Ruining the Original 'Star Wars' Trilogy, Part 1

I'm such a purist that I won't watch George Lucas' 'special editions.'

Last week, I saw a meme that posed a question for Star Wars fans: Which of George Lucas’ edits to the original trilogy were the worst? I’ll admit that I’m a Star Wars purist, and I’m not crazy about the vast majority of the changes that Lucas made to the original trilogy.

I have a copy of the original three films on DVD that I’ll watch rather than streaming them — that’s how opposed to most of them I am. But how would I answer the question in the meme? You’re about to find out.

Han shot first!

This is one of the most egregious changes in Star Wars (aka A New Hope). In the original, the shot happens quickly, but it’s obvious that Han shoots first.

Lucasfilm has actually screwed around with this one multiple times. First, the studio had Greedo shoot first and miss with Han dodging the shot awkwardly. Then, Lucasfilm edited the scene to have Greedo shoot a split-second earlier. Finally, the studio edited it to happen even more quickly, with Greedo still shooting first.

The problem with this change is that it’s out of character for the ruthless smuggler-turned Rebel Alliance hero. Han would rather talk himself out of a situation, but he’s not afraid to act when he needs to. Greedo shooting first and Han shooting second makes him reactionary, which doesn’t work for his character.

The useless Jabba the Hutt scene

The next change in Star Wars is just plain stupid, and it takes place right after Han shooting Greedo. Originally, this scene was a deleted one, and it featured Han encountering Jabba the Hutt in the bay where the Millennium Falcon is docked.

The first version of the scene has Jabba the Hutt as a human character, played by Declan Mulholland.

The scene was cut, and Jabba the Hutt didn’t appear until Return of the Jedi in the slug-like form that we know him. For some reason, George Lucas brought back the scene with a terrible CGI Jabba for the special editions.

What’s particularly bad about this scene is that much of the dialogue is word-for-word from the scene with Greedo. Because Han walks around the human Jabba, there’s a lame part of the CGI scene where Han steps on Jabba’s tail.

It’s a completely unnecessary addition that doesn’t do anything for the plot of the film, so it irks me that George Lucas insisted on putting it back into the film.

This is just the first entry in the trilogy. There’s nothing that bugs me about the George Lucas edits to The Empire Strikes Back, so tune in next Tuesday to see how George Lucas ruined parts of Return of the Jedi for me.

Photo: original designer: Suzy Rice, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons