SNOKES: Han Shot First, Lucas Lied Second

C-3PO: Oh, my stars, Han shot first!

Han Solo: Of course. It was me or him. Why wouldn't I?

C-3PO: That is a subject of some debate.

-LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out

It's the most famous movie alteration in history. For 20 years, Han and Greedo's confrontation in Chalmun's Cantina ended the same way: Greedo threatened to kill Han, so Han killed him first in self defense. As they were talking, Han tapped on the wall with the fingers on his left hand to keep Greedo distracted as he pulled his blaster out with his right hand and position it under the table. Then, at the right moment, Han took the opportunity to get the drop on Greedo. I was five years old when I watched A New Hope for the first time, sometime after Christmas 1995. My mom was watching with me, and she explained what was going on, so I was able to understand even at that young age that Han did what he needed to do.

Then, in 1997, the Special Edition of A New Hope opened in theaters. A new shot (no pun intended) was inserted in between Han's line "Yes, I'll bet you have." and Greedo being shot through the table. Now Greedo shoots at Han at point blank range and somehow misses, followed immediately by Han shooting through the table. Additional alterations have Han and Greedo shooting simultaneously, and Greedo getting the last word as he says "Ma klounkee!" (which translates to "It will be the end of you!" per The Phantom Menace.)

When addressing the controversy 15 years later in 2012 with The Hollywood Reporter, George Lucas said the following:

The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn’t. It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that Han shot first, because they wanted to think that he actually just gunned him down.

Lucas saying, "it upset people because they wanted Solo to be a cold-blooded killer" is absolutely wrong. It was always obvious that Han was shooting in self defense, and he wasn't waiting for anything to happen past threating words. (Young Han does the same in Solo: A Star Wars Story.) The focus of this fact check is going to be on Lucas' assertion that, "It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first..." as if it had always been the intention of the scene since 1977.

According to the screenplay widely available online, Lucas wrote the following:

Suddenly the slimy alien disappears in a blinding flash of light. Han pulls his smoking gun from beneath the table as the other patron look on in bemused amazement. Han gets up and starts out of the cantina, flipping the bartender some coins as he leaves.

There was no mention of Greedo shooting first in Lucas' own words from 1976. This should be the end of the discussion right here, but since Lucas was the one directing the movie, maybe he felt he didn't need to mention that factoid. If he felt it was important to the story, he'd communicate it to the people adapting it into a novel, into comics, and into the National Public Radio drama, right?

In the novelization (credited to George Lucas) author Alan Dean Foster described the moment in one sentence:

Light and noise filled the little corner of the cantina, and when it had faded, all that remained of the unctuous alien was a smoking, slimy spot on the stone floor.

The Marvel comic depicts the moment in one wordless panel:

In the panel, Han shoots above the table and with his left hand, but he's still the only one shooting.

In adapting the movie into a radio drama, Brian Daley wrote the scene in the following way.

Sound: A loud report of a blaster. Customers cry out in surprise, and Greedo moans, gurgles, and slumps, thumping his head on the table.

HAN: Rest in peace, Greedo! I can shoot just as well under a table as across one. How's that for the old Solo cunning?

The episode audio omits the line about "the old Solo cunning", but other than that the moment is the same. Han admits to shooting from under the table, with no quip about Greedo having shot and missed.

In Star Wars Journal: Hero for Hire (1998) author Donna Tauscher wrote in character as Han:

It's not that I like eliminating unsavory characters in my free time, you know, but I'm not gonna let myself be had either. I chatted with him in a real friendly way. He wasn't as smart as he was greedy. I pulled a blaster out from under the table real easy and Greedo was no more.

The framing device for the journal is that a B'omarr monk historian is recording Han's history. On one hand, of course if Han was recounting what happened between him and Greedo, he would not admit to Greedo shooting at him first. On the other hand, since he is recounting the story to a monk, even if he wasn't religious, he would emphasize that he had no choice to shoot Greedo because Greedo shot at him first, if such a thing had actually happened.

Four different adaptations all depict Han being the only one to shoot in the scene. Han was still shooting in self defense, even if he hadn't been shot at first.

