10 More Star Wars Changes George Lucas Made That Were Completely Justified
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00:00From inspired use of CGI to small refinements which make the world more internally consistent
00:06And yes, that force ghost
00:08These 10 George Lucas Star Wars changes are not worth getting worked up about
00:13Because they actually all make total sense
00:15I am Gareth here from WhatCultureStarWars
00:18And here are 10 more Star Wars changes George Lucas made that were completely justified
00:2310. CGI Yoda The Phantom Menace
00:27George Lucas' changes weren't just limited to the original trilogy
00:31He's also gone back and made adjustments to the prequels on their more recent home video releases
00:36Case in point, The Phantom Menace's 2011 Blu-ray release saw the puppet version of Yoda replaced with a digital double
00:43While it's easy to appreciate why replacing the classic puppet with a CGI version would anger some fans
00:49Given how egregiously and arguably unnecessarily Lucas has done this in the original trilogy
00:54In this case, it actually makes total sense
00:56As charming as the Yoda puppet might be in the original trilogy
00:59It sticks out like a sore thumb amid the more obvious digital landscape of The Phantom Menace
01:04Simply, it just doesn't look good at all, does it?
01:07The digital replacement actually looks terrifically detailed
01:10And makes these scenes feel more consistent with the CGI Yoda used throughout Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith
01:16So it's tough to get truly worked up about
01:18Digital Yoda may still be fairly divisive among fans
01:21But this is a rare case where Lucas was absolutely right to ditch the rather janky looking puppet
01:279. Anakin's Removed Eyebrows Return of the Jedi
01:31When the original trilogy was released on DVD in 2004
01:35Lucas decided to give Sebastian Shaw a digital shave for the scene where he portrays a dying, unmasked Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi
01:43In the original version of the scene, Anakin has big bushy eyebrows
01:47They're right there, you could not miss them
01:49Yet given that we see Anakin get horribly burned beyond recognition in Revenge of the Sith
01:53It just makes no sense for him to still have eyebrows
01:56And so, some seamless CGI hair removal made Anakin's appearance more consistent with his fate in the prequels
02:03While very far from a necessary change, from a continuity perspective it's absolutely reasonable and about as non-sacrilegious as Lucas' digital changes get
02:12But because Lucas couldn't simply stop there, he did also make some subtler changes to Anakin's appearance in this sequence
02:18Namely, changing his skin colour to a more ashen shade
02:21And tinting his eyes blue to match Hayden Christensen's in the prequels
02:25Again, were you really that bothered by this alteration though? Probably not
02:298. CGI Ropes Around Han's Feet Return of the Jedi
02:33Lucas first began instituting significant changes upon his creations with the 1997 Special Edition re-releases of the original trilogy
02:42But here's one that was actually totally worthwhile
02:45In the original version of Return of the Jedi, Han hangs over the Sarlacc Pit from a skiff in order to rescue Lando from the creature
02:52Yet it never quite makes sense how exactly Han is being suspended in the air
02:56In some shots, it's simply not physically plausible for Chewbacca to be holding his legs
03:00And yet, there he dangles
03:02For the Special Edition though, Lucas added CGI ropes which have been digitally tied around Han's ankles
03:08Explaining how he can be plausibly suspended upside down at all times
03:12Though Lucas has made many objectionable changes to the Sarlacc Pit sequence
03:17Namely making the Sarlacc more detailed and less mysterious
03:20This one actually tidies up a slightly annoying nitpick
03:23So it's tough to begrudge it at all
03:25Han might be many great things, but he cannot justify gravity whenever he likes
03:297. Removing English Text from the Death Star's Tractor Beam, A New Hope
03:35Back when A New Hope was in production
03:37Lucas hadn't yet settled on any consistent in-universe written languages
03:42And so, when Obi-Wan deactivates the Tractor Beam on the Death Star
03:45Its information gorge is initially very clearly in English
03:49But in Return of the Jedi, Lucas introduced Aurebesh-like text
03:53Which eventually graduated into a full-on detailed writing system in later Star Wars media
03:58And so, for A New Hope's 2004 DVD release, he decided to alter the Tractor Beam's gauge from English to Aurebesh
04:05Again, this is hardly a change that any fan desperately needed to see
04:09But it's one that nevertheless makes the world feel more internally consistent in a small but noticeable way
04:15Today, seeing written English in a Star Wars movie sticks out like a sore thumb
04:19So, Lucas was smart to phase it out as much as possible in favor of the now firmly established Aurebesh
04:256. The Stormtrooper Head Bump Sound Effect, A New Hope
04:29One of the most iconic moments in all of Star Wars is of course the infamous beat in A New Hope
04:34Where a Stormtrooper hits their head on a doorframe while entering the Death Star's control room
04:39You're probably aware that it's a genuine mistake which accidentally found its way into the final film
04:44Yet the head bump has become such a legendary, even mythic piece of pop culture history in its own right
04:49That even Lucas couldn't bring himself to erase it for the 2004 DVD
04:53Lucas decided to add an audible bump sound effect when the Stormtrooper's helmet makes contact with the door
04:59Which really only makes the whole scene that much more hilarious
05:02Sure, it transforms the scene from a subtler easter egg into something more outwardly slapstick that everybody notices
05:08But when you've got something this funny in the can, why not lean into it a little?
