Every Star Wars Change George Lucas Made With The Special Editions (& Why)

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“Episode IV – A New Hope”

More Stormtroopers & CGI Dewbacks

A New Shot Of The Jawa Sandcrawler

New Rocks In Front Of R2-D2

Obi-Wan’s New Krayt Dragon Sound

A New Exterior Shot Of Ben Kenobi’s Home

An Expanded Mos Eisley Spaceport

New Aliens In The Mos Eisley Cantina

Greedo Shoots First

A Restored Jabba The Hutt Scene

A New Shot Of The Millennium Falcon Taking Off

C-3PO’s Restored Dialogue

A Stormtrooper Audibly Bumps His Head

Translations From English To Aurebesh

Han Runs Into A Hangar Of Stormtroopers

New Stormtrooper Dialogue On The Death Star

The Biggs Darklighter Scene Restored

New Shots Of X-Wings & TIE Fighters

New Explosions For Planets & Superweapons

Real Humans Replaced Mannequins In One Key Scene

New Shots Of The Wampa In The Empire Strikes Back

Ian McDiarmid Appeared In Empire Strikes Back With New Dialogue

A New Shot Of Slave I Following The Millennium Falcon

Cloud City Is Embellished Quite A Bit

Luke Screams Like Palpatine When He Falls

New Scenes Of Darth Vader Leaving Cloud City

A New Musical Number In Jabba’s Palace

New Shots Of Tatooine & A Bantha Herd

A CGI Sarlacc Pit

New Darth Vader Dialogue

A Montage Of Planets Celebrating Palpatine’s Death

New Music For The Endor Celebration

Hayden Christensen As Anakin Skywalker’s Force Ghost

The Star Wars Special Editions feature several changes from the original theatrical cuts, leading many fans to wonder what George Lucas’ reasons were for these alterations. Lucas made changes to the Star Wars movies before the Special Editions, but these were mostly minor differences that wouldn’t be noticed at first glance. However, when the Special Editions hit theaters in 1997, Lucas took the opportunity to create several noticeable changes, which included restored scenes, new scenes, different sound effects, and plenty of CGI enhancements.

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Most of these changes were made because Lucas had never been fully satisfied with the theatrical cuts of the original Star Wars trilogy, as he was limited by the technology and the budget at the time of filming. The Special Editions allowed Lucas to take advantage of new computer graphics, finish scenes he had to cut initially, and make the movies feel more consistent with each other. While the Special Editions feature countless minor alterations and general upgrades to the special effects, 33 Star Wars changes stand out the most across all three films.

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“Episode IV – A New Hope”

When A New Hope originally premiered in 1977, it was simply called “Star Wars” and did not have a subtitle. However, once The Empire Strikes Back established the tradition of an episode number, Lucas retitled Star Wars as “Episode IV – A New Hope” in the opening crawl for the 1981 re-release.
More Stormtroopers & CGI Dewbacks

Lucas filmed a new scene with more stormtroopers canvasing the area where C-3PO and R2-D2’s escape pod crashed before the squad leader says “Someone was in the pod…” The practical dewbacks were replaced with CGI ones that could move around, so now one of them opens its mouth to match the roar from the theatrical cut.
A New Shot Of The Jawa Sandcrawler

Immediately after the new stormtrooper scene on Tatooine, Lucas’ team created a new shot of the Jawa sandcrawler. The original shot showed the sandcrawler climbing over a dune from farther away, while the new shot shows it up close as the camera follows.
New Rocks In Front Of R2-D2

For the 2011 Blu-ray release, Lucas added CGI rocks to the scene where R2-D2 hides from the Sand People as they ransack Luke Skywalker’s speeder. This was presumably done to make it more believable that the Sand People wouldn’t have seen R2-D2 instantly, as he was only hiding in the shadows in previous releases.
Obi-Wan’s New Krayt Dragon Sound

Another change for the 2011 Blu-ray release was a new Krayt Dragon sound that Obi-Wan Kenobi uses to scare away the Sand People. This version is more booming and even ghost-like, so it was likely intended to be scarier than the original sound effect.
A New Exterior Shot Of Ben Kenobi’s Home

The original exterior shot of Ben Kenobi’s hut on Tatooine was a closeup with nothing much in the background. The new exterior shot is from farther away, taking in the vastness of the terrain and showing smoke rising from the hut.
An Expanded Mos Eisley Spaceport

Despite being called a “Spaceport,” the original version of Mos Eisley seemed small with not as many people and ships as one would expect. For the Special Edition, Lucas added new shots of a much larger Mos Eisley full of larger buildings, ships taking off, more people, and some CGI creatures.
New Aliens In The Mos Eisley Cantina

Lucas also added new aliens to the Mos Eisley Cantina scene, which he had never been fully satisfied with in the theatrical cut. The most noticeable change is two different werewolf aliens, a Defel named Arleil Schous and a Shistavanen named Lak Sivrak, being replaced by a Sarkan named Melas and a Pacithhip named Ketwol, respectively.
Greedo Shoots First