Despite the change that was made in that one scene in A New Hope, Han is still depicted as shooting first without provocation when the Cloud City door opens, revealing Darth Vader and Boba Fett are waiting for Han and Leia. And of course, another Harrison Ford character in a George Lucas story, Indiana Jones just pulls out a gun and shoots a man instead of sword fighting him in [Indiana Jones and the] Raiders of the Lost Ark. (A funny scene done out of necessity because Harrison Ford had food poisoning and couldn't shoot the sword fight as originally scripted.)

SNOKES: Luke Skywalker Gets Carrie-d Away

We all know the moment. Having triumphantly landed back on Yavin IV after blowing up the Death Star, Luke climbs out of his X-Wing. Leia runs over shouting Luke, and as Luke embraces her, it sounds like Mark Hamill, caught up in the moment, flubs and calls her by the actress' first name "Carrie!", instead of the character's name, Leia.

It's believable, after all, because this is also the movie that includes a blooper where a stormtrooper accidentally hits his head going through a doorway. That error has since been highlighted with a sound effect being added to the hit in all post-1997 versions of the movie, a purposely added moment of Jango Fett hitting his head while boarding his ship in Attack of the Clones (even though stormtroopers are not clones of Jango), a short story in the anthology novel From a Certain Point of View that gives an in-universe explanation, and a short documentary examining the claims of three actors who all say they were the stormtrooper who hit their head on set.

Hamill himself has weighed in on the alleged "Carrie!" flub on Twitter, in October 2015 and again in July 2019. He claims that Luke was saying "There she is!", only saying "There she..." before being cut off. He further claims that the line was not on-set recorded audio, but instead recorded in post-production and added into the movie's audio. If that's the case, why wasn't a clearer take used than what is featured in the movie? After all, three different audio mixes were created for Star Wars's original theatrical run. First a Dolby Stereo mix was created, then a six-channel mix was created for 70mm screenings, and then a mono mix was created for the majority of movie theaters. According to Ben Burtt in the audio commentary for A New Hope, slight changes were made during the creation of the six-channel mix and the mono mix. There was plenty of opportunity to use a better take of Luke exclaiming "There she..." if indeed it was from the ADR process.

The DVDs, Blu-rays, and most digital copies did not make any attempt to subtitle what Luke says, until Disney+ in November 2019 which claims he says "Leia!". Since Hamill had already gone on record before Disney+ launched, Disney+ (or DVDs/Blu-rays) could have added "There she..." if that was Luke's intended line, but they didn't.

Like with George Lucas' claim that Greedo always shot at Han, that it just wasn't clear because of the way the scene was edited, if it was always the intention for Luke to shout "There she...", it didn't appear anywhere else outside of the movie. In the 1976 novelization by Alan Dean Foster (credited to George Lucas), Luke does not say anything to Leia when she runs to him and embraces him.

As they laughed, a lithe figure, robes flowing, rushed up to Luke in a very unsenatorial fashion. “You did it, Luke, you did it!” Leia was shouting.

She fell into his arms and hugged him as he spun her around. Then she moved to Solo and repeated the embrace. Expectantly, the Corellian was not quite as embarrassed.

In the 1977 Marvel comic book adaptation, the scene plays out in a very similar way to how it does in the novelization.

But the novel and comic book were both written and published while the movie was in production, and wouldn't reflect any script changes made during shooting or post-production.

So what about adaptations post-1977? In the National Public Radio dramatization, the published script has the following lines:

LEIA: (COMING ON) Luke! Oh Luke, we won! We won!

LUKE: We never would have if Han hadn't changed his mind.

The audio recording plays out the same way, but includes Luke responding "Leia!" after she first exclaims his name.

Ryder Windham's 2004 junior novelization, which transcribes all of the lines from the movie verbatim, records the scene like this:

After landing in the main hangar at the Rebel base on Yavin 4, Luke climbed out of his battered X-wing to be greeted by a throng of cheering Rebels. As he descended the ladder beside his ship, he searched the crowd for one face in particular, and then he saw her.  

“Luke!” Leia shouted as she rushed to him. She threw her arms around his neck and they danced around in a circle. As Luke spun, he saw C-3PO make his way through the crowd to stand beside the X-wing, then saw Han and Chewbacca come running toward them.

