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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

CT Any Former SE Haters Who Now Like the Special Edition?

Discussion in 'Classic Trilogy' started by rpeugh, Dec 26, 2020.

  1. R.D.

    R.D. Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2015
    Ditto this for me. I'm not livid over the SE or anything, but I do see where people are coming from on some changes. Some, however, I'm 100% behind, like the changed music at ROTJ's end (as far as I'm concerned, you need some real tight nostalgia goggles to say Yub Nub is better!). I also don't actually mind the new X-Wing shots in ANH, as CG generally works well for machines and ships and all that. For TESB, I know there's changes, but to my eyes they're minor enough I don't register them that much. However, Jedi Rocks isn't much of an improvement over Lapti Nek, and the ROTJ alteration I certainly draw the line with is Vader shouting 'Noooo'.

    So while it's a mixed bag, for the most part I can live with it, but I do agree it would be nice just to throw people a bone and put the originals out in some form, if only for comparison's sake. You can get DVDs with pre-SE versions--or close enough at any rate AFAIK--and I do have those, but how available they are currently I don't know.

    My position in general hasn't changed that much, though I admit my indifference to the Greedo scene has actually increased...well, for now, I haven't really properly checked out the 'Maclunkey!' version yet!
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2021
  2. StardustSoldier

    StardustSoldier Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 24, 2019
    I actually do like Yub Nub better, and I never got to hear it until later on. :p
     
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  3. darthfettus2015

    darthfettus2015 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2012
    i like most of the SE changes and never got the crying about it
     
  4. Bel505

    Bel505 Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 2006
    (1) I think the SE changes in ANH make the movie actively worse. This is because (a) I find a lot of the background CGI actively distracting and it serves no story purpose, I also don't think it adds to the ambiance at all (b) the scenes which have been changed alter the characters (Han shooting first imprinted on me when I saw the movie the first time, and him not shooting first really does change that scene), and (c) the scene added is just a distraction. If I were going to add something back, it'd be something more with Biggs, because him coming out of nowhere on Yavin is still weird.

    (2) I like all the changes in ESB. Especially the Cloud City changes, I think it really adds to the ambiance there.

    (3) I like almost all the changes in RotJ, except for the obvious two, (a) altering the celebration scene is just silly, but I don't think makes the scene actively worse like the changes in ANH, and (b) substituting Hayden Christianson in the Force-ghost scene. That I hate just because it presumes the audience will watch Episodes 1, 2, and 3; anyone who never sees those movies will have no way to understand what's supposed to be going on there.

    So... *shrugs* mixed bag. So if I had my way, I'd watch the original ANH and RotJ and and the altered ESB.
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2021
  5. ForScience

    ForScience Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Apr 8, 2019
    The Special Editions are a travesty that I have not seen in a decade , nor will I ever see again. ROTJ fared the worst and the Vader NOOOO! was the straw that broke the camel's back. What was a powerful beautiful scene was ruined.

    Thank god for 4K77 and 4K83. 4K80 cannot come soon enough. I still delight that the technology that allowed Lucas to complete his "vision" have allowed the true heroes to preserve the movies they love.
     
  6. Jedi_Sith_Smuggler_Droid

    Jedi_Sith_Smuggler_Droid Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2014
    Watching these new 4K versions of the OT again. The Movies never looked so go. The additions over the year blend so much better. It doesn’t feel jarring when a new addition shows up.
     
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  7. darthfettus2015

    darthfettus2015 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2012
    my favorite bits of SE is Biggs and the additional x wings
     
  8. QUIGONMIKE

    QUIGONMIKE Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 5, 2009
    Like most fans the SE's are a mixed bag but honestly there are really only a few truly bad changes and the rest for me are either neutral or an improvement.

    Lets review the good stuff for me:
    1) I like the CG backgrounds, scenes & characters added to each of the films. It makes them look a little more like the prequels so it all jives better visually, IMO.
    2) New Hopes Battle of Yavin is 100% better with the dog fight extras & updates. I also like the Han & Jabba scene at the docking bay.
    3) Most everything in Empire is welcomed/better
    4) Most everything in Return of the Jedi is welcomed/better

    The bad & awful:
    1) Vader's Nooooo is just No
    2) New Jedi Rocks song is terrible in ROTJ
    3) Han shoots first, 'nuff said

    Thats really it. Im fine or prefer the rest of it. So, if the original UE versions never come out on disc again I really wont care. Im fine with what I got. :)
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2021
  9. bb8isno1

    bb8isno1 Jedi Padawan star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2020
    As a fan who grew up with the originals, seeing the SE in 1997 there were a quite a few changes that bugged me and some still do to this day but when it became apparent that GL wasnt going to ever release the OOT at least in good quality I have learnt to put aside the few changes that I am not happy with after the improvements he made and put up with the stuff that I am not happy with, that is not say if there was a change of heart by Lucasfilm I would purchase the OOT if it was value for money
     
  10. christophero30

    christophero30 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 18, 2017
    I never hated the SE. Most of the ANH changes were for the better. The one that bothers me most is the scene at Mos Eisley where the big droid hit the smaller droid. It's a small thing but seems SO out of tone with the film.
     
  11. darthfettus2015

    darthfettus2015 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2012
    i now can't imagine watching star wars without the additional Biggs and x wing scenes now... thanks George... still want to see if it would be possible to work in the scenes of Luke and his friends
     
  12. Billy Budd

    Billy Budd Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Jan 5, 2021
    Some changes I liked more than others when I first saw them and my opinion hasn't really changed since. I'm okay with the concept of the SE though. That's never bothered me. I hope the original versions don't just gradually disappear off the face of the Earth though. They're worth preserving and respecting.
     
