CT Will Disney Re-Release Theatrical Cut Of The Original Trilogy?

All of that nonsense is water under the bridge. The film itself is not water under the bridge. The film is widely viewed as a masterpiece. It is commonplace for films to be plagued by production difficulties. It is the end result that matters. It is the end result that either stands the test of time or doesn't. The film has stood the test of time and is widely regarded as the best Star Wars film.

 

Vader was so obsessed with finding Luke, I'm not sure if he was actually trying to stop the Rebel Alliance from escaping Hoth at all. Instead of pursuing the Rebel transports all the Star Destroyers stayed near Hoth tasked with finding the Millennium Falcon.

I like the change to the dialogue with the Emperor. There is a very interesting dynamic / parallel going on between Vader and the Emperor and what's happening with Luke and Yoda. The Emperor shows up one scene before Yoda reveals himself. Yoda is playing the fool in order to better size up Luke and as well as teach him. Vader and the Emperor are playing a similar game talking about Luke - and acting like they didn't know about him before.

We have Yoda who is this weird little creature living a humble life in the mud, kneeling down to go through Luke's supplies and getting into a fight with R2-D2. Vader kneels before a giant hologram of the Emperor that looks like a ghost made from the energy of pure technology in an all black sterile room.

Yoda just said "War's not make one great." And the Emperor says "The Young rebel who destroyed the Death Star"....."would be a great asset." Luke destroyed the Death Star and that power is what interests Vader and the Emperor. It's the opposite of what Yoda is saying

Without the "offspring of Anakin Skywalker" line - the name Anakin would never been said in the movie. And in the next scene we have Obi-Wan's voice speaking on behalf of Luke and Yoda brings up Anakin.

In A New Hope we have Obi-Wan and Vader. It's the kids of the prequels unsupervised. During Empire in the span of 4 minutes both the Emperor and Yoda show up raising the stakes for everything else that is going to happen in the rest of the OT. It starts a count down clock for both Luke and Vader's destiny.

 

He was chasing Luke - it's in the crawl:

The evil lord Darth Vader,
obsessed with finding young
Skywalker, has dispatched
thousands of remote probes into
the far reaches of space....


And he says it here:





On the Kurtz thing - I'm not giving him kudos per se.... I wasn't there so I don't know why TESB was so great (my guess is Kershner and the fact that he had a good/unique relationship with Lucas... but that's just a guess)

ANH and TESB are widely considered the best 2 SW films (of the original 6 at least) and from what I have read those two had the most production difficulties and were the only films that went over budget.... not sure if that tells us anything or not

 

I think Seeker was referring to Palpatine. He has no reason to know about Skywalker, so it makes sense that Palpatine brings the info to Vader once he finds out. Vader feigns ignorance, though does genuinely question how he could have a son, as Vader is trying to cover up his current hunt for Skywalker, to help overthrow Palpatine.

 

Got it ....although I think Vader knows (or at least strongly suspects) that Luke is his son at the beginning of TESB. Look at how maniacal he is about catching the Falcon (going into the Asteroid field, etc)


You know - Obi-Wan really should have given Luke a different last name

 

The Star Wars and Darth Vader comics have confirmed that Vader was playing dumb.

 

Someone brought this up recently, but technically Luke is never referred to as "Skywalker" until after leaving Tatooine. In universe, he may have only taken up the name after hearing about his father's life as a Jedi from Obi-Wan.

 

Very interesting. Never thought of that. One problem though, the tie-ins have confirmed that Luke used that last name prior to leaving Tattoine. Specifically, in Star Wars #5, Boba Fett learns Luke's last name is Skywalker from a local person who knew Luke pre-ANH.

 

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Mr. Forest

If you were to ask me how I feel about the state of accurate "in-universe" research by hired hands (authors) and the Star Wars database in general, my reply wouldn't exactly be a hymn of praise...

Yes, the Star Wars screenplay identifies Leia's defenders as "Rebels" and Luke is identified from the start as "Skywalker" but such information was meant to be read by the studio execvutives to help them understand the setup, "in-universe" such information is not available to the protagonists because there is the "Fourth Wall" (imagine Vader entering the Tantive IV with the screenplay in his hand and confronting Princess Leia with the information he learned from it..."You're a part of the Rebel Alliance, the screenplay clearly says so!" )

What was again the idea of delivering Luke to Beru and Owen Lars? To hide him from his father, whose last name was "Skywalker". The location of Lars Homestead was known to Anakin Skywalker and to have a young boy registered at this address with the last name "Skywalker" would have ultimately and inarguably been the most irresponsible and reckless thing that ever happened in the SW Universe.

Sorry, I'm certain he was raised officially as the child of Beru and Owen ("Luke Lars"), although Luke probably grew up under the impression that his father was the brother of Owen, but had died some time before Luke was born. Probably on their way to Mos Eisley Luke finally learned that his real last name was Skywalker, and it's a somewhat poetic symmetry that the first person in the OT hearing this real name happens to be his sister...