If Luke's intended line was supposed to be "There she is!", it would make sense to be included here, where it specifically states he was searching the crowd for her. Instead, Windham does not, like the DVD and Blu-ray subtitles, attempt to attribute any exclamation to Luke.

Alexandra Bracken's 2015 junior novelization, The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy, describes the scene in the following way:

    “Luke!” Leia ran toward him, a blur of white pushing through the crowd. “Luke!”
    He somehow managed to catch her as she slammed into him, laughing. He swung her around in a huge hug, setting her down just as Han came up behind them, grinning from ear to ear.

Once again, no attempt is made to give Luke an exclamation. (The book was published 20 days before Hamill first tweeted alleging the line was "There she is!")

None of the sources from outside of the movie contradict Hamill's assertion, but neither do they support his claim either. You'd think if it had been known since 1977 what Luke was supposed to say, it could have been included in a secondary source. Also, the movie has famously had alterations given to it in 1997, 2004, 2011,  and 2019. At any point, an alternate take of Luke saying "There she..." could have been added to the audio mix if one existed.

The sources would support the idea that Luke was supposed to respond with "Leia!" as he does in the NPR drama and which the Disney+ version now claims he does. But, in an on-set error that wasn't caught, like with the stormtrooper's bonk, Hamill accidentally said the wrong name, and it's been preserved for nearly 50 years in the movie, but ignored in the subtitles, novelizations, and comics.

Edited on January 19, 2024 to include information about the multiple theatrical audio mixes.

New Star Wars Blu-rays Need New Bonus Features

Star Wars Episode 1-7 and Rogue One are going to be released on 4K Blu-ray at the end of the month. Unlike the Blu-ray rerelease from six months ago, each movie will include a Blu-ray disc with bonus features. The two Disney movies will have the same bonus features from their previous releases, and it seems like six Lucas films will have the exact same features that were included with the 2015 digital releases. Most of them were created specifically for that release and have never been released on disc. "The Phantom Menace" documentary "The Beginning", which was created for the 2001 DVD, will be on Blu-ray for the first time too.

I wish the 4K Blu-rays of the first six movies would have exclusive bonus features included that would make them worth buying immediately. Physical media is supposedly dying out, but there are still people (including me) who prefer physical to streaming. I realize that Lucasfilm probably cleaned out the archives for the three bonus feature Blu-rays included in the Complete Saga sets, but there are still bonus features that have never been released on Blu-ray. They may not be in the best quality, but fans will probably understand that they can't be perfect and will just be happy to have them on disc.

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy


"The Empire of Dreams" is a documentary first included with the 2004 release of the Original Trilogy on DVD. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and Disney+, but has never been on Blu-ray.

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga


"From Star Wars to Jedi is a 1983 documentary on the making of "Return of the Jedi" that was released on VHS multiple times from 1986-1995. Since then, it has never been released on DVD or Blu-ray, only in segments on the official Star Wars YouTube channel.

R2-D2: Beneath the Dome


"R2-D2: Beneath the Dome is a 2001 mockumentary short originally created for StarWars.com staring R2-D2 in a fictionalized life story of the droid from the Star Wars film series." A preview of it was included on the 2002 Attack of the Clones DVD, and the entire special was released on a DVD that was sold exclusively in certain stores, including Best Buy.

Leonard Maltin Interviews George Lucas




Pre-dating DVD bonus features, these three interviews were included on the 1995 Original Trilogy THX mastered VHS set before each movie.

Other VHS Bonus Features
The 1997 Special Edition trilogy VHSs features making-of bonus features on each tape, and the Special Collector's Set included all features together on one tape titled "The Making of the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition". "The Phantom Menace" Widescreen VHS featured a documentary titled "Filmmaking Has Turned A Corner." Neither of those have ever officially been digitized and included on disc or uploaded to the official Star Wars YouTube.

Star Wars Spoofs 2




"The Complete Saga" Blu-ray set featured a "documentary" of Star Wars parodies, spoofs, and comedic Star Wars themed segments. A lot more have come out on TV and YouTube in the nine years since that feature was created, and it would be great to see another feature of them.

