," Lucas said. "So you're always saying 'oh, I wish I could have just finished that one piece of thing.' But it's not that way. You have a deadline, you've got to make the deadline.

"But then I went back, after Star Wars, and redid all the movies, in terms of finishing them. So that they're actually finished. And of course, a lot of people got upset about that, because they said 'you're not allowed to do that.' I said 'fans are doing that. They're making alternate versions and all kinds of stuff.'"

Of course, it is Lucas' right to revisit his work however he pleases — and it is also the right of Star Wars fans to have their say in response. But Lucas concluded by mentioning how vociferous the debate around Star Wars has now become. The creator has previously suggested that the negative fan reaction to his changes (and his prequel movies) was a factor in his ultimate decision to sell the franchise to Disney.

"It's hard to explain to the studios that if you listen to the people who are unhappy, it's not going to turn out well," Lucas noted. "It's going to be sad. Because they're not people who know how to make movies."

For those keen to see Star Wars in all its 1977 glory, the original movie will return to theaters (without all of Lucas' subsequent changes) for a limited release in February 2027, in honor of the film's 50th anniversary.

Image credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.