I know the New York Times has been reporting it, but I’ve finally gotten word from Lucasfilm. It’s true. All the changes we’ve been obsessing over all day and night.
Yes, the updates are confirmed. We hope fans will wait to see for themselves how they fit into the Saga before making any judgments.
I’ll say, over all, I’m not unhappy about most of the changes (just like the special edition). Ewoks with blinking eyes? Awesome. More creatures in Jabba’s Palace? Sweet. An update on the Krayyt scream? Bring it on. Digital Yoda in Phantom Menace? Perfect.
This is the definitive version of the films on Blu-ray. I’ll wait and see it before I get angry about any specific change. I’ll calm down.
BUT: Though it’s the way it is moving forward, Darth Vader screaming, “Noooooooo!” as he tosses the Emperor into the reactor shaft of the Death Star is incorrect. It’s simply not a good change. It’s on the level of Han firing first. No, I think it’s worse. No, I know it’s worse. There was never a moment more heartbreaking or poignant than putting the audience in Vader’s shoes and forcing us to think about what’s running through his mind. Giving him something to say somehow undermines every sweeping bit of emotion that scene had. It interrupts it. Will I feel differently about it when I see it in context? Maybe. But right now I feel pretty hurt by it.
I don’t think I need to explain to any of you how much I LOVE Star Wars, and this will not diminish my love for it in anyway. I just hate seeing people better than me make mistakes like this.
Having said that, I’m still gladly buying these sets on Blu-ray. I’m still going to watch every minute of the films and every minute of bonus features. And I’m going to see the films in 3D when they happen as well.
Vader screaming no will simply be added to a list of flaws I don’t like about the updates of the film. It stands next to Greedo firing first, Jedi Rocks, and Jabba’s CGI work in A New Hope. Sure, it might be more major than those, but it’s a small list of things that simply won’t–can’t–outweigh my love of the world that’s been created.
No matter how upset anyone might get about any of these changes, it’s important to remember this is George Lucas’ world. He can (and does) do anything he wants with it. If you don’t like what he does with subsequent releases, don’t buy them. But don’t attack him or diminish the role he played in bringing us these stories in the first place. He deserves our respect for that. To that end, I’ll be deleting any comments below that aren’t constructive or are attacks on me as the messenger, or anyone involved in making these changes.