Star Wars: Forces of Destiny





In 2017 & 2018, The Disney Channel had a series of animated shorts called "Star Wars: Forces of Destiny". The shorts were then edited into four episodes. The first episode was included on a special DVD in 2017 attached to rereleases of the Star Wars Blu-rays. The rest have not been released on disc. They should get their own stand alone release, but they could also be included as bonus features.

A Look A Rey, Ren, and Snoke In "The Last Jedi"

Read my thesis statement here.

Author's note: The majority of this article was written before the teaser trailer for "The Rise of Skywalker" was released. Additional information has been added that further supports one of my points.

My first article defending "The Last Jedi" will focus on the Rey/Kylo Ren/Snoke storyline, focusing on Snoke's plan and Rey's parents. A common opinion is that "The Last Jedi" does not line up with the storylines that began in "The Force Awakens". I disagree. I will mainly be using quotes from both movies, with only a little bit of editorializing, to make my points.

Kylo Ren is a tool. Nearly everything he did in "The Last Jedi" was because he was being manipulated by Snoke. The first words Snoke said to Kylo were seemingly referring to General Hux.

"You wonder why I keep a rabid cur in such a place of power? A cur's weakness, properly manipulated, can be a sharp tool."

But Snoke's words also refer to Kylo, as evidenced by the fact that Snoke immediately starts manipulating his weakness. Rey discovered Kylo's weakness when he tried interrogating her on Starkiller Base.

"You. You're afraid. That you will never be as strong as Darth Vader."

Snoke says to Kylo,

"The mighty Kylo Ren. When I found you, I saw what all masters live to see. Raw, untamed power. And beyond that, something truly special. The potential of your bloodline. A new Vader. Now I fear I was mistaken."

"Alas, you're no Vader. You're just a child in a mask."

Kylo then proceeds to act like a child with his elevator temper tantrum where he smashes his mask.

Later, Kylo and Rey discover that their mind's have been linked. They are able to see and speak to each other despite being in different parts of the galaxy. It is later revealed that Snoke connected them in order to manipulate them both.

"Oh...Have you seen something? A weakness in my apprentice. Is that why you came? (Laughs) Young fool. It was I who bridged your minds. I stoked Ren's conflicted soul. I knew he was not strong enough to hide it from you. And you were not wise enough to resist the bait."

It is possible that the connection was built off of what happened during the interrogation scene when they first looked into each other's minds. But it was once they "touched" hands in the hut on Ahch To that the manipulation was solidified. Rey saw Kylo turning to the Light Side; Kylo saw Rey turning to the Dark Side and allegedly saw who her parents were.

"Rey, I saw who your parents are."

We know that both visions were fictions that Snoke used to manipulate them, so why should we believe what Kylo saw about Rey's parents? It came from Snoke as a way to try to manipulate Rey's weakness. When Kylo looked into her mind in "The Force Awakens", he said,

"Your parents threw you away like garbage...But you can't stop needing them. It's your greatest weakness. Looking for them everywhere, in Han Solo, now in Skywalker."

As Kylo's fear was that he'd never be like Darth Vader, Rey's fear is that her parent's were nobody special that left her behind for no reason. And Kylo played into that fear when he told her about her parents.

Ben: Do you wanna know the truth about your parents? Or have you always known? And you've just hidden it away. You know the truth. Say it. Say it.
Rey: They were nobody.
Ben: They were filthy junk traders who sold you off for drinking money. They're dead in a paupers' grave in the Jakku desert. You have no place in this story. You come from nothing. You're nothing. But not to me. Join me. Please.

Kylo is probably not lying to her. He probably believes what he's saying is true. He's trying to manipulate her based on Snoke manipulating him. So if "The Rise of Skywalker" finally reveals Rey's parents, and it's not what Rey and Kylo believe, it won't be retconning because they're both probably wrong.

But all of Snoke's manipulation didn't work. He ended up being killed by Kylo Ren instead. Unless...that was part of Snoke's plan too.

Leading up to "The Force Awakens", there was a major theory that Snoke was actually Darth Plagueis resurrected or reincarnated. It took a while, but eventually I became convinced it was true. After "The Force Awakens" was released, most people who held onto that theory gave it up. But I still believe it was true. After all, the music in Snoke's throne room is the exact same as the music at the Mon Calamari opera when Palpatine tells Anakin "The tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise".