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  13. AndyLGR

    AndyLGR Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 1, 2014
    I loved being able to see the films again in the cinema. But some of the changes in the original are too slapstick, (maybe they were preparing us up for what was to come with Jar Jar 2 years later). Some of the CGI wasn't that great either, especially Jabba. The less intrusive ones like showing more of the Imperials on Tatooine when they find the droids clue, opening up Cloud City to be more expansive, showing the Wampa eating, adding the herd of Banthas and in general also cleaning up the black matte lines I liked.

    I absolutely detest the Jedi alternative angle they used in Empire of Vader landing in the Executor and meeting Jerjerord. Also the obvious line changes when Vader is leaving Cloud City, Han putting the shelter up and in Jedi when Han is about to shoot the Sarlaac tentacle.
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2021
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  14. PymParticles

    PymParticles Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 2014
    I'm willing to count myself in this category. I was a diehard OOT snob for several years, refused to watch the SE, and ragged on them every opportunity I got. Eventually, I became tired of expending the energy. There are legitimately good, or at least beneficial/understandable changes, which help make the entirety of the on-screen Star Wars canon feel like a more cohesive and consistent whole, as well as some effects fixes which I find make the movies more immersive.

    I still believe the original versions of the films should be widely available for the purpose of preservation and film history, but I do understand Lucas' motivation. It's his story, he wants it his way, and most of the changes are frankly inoffensive. For those that kind of are offensive, that's just Star Wars. You have to learn to take the good with the bad, or you're going to end up hating it real fast. Love the things you love, laugh off the things you don't. Star Wars is bigger than what I or any other fan wants it to be.

    Back in 2015, "Macklunky" would have driven me into a frothing rage. When the 4K versions of the films were uploaded to Disney+, I may have become the first person in the world outside Disney-Lucasfilm to discover that change, because when I realized the site launched three hours early I immediately selected A New Hope and skipped to the Han-Greedo scene. I had to rewind the scene a few times, to make sure the video wasn't glitching. I just started laughing, and thought something similar to, "Lucas, you strange, strange man." I will defend Macklunky to the death on the sole basis of being hilarious. My conclusion can only be that the Special Editions are good, actually.
     
  15. MidKnighT

    MidKnighT Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
    I like most of the changes in ESB. Bespin looks much cooler. The changes in ANH are ok. Some good some bad. Hate most of the ROTJ changes. Especially Jedi Rocks. Like others have said, the victory celebrations are cool but Yub Nub is the better songs. Sounds more like a community celebrating.
     
  16. dazin5

    dazin5 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 20, 2021
    I have to turn the sound down and look away when 'Jedi Rock' comes on. Shame, as it ruins what would otherwise be my favourite segment. I don't object to the additional scene of Oola in the pit, but it's not really necesarry. I can't say I like the celebration scenes either, as they don't make much sense to me. The various world a/ seem to have suffered no ill-effect of decades of supposed imperial misrule and oppression, and b/seem to have easily shrugged off that imperial rule just because the Empire lost a battle elsewhere. I would have thought these world would still have imperial garrisons and whatnot, so there couldn't be these spontaneous erruptions of rejoicing. There is no showing of them being liberated by Alliance forces either. Perhaps they should have been added as post-credit scenes, which would also imply the passage of some time, and not that they are happening concurrently with the Ewok party on treeworld.

    Most of the changes I didn't like. The ones I approve of include the additional exterioir shots of Jabba's barge crossing the desert, the replacemet Emperor in ESB, the expanded scenes of Mos Eisley in Star Wars (but not the extra dinosaurs) the refining of lightsabre effects and speeder shadows, and slightly better effects for the big explosions.
     
  17. bb8isno1

    bb8isno1 Jedi Padawan star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2020
    Even though there are changes that I wish were never done I do have to admit I am happy that George got to do the films the way he was satisfied with them.
     
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  18. godisawesome

    godisawesome Skywalker Saga Undersheriff star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 14, 2010
    Vader’s “Nooooo!” in ROTJ is the only thing I genuinely don’t like, though I get some of the complaints about SE!ANH having unnecessary moments that slow down the story unnecessarily.

    Christensen as Anakin I really don't mind, and the redone Vader and Palpatine talk in ESB actually works pretty well. “Han shot first!” purists are my immediate mental image of a whining Gen X or Boomer Fan.
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2021
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  19. C.Roach

    C.Roach Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 3, 2018
    That crappy droid / alien humour was in STAR WARS right from the beginning - witness the deleted Death Star corridor scene with the Gonk droid, or the deleted scene with the midget running between an alien’s legs (Holiday Special). The only difference being, Lucas had the good sense (or somebody did) to cut that stuff out originally.
     
  20. MidKnighT

    MidKnighT Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
  21. Bel505

    Bel505 Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 2006
  22. oierem

    oierem Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2009
    Yeah right! And thankfully they also cut out that awful mouse droid/Chewie joke scene on the Death Star as well - it's such a stupid scene.
    Oh wait....
     
  23. christophero30

    christophero30 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 18, 2017
    Well one was funny (the Chewie one) and one was not imo. Not all droid humor is the same. The Chewie growl got a big laugh in the theater.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2021
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  24. C.Roach

    C.Roach Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 3, 2018
    The Chewie / Mouse Droid scene worked ... the one on Tatooine didn’t ... imo.
     
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  25. FightoftheForgotten

    FightoftheForgotten Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 19, 2020
    Most of the stuff added to ANH, aesthetically, doesn't match up. You've got dated 70's effects mixed with now dated 90's effects and it all just feels wrong. The SE of ANH is a lot like John Travolta's face. I know what it looked like back in the 70's and I know it shouldn't look like what it does now.
     
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