 

Couldn't he have learnt his last name at the same time as finding out his father was a navigator on a spice freighter?

 

darkspine10

Obviously that was just a lie to protect Luke and to obscure his true origins. With that kind of false biography of his father, there was no risk that Luke could accidentally provide any hints about his real father somebody could have exploited: "Jan Lars, navigator on a spice freighter? - never heard of him!"

 

While it's true that Luke isn't referred to as "Luke Skywalker" until he rescues princess Leia he's clearly identified as such in the script from the start of the film. Remember that Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were different characters when Star Wars was made and were not merged until the filming of TESB. It's just ended up being a small inconsistency due to how the films were made.

http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Star-Wars-A-New-Hope.html

 

Yes, but - again - that's exclusive information for the screenplay readers (e.g. the studio execs) to help these undersand that the main character (Star Wars subtitle: The Adventures of Luke Starkiller Skywalker) has just entered the scene!

This information must not be available to 'in-universe' characters, the same applies for Princess Leia's defenders (screenplay: "Rebels") which Vader inspects upon entering the main hallway of the Tantive IV but ultimately finds nothing to write home about (i.e. he has no proof that these are "Rebel" uniforms which is why he doesn't bring it up when accusing Leia).

Back to the OT: Was invited to my friend last night, who has insider connections in the content provider industry. He told me (I wasn't asking) that supposedly Lucas does have a 4K scan of the theatrical edition, but that a clause in the big contract entitles him to decide whether or when to release it.

 

Yup. Even back in the days of Legends, it was fairly consistent that "Skywalker" was the name Luke used before ever leaving Tatooine. There were occasional attempts to make the failure to change Luke's name less reckless (for example, saying that "Skywalker" was a fairly common name in the Outer Rim Territories) - but we were never given any reason to believe that he thought his name was Lars.

 

That constantly is brought up so it's part and parcel of the story of the movie.

Not really. It's viewed as the best Star Wars movie which is another thing.

Not in the way this movie was since it was not a Hollywood movie.

Well since all the Star Wars movies of Lucas have stood the test of time then it's just one of six and not special in that way.

If anything for some of those who like to misinform themselves one of the reasons they seem to like it so much is because they tell themselves that it is the movie it is because of the production problems. Like somehow if it had been run smoothly it would have been. The problems were not of story or script or outrageous director or studio interference or any of the usual things that happen for troubled productions. It was one of just being really, really slow. The work was fine but the production was slow.

Actually fans generally have TESB and ROTS as the two best. Critically it was ANH and ROTS at time of release. Over time that critical assessment changed to ANH and TESB.

The AFI list of 2007 had ANH 13th and the 2008 list 15th.

As for production difficulties that is one of the reasons Kurtz was out on both movies. The problem for TESB was the new guy in charge at the bank. Once they got past a certain budget mark wouldn't lend anymore never mind this was the sequel to the biggest hit of all-time.

 

Qui-Riv-Brid

We are getting way off topic now - but just to clarify: I don't personally think "ANH and TESB are awesome because they had production problems"..... I was just making the observation. I think the topic is quite a bit more complex than that. Putting aside personal preferences on the films I think the OT films all had fairly unique circumstances of production (I mean for one each had a different director) and there's not any single easy reason that each one turned out the way they did.


To get back on topic - I do think it would be really awesome to actually have a box set of some kind that included both the OOT and the SE and had features that went into the differences, how some of the clean-up work was done, etc. Would be a really interesting view into film history. Maybe it's a nerd thing... but I think having effects guys explain matte lines, optical compositing, etc... and how they did the work when the films were made and the technology changes that allowed them to go back and improve things would be fascinating.

 

It's not about production issues. Luke was Luke Skywalker and yes, he was always hidden with his last name. In the previous draft, Luke identifies himself as Luke Starkiller and has known it for years. This is the same for the final film. His name is not changed because Owen and Beru decide against pretending to be his parents, but identify themselves as his aunt and uncle. Because he is on Tatooine and Vader has no reason to go there, he is safe. Likewise, Luke is located away from Mos Espa and the people who knew his father. He also does not draw attention to himself like his father did. And as noted, there is nothing that says that there isn't more than one Skywalker name out in the universe.

 

BEN He was the best star-pilot in the
galaxy, and a cunning warrior. I understand you've become quite a good pilot yourself.

BIGGS Sir, Luke is the best bushpilot in the outer rim territories.

 

Which is not the same as entering the Boonta Eve and winning, which would make the HoloNet. Obi-wan knows about Luke because he's been watching him and listening to stories from his friends. Biggs is having to sell Luke to Dave, because Luke is a novice who is unknown to him. They just lost the last Red 5, a few days ago at Scarif. He's leery about putting someone in an X-Wing who has no actual piloting experience like Biggs or Wedge, who came from the Academy.