I doubt J.J. Abrams told John Williams to troll the audience by using the same music. There has to be a good reason why it's the same.

Also, a smaller proof, but Kylo tells Han, "The Supreme Leader is wise."

But the biggest reason I believe Snoke is Plagueis is because both Plagueis and Snoke were killed by their apprentices.

At the end of "The Force Awakens", Snoke tells Hux,

"Leave the base at once and come to me with Kylo Ren. It is time... to complete his training."

And right before dying, Snoke tells Kylo,

"Complete your training, and fulfill your destiny."

Snoke and Kylo are technically not Sith, but for all intents and purposes, they're Sith. How is a Sith's training complete? By killing their master.

(This is the part that is more speculative than based on what is presented in the movies.)

I have not read James Luceno's novel "Darth Plagueis", and it's not canon anyway. All I know about him is what Palpatine told Anakin and what Wookiepedia says. It seems like Palpatine was telling the truth when relaying the story to Anakin, though I have a feeling that he emphasized certain elements as a way to manipulate Anakin. Palpatine kept emphasizing that Plagueis had the power to save other people from death, which is something he knew Anakin wanted to hear. But the underlying truth is that Plagueis had power over death, but couldn't keep himself from being killed. It's possible that he had power to return from whatever the Sith version of the Netherworld of the Force is. The teaser trailer and panel for "The Rise of Skywalker" has revealed that Palpatine has returned in some form or another, and Plagueis taught Palpatine everything he knew.

I believe that Plagueis knew Palpatine would kill him and had a way of coming back, and as Snoke he did it again for Kylo Ren. Although it seems like a crazy theory, I'm even more convinced it's true now that Palpatine is coming back. I think that both Snoke/Plagueis and Palpatine are going to be back from the dead in Episode IX.

In conclusion, to summarize, it may seem like killing off Snoke and revealing that Rey's parents were nobody contradicts what was set up in "The Force Awakens". But if you pay attention to both movies, both surprises make complete sense...from a certain point of view.

Defending "The Last Jedi"

The majority consensus is (or at least seems to be) that "The Last Jedi" is a terrible movie that ruined the Star Wars franchise. I strongly disagree. In my opinion, "The Last Jedi" is the best Star Wars movie. My clumsy metaphor is that "The Force Awakens" was comfort food, and "The Last Jedi" is a gourmet meal. It has layers of nuance that a lot of viewers seem to be missing. I am going to write a series of blog posts breaking down various elements of "The Last Jedi" in the hopes that it will help some people understand why I believe "The Last Jedi" is a masterpiece. I have recently come to realize that people will choose not to believe what I say, writing me off as a troll because I hold a different opinion than they do. That doesn't matter. I'm going to go ahead anyway, because it's their business if they choose to willingly be ignorant and hold onto their misguided opinions.

Part 1: A Look A Rey, Ren, and Snoke In "The Last Jedi"

THEORY: Star Wars/Doctor Who Crossover

Today Variety broke the news that Matt Smith has been cast in Star Wars: Episode IX in a "key role". Matt Smith is most famous for playing the Eleventh incarnation of the time-travelling alien known as The Doctor in the long-running BBC series "Doctor Who". The Doctor is a Time-Lord from the planet Gallifrey. Time-Lords have the ability of regeneration; when a Time-Lord is close to death, every cell in their body changes and they essentially become an entirely new person with a different personality, though they keeps most of their memories. This allows Time-Lords to be nearly immortal, and allows the role of The Doctor to be recast every few years, with a new actor (or now actress) taking over as the character. It has also been established that Time-Lords can transfer regeneration energy to other people with similar DNA.

After Carrie Fisher's untimely death, I started working on a completely ludicrous Doctor Who/Star Wars crossover theory. Now, it seems like it could possibly happen!

Even before "The Last Jedi" was released, it was known that General Leia Organa was going to sustain injuries during the course of the movie. This happened when the bridge of the ship she was on was blown up by Tie-Fighter pilots and she was sucked into the vacuum of space. The Force protected her from freezing to death, and she was able to harness The Force travel through friction-less space and back into the ship. She was unconscious after that ordeal, only to be awoken by connecting through The Force with her twin brother Luke Skywalker. Although she was able to take command again, it is unknown what injuries she sustained in space.