05:12More to the point, the sound effect is just so damn satisfying every single time
05:175. The CGI Ships Taking Off From Yavin 4, A New Hope
05:22The best Star Wars changes are those which Lucas simply couldn't technically achieve upon original release
05:28At least not how he wanted with time and budget constraints being what they were
05:32And so the new CGI shots of X-Wings and Y-Wings taking off from Yavin 4
05:36And assembling in front of the Death Star during A New Hope's climax
05:40Are tough to argue with really
05:41In the original version of the film, the ships were simply shown as tiny white blips in the distance
05:46But for the 1997 Special Edition, they were gorgeously realised with impressively detailed up-close VFX
05:53Which nevertheless still managed to feel consistent with the sequence's overall aesthetic from decades prior
05:58It's the sort of change that's good enough to make you forget it wasn't there all along
06:02Which is really the ultimate compliment it can be given
06:054. The New Sandcrawler Shot A New Hope
06:08Here's a change that's so much more visually interesting that there shouldn't be any dissent about it whatsoever
06:14And more to the point, it didn't involve Lucas using garish CGI to tinker with existing footage
06:20In A New Hope's original release, the shot of the Jawa Sandcrawler coming over the rise on Tatooine looks rather flat and boring to say the least
06:28A distant shot framed without much in the way of compelling motivation
06:32And so for the 1997 Special Edition, Lucas decided to replace the shot with a better one
06:37But rather than use CGI to recreate the Sandcrawler, he had special effects artist Lorne Peterson, who worked on A New Hope, return to help shoot a new shot
06:46Moreover, Peterson was able to use the original Sandcrawler prop to reshoot the shot
06:51Which gets much closer to the Sandcrawler and allows the audience to see far more of its articulation
06:56While also being framed in a more generally appealing way
06:59This new shot blends in extremely seamlessly with the footage shot 20 years prior
07:04And is about as close to being an objectively superior change as Lucas has ever made
07:09Great stuff
07:103. All the Fixed Matte Lines
07:13In terms of cosmetic changes which actually improve the movies
07:17Lucas is more or less unimpeachable where the removal of matte lines is concerned
07:22Matte lines are visible throughout the original trilogy
07:25Black outlines of objects which have been composited into other shots
07:28Making it obvious to the keen-eyed viewer that separate elements have been combined during post-production
07:33Some examples of this include the Speeders during the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back
07:38And the Rancor and TIE Fighters in Return of the Jedi
07:41But for the 2004 DVDs, matte lines across the trilogy were given a welcome clean-up
07:47With Lucas removing most of them entirely
07:49Or in the very least minimising them to the point that they're scarcely visible
07:53While few fans would outwardly object to the presence of the matte lines
07:56This is an adjustment that nevertheless preserves and future-proves the films in a non-intrusive way
08:01As is all the more important where higher resolution releases are concerned
08:05Yep, these movies looking sexy in 4K, baby
08:08Number 2, replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen
08:12Return of the Jedi
08:13Take a deep breath as I make an argument for what's easily one of the most contentious and controversial changes in the history of Star Wars
08:21Here goes
08:22In Return of the Jedi's original final celebration scene, Luke sees the force ghosts of Anakin, Yoda and Obi-Wan
08:28With Anakin of course being played by Sebastian Shaw at that time
08:32But with Anakin being played by Hayden Christensen in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith
08:36Lucas opted to replace Shaw's force ghosts with a new Christensen version for Return of the Jedi's 2004 DVD release
08:43Many objected to the sheer notion of the prequels creeping into the sacred originals in such an overt way
08:49While some suggested it also didn't make much sense for Anakin's force ghosts to resemble his decades younger self
08:54Yet the fan consensus has become murkier in recent years as the prequels have grown more popular
08:59With many coming to defend the change
09:01First and foremost, it can be said that Anakin quote-unquote died when he became Darth Vader
09:07So it's certainly emotionally fitting that his force ghost looks like his uncorrupted pre-Vader self
09:12And beyond that, it provides a neat circling back to the prequels in the final moments of the original trilogy
09:18Sure, digitally superimposing Christensen's head on top of Shaw's doesn't look perfect
09:23But it's ultimately easy to appreciate why Lucas did it
09:26And in the scheme of things, it's not nearly as objectionable as some fans insist it is
09:31A little extra Christensen is always welcome
09:33Number 1, The Blinking Dianoga, A New Hope
09:37Though many fans were horrified by Lucas adding CGI eyelids to the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi
09:43And honestly, who could blame them?
09:45There's another ocular-related change that actually makes a ton of sense
09:48In A New Hope's iconic trash compactor sequence, Luke, Han and Leia are briefly shown being observed
09:54And eventually attacked by a creature known as a Dianoga
09:57We see it pop out of the water and watch the trio with its large stalked eye
10:01But for A New Hope's 2004 DVD, the Dianoga was digitally altered in order to blink
10:07In the original version of the scene, it was incredibly obvious we were looking at a not-so-great prop
10:12That didn't remotely feel alive
10:14But adding something as simple as a blink immediately made the creature seem more tactile and present in the scene
10:20Now it's a believable enough living thing
10:23Rather than just, you know, a big eye on a stick
10:25So it's tough to begrudge Lucas this particular change
10:28As minor as it might be
10:30Those Ewoks though?
10:31Ugh, I still have nightmares
10:33And that's our list, know of any other Star Wars changes George Lucas made that were completely justified?
10:38Well, let us know all about them in the comments section right down below
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10:44Also, if you like this sort of stuff
10:46Then please head on over to WhatCulture.com
10:48And find some more fantastic Star Wars articles
10:50Just like the one this video you're watching right now is based on
10:53I've been the always changing Gareth from WhatCulture Star Wars
10:56May the force be with you as always
10:58Cheers for stopping by and watching this particular video today
11:01Now go and check out some more on our WhatCulture Star Wars channel
11:04And have yourself the best of days
11:06Bye-bye
11:08Bye-bye