 

^ Various original materials suggested that the Alliance was in desperate need of pilots, and according to Brian Daley's radio drama Luke scored in the Yavin IV flight simulator far above the average, suggesting that Biggs' statement was correct and genuine - and not an exaggeration to put his friend (!) on a hot seat.

 

Likely yes. Too much demand and money to be made.

 

The final script and novelization name him as Skywalker as well:

Final script for ANH (before some scenes were removed)

INT. REBEL BLOCKADE RUNNER

The nervous Rebel troopers aim their weapons. Suddenly a
tremendous blast opens up a hole in the main passageway and
a score of fearsome armored spacesuited stormtroopers make
their way into the smoke-filled corridor.

In a few minutes the entire passageway is ablaze with
laserfire. The deadly bolts ricochet in wild random patterns
creating huge explosions. Stormtroopers scatter and duck
behind storage lockers. Laserbolts hit several Rebel soldiers
who scream and stagger through the smoke, holding shattered
arms and faces.

An explosion hits near the robots.

THREEPIO
I should have known better than to
trust the logic of a half-sized
thermocapsulary dehousing assister...

Artoo counters with an angry rebuttal as the battle rages
around the two hapless robots.

EXT. TATOOINE - DESERT WASTELAND - DAY

A death-white wasteland stretches from horizon to horizon.
The tremendous heat of two huge twin suns settle on a lone
figure, Luke Skywalker, a farm boy with heroic aspirations
who looks much younger than his eighteen years. His shaggy
hair and baggy tunic give him the air of a simple but lovable
lad with a prize-winning smile.

A light wind whips at him as he adjusts several valves on a
large battered moisture vaporator which sticks out of the
desert floor much like an oil pipe with valves. He is aided
by a beatup tread-robot with six claw arms. The little robot
appears to be barely functioning and moves with jerky motions.
A bright sparkle in the morning sky catches Luke's eye and
he instinctively grabs a pair of electrobinoculars from his
utility belt. He stands transfixed for a few moments studying
the heavens, then dashed toward his dented, crudely repaired
Landspeeder (an auto-like transport that travels a few feet
above the ground on a magnetic-field). He motions for the
tiny robot to follow him.

ANH Novelization

Artoo's seemingly random manipulation of the pod controls promised anything
but a smooth landing, however. Threepio regarded his squat companion with
concern.
"Are you sure you know how to pilot this thing?"
Artoo replied with a noncommittal whistle that did nothing to alter the taller
robot's jangled state of mind.

II
It was an old settler's saying that you could burn your eyes out faster by staring
straight and hard at the sun-scorched flatlands of Tatooine than by looking directly at
its two huge suns themselves, so powerful was the penetrating glare reflected from
those endless wastes. Despite the flare, life could and did exist in the flatlands
formed by long-evaporated seabeds. One thing made it possible: the reintroduction
of water.
For human purposes, however, the water of Tatooine was only marginally
accessible. The atmosphere yielded its moisture with reluctance. It had to be
coaxed down out of the hard blue sky—coaxed, forced, yanked down to the parched
surface. Two figures whose concern was obtaining that moisture were standing on a
slight rise of one of those inhospitable flats. One of the pair was stiff and metallic—
a sand-pitted vaporator sunk securely through sand and into deeper rock. The figure
next to it was a food deal more animated, though no less sun-weathered.
Luke Skywalker was twice the age of the ten-year-old vaporator, but much less
secure. At the moment he was swearing softly at a recalcitrant valve adjuster on the
temperamental device. From time to time he resorted to some unsubtle pounding in
place of using the appropriate tool. Neither method worked very well. Luke was
sure that the lubricants used on the vaporator went out of their way to attract sand,
beckoning seductively to small abrasive particles with an oily gleam. He wiped
sweat from his forehead and leaned back for a moment. The most prepossessing
thing about the young man was his name. A light breeze tugged at his shaggy hair
and baggy work tunic as he regarded the device. No point in staying angry at it, he
counseled himself. It's only an unintelligent machine.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_wall

The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imagined wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes, the actors act as if they cannot.

Here are a couple of opportunities that could have introduced Luke as "Luke Skywalker" in-universe, but didn't:

CAMIE It was just wormie on another rampage. (in Anchorhead he's just "wormie" or "Luke")

THREEPIO I see, sir Luke.

LUKE (laughing)
Just Luke. (even Threepio doesn't get to learn Luke's full name)

(As a matter of fact, original audiences that had not read about the film and the characters in advance, didn't know Luke's full name until he introduced himself to the princess)

 

Not sure who the rolling eyes are for, but...

You expect last names to be used in a scene involving nicknames? Do you regularly use last names in casual conversations with your friends?