There is a good chance Leia Organa is dying. We know that archive footage of Carrie Fisher that was shot for is going to be used in Episode IX. What I've been hoping is that The Doctor will visit Leia, and transfer a regeneration to her. (Leia has half of the midi-chlorian count of her father Anakin, which means she's stronger with The Force than most.) Leia will regenerate, allowing a new actress to continue in the role. (Possibly Keri Russell.)

So why would it be Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor, instead of the current Thirteenth Doctor played by Jodie Whittaker? Because the Eleventh Doctor is the incarnation that received the new cycle of regenerations. Plus, Matt Smith is the most popular actor to have played The Doctor in the newest iteration of the series.

I must emphasize that if this theory does not come true, then Episode IX will be THE WORST MOVIE EVER!!! and MY CHILDHOOD WILL BE RUINED!!! (even though I only started watching Doctor Who five years ago, when I was 22).

Should Kathleen Kennedy Be Fired or Step Down?

There are rumors/fanboy hopes that Kathleen Kennedy either be fired or step down as President of Lucasfilm. A very vocal group of people claim that she "ruined" Star Wars because they don't like some or all of the four movies released by Disney (even though George Lucas already "ruined" Star Wars with the Prequel Trilogy...or maybe it was with "Return of the Jedi"). Others point to the fact that "Solo: A Star Wars Story" will be the first Star Wars movie to lose money, even though the previous three movies have earned over four billion dollars at the box office. I have differing opinions on this situation.

On one hand, Kennedy is the President of Lucasfilm, not the President of Star Wars. Although Lucasfilm has focused primarily on Star Wars for the last five years, she has also put another Indiana Jones movie into pre-production, and might possibly begin work on a Willow sequel. Some people have pointed out that she is a movie producer first and not a Star Wars fan, but they fail to realize she wasn't hired to run Star Wars. She was hired to produce all movies from different franchises.

On the other hand, she hasn't done a good job as a producer of the movies that have been released. She has clashed with the directors of almost all of the movies released or are yet to be released, even removing a few of them during production. I still don't understand how after a year-and-a-half of pre-production and four months of production (not to mention however long the process was to "interview" for the job) she decided that Phil Lord and Chris Miller weren't the right directors for "Solo" after all.

I don't have an answer to the question. If she's kept around, people won't be happy. If she's removed, another group of people won't be happy, especially if she's fired so a man can take over her job. Either way, it seems to be lose-lose.

How To Remake "The Last Jedi"

How to remake #TheLastJedi:

Make it EXACTLY like "The Empire Strikes Back" because it is the best and only good Star Wars movie, but don't make it too much like "The Empire Strikes Back" because people will complain that it's just a beat-by-beat retread.

— BrianBlogsStarWars (@bbstarwars) June 21, 2018

DO NOT under any circumstances introduce new Force abilities that have not been seen in any of the previous movies, even though every Star Wars movie has done exactly that.

— BrianBlogsStarWars (@bbstarwars) June 21, 2018

Also DO NOT depict Luke as a failed Master, because there have never been any Jedi that were failures in any of the previous movies. Remember, that was not J.J. Abrams' intention for the character of Luke when he wrote that Luke was in hiding on a far away planet.

— BrianBlogsStarWars (@bbstarwars) June 21, 2018

And finally, remember that Star Wars movies are made only for you and your nostalgia, and not for a wide audience. And also, do not use any CGI ever, only practical effects.

— BrianBlogsStarWars (@bbstarwars) June 21, 2018

J.J. In for Episode IX

Partial good news this morning!

"J.J. ABRAMS TO WRITE AND DIRECT STAR WARS: EPISODE IX" (YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!).

Until you get to the line, "Abrams will co-write the film with Chris Terrio" (NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!)

Seriously, are Lucasfilm intent on ruining Episode IX? First they get the writer of the awful "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", then they get the writer of the really bad "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice". The only reason I'm looking forward to "Justice League" is because Joss Whedon is (presumably) fixing Chris Terrio's terrible dialogue. I don't know if J.J. is enough of a counterbalance. How much of the co-writing will he do?

But on the choice of Abrams as director. Of course they got him. He's the only logical choice. As great as it would have been to get Rian Johnson, or Steven Spielberg, or Ron Howard, they are all busy. J.J. was available to begin work on a large movie on short notice.

"Star Wars: Episode IX" will be released on December 20, 2019. Right now I am 75% confident it will be a good movie.

Yet Another Plea For The Star Wars Original Trilogy Theatrical Versions To Be Released On Home Video - SPECIAL EDITION

The first version of this editorial was published 2/25/17. On 5/28/17 I added some additional opinions. More changes were made on 5/23/18. Additional information was added 4/4/19. Content was added and changed on 7/25/19.

2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the first "Star Wars" movie being released in theaters, and the 20th anniversary of the "Star Wars Special Editions" theatrical releases. And once again, another rumor appeared online and was debunked about the theatrical versions of the original "Star Wars" trilogy possibly being released on DVD/Blu-ray/4K UHD/etc.

I grew up with the "Star Wars" VHS box set from 1995. My mom and I went to see the "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back" Special Editions in theaters (we missed "Return of the Jedi") but we already had the movies on VHS so we didn't buy the SEs on home video. Since I first watched the movies on VHS when I was five, I didn't notice many of the SE changes when I was 6. And even though I was 14 by the time the movies were released on DVD, I never watched them until five years later. So even though I have been a "Star Wars" fan for over 20 years, I only found out about the "Special Edition" controversies a few years ago.

When I finally bought the Original Trilogy on DVD, it included the "theatrical versions" as well as the 2004 DVD versions. However, they are poor quality widescreen-within-fullscreen transfers of the 1993 laserdiscs. So I own the versions of the movies I grew up with, but it's only best viewed on an analog 4x3 TV.
_________________________
There are many think-pieces on why the non-Special Editions of the "Star Wars" movies need to be released in DVD/Blu-ray/4K UHD. Now it is my turn to make my case.

I do not hate the "Special Editions". There are some good changes. There are some stupid changes. I do not fault George Lucas desiring to keep making changes to his movies to make them match his original vision. Many directors make multiple cuts of their movies. For example:

The 30th and 40th Anniversary sets of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" come with three cuts.

The 30th anniversary sets of "Blade Runner" had four cuts on DVD and five cuts on Blu-ray.

Oliver Stone has made four cuts of "Alexander" since 2004.

The "Avatar" Extended Collector's Edition contains three cuts.

With the 2017 release of the 3 hour-long TV version, "Superman: The Movie" now has three cuts on Blu-ray.

The 40th Anniversary Edition of "Apocalypse Now" introduced a third cut.

So the problem is not that Lucas kept changing his movies. The problem is that he wants to act like the original versions of his movies that many fans grew up with for two decades do not exist. It's like taking a test in math class. You can't just give the answer to the problems, you have to show your work on how you came to the solution.

I have read a couple of editorials about from "Star Wars" fans saying the pre-Special Edition versions are not as good as we remember and our nostalgia keeping us from remembering that. My argument is not about the quality of the "theatrical" cuts vs. Special Editions. I am a collector and completest. I want to choose which version of "Star Wars" I watch. I also think that the 1997 Special Editions should also be released on a non-VHS format.

It's not just the Original Trilogy; I also want to see "Attack of the Clones: The IMAX Experience" released as well. In "The Phantom Menace", I like having puppet Yoda on DVD and CGI Yoda on Blu-ray.

I would be okay if more changes were made to any Star Wars movie. I just want to own ALL of the versions without having to act like the current version is the only version.

Some obstacles that were standing in the way have since been overcome. 20th Century Fox was to own the first six movies until 2020 - except for "A New Hope" which they would own forever. Since the original writing of this editorial, Disney has purchased 20th Century Fox and own all Star Wars movies.

As of now, it seems like the biggest obstacle to be overcome will be that the film negatives of the original trilogy will have to be rebuilt because they were altered to make the Special Editions. Fans have put in work to attempt to preserve the original versions, such as Harmy's Despecialized Editions and Project 4K77. If fans can do it, Disney can do it. So I think that if George Lucas can change his mind, the other obstacles can be overcome. Until then, we are stuck with the Special Editions.

Even "Star Wars" Cheez-Its are Special Edition.