One of the most infamous Star Wars Special Edition changes is Greedo now shooting first instead of Han Solo in the Mos Eisley Cantina. In the 1997 release, Greedo clearly shoots first, but subsequent releases chopped a few frames to make the two shoot closer to the same time. In the 2019 4K release on Disney+, the scene was changed once again to have Greedo say “Maclunkey,” which roughly translates to “this will be the end of you.” It was later confirmed that Lucas himself made this change before he sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney.
A Restored Jabba The Hutt Scene

While Jabba the Hutt originally debuted in Return of the Jedi, Lucas had filmed a scene with him and Han Solo for the first Star Wars movie. The scene was ultimately cut due to the financial and technological limitations of adding a stop-motion animated Jabba, but Lucas’ team created a CGI Jabba for the 1997 Special Edition. Another updated version of CGI Jabba was created for the 2004 DVD release, one which more closely matched his appearance in the other films. Boba Fett was also digitally inserted into the scene, looking in the direction of the camera before following Jabba.
A New Shot Of The Millennium Falcon Taking Off

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When Han Solo flees from the stormtroopers, a new shot was added of the Millennium Falcon taking off, while the subsequent shot of the ship flying above the spaceport was replaced with more fluent movement.
C-3PO’s Restored Dialogue

A few lines of C-3PO’s dialogue were missing from the theatrical cut, including “We’ve stopped” inside the Jawa sandcrawler and an explanation for how to disable the tractor beam on the Death Star. The original cut had the characters staring at the screen in silence while C-3PO said nothing, which feels awkward knowing what C-3PO was supposed to say.
A Stormtrooper Audibly Bumps His Head

One stormtrooper actor accidentally bumped his head on the door while filming A New Hope, a moment which made it into the final cut. Rather than removing it, Lucas decided to make it seem like intentional comedy by adding a sound effect when the trooper bumps his head. Lucas would later reference this moment by having Jango Fett bump his head while entering Slave I in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
Translations From English To Aurebesh

In the original theatrical cut, the labels on the power terminal were written in English when Obi-Wan Kenobi shut down the power. For the Special Edition, the words were changed to Aurebesh, the letters of Galactic Basic in the Star Wars universe.
Han Runs Into A Hangar Of Stormtroopers

When Han Solo chased a group of stormtroopers in the theatrical cut, he chased them to the end of a hallway so they had no choice but to start shooting back. In the Special Edition, this moment was made more comical by having Han run into an entire hangar full of stormtroopers.
New Stormtrooper Dialogue On The Death Star

Image via Disney+

Lucas also added some new dialogue for the stormtroopers, including “There’s no one here.” before a pair exit the Millennium Falcon. He also created a new bit of comedy by having a stormtrooper shout “Close the blast doors!” while chasing Han Solo and Chewbacca, only for them to escape as another stormtrooper shouts “Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!” However, some longtime Star Wars fans insist that they heard this line while seeing the movie in theaters in 1977.
The Biggs Darklighter Scene Restored

Luke Skywalker originally had a few scenes with his childhood friend, Biggs Darklighter, but these scenes were cut from the final film. However, the scene of Luke and Biggs reuniting was added back in, reminding the audience of their friendship and making it sadder when Biggs is killed in battle. The uncut version of the scene has Red Leader mention that he knew Luke’s father, but this was removed and covered up by a rebel pilot walking across the screen.
New Shots Of X-Wings & TIE Fighters

Lucas created a new shot of CGI X-Wings and Y-Wings approaching the Death Star as the camera follows, making the moment feel more grand. The Death Star battle also features some new shots of X-Wings and TIE fighters worked into the dogfights.
New Explosions For Planets & Superweapons

The two big explosions of A New Hope, the destruction of Alderaan and the Death Star, received an update for the Special Edition. The Alderaan explosion is now much bigger than the theatrical cut, while the Death Star explosion now has two rings expanding outward.
Real Humans Replaced Mannequins In One Key Scene

Presumably due to a lack of extras, the original version of the award ceremony has fake rebels standing by the entrance. This was updated with real actors in the special edition, and the lighting is now a bit brighter with no need to hide fake humans.
New Shots Of The Wampa In The Empire Strikes Back

Moving to The Empire Strikes Back, the first noticeable change is the new scenes of the wampa in the ice cave on Hoth. The original version kept the wampa mostly in the shadows or out of focus, similar to how the team behind Jaws kept the shark hidden to create tension and hide that it didn’t look very good.
Ian McDiarmid Appeared In Empire Strikes Back With New Dialogue

For the 2004 DVD release, Ian McDiarmid reprised the role of Emperor Palpatine, replacing the original version of the character from the theatrical cut. The scene also features new dialogue of Palpatine saying that Luke Skywalker “…is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker…” while Darth Vader asks how this is possible. This was done to reflect the then-upcoming Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, as Vader believed Padmé Amidala died before giving birth.
A New Shot Of Slave I Following The Millennium Falcon

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Image via Disney+

When the Millennium Falcon escapes by floating away with the Empire’s garbage, Lucas added a new extended shot of Boba Fett’s Slave I following, with the engine sounds effect from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones included.
Cloud City Is Embellished Quite A Bit

The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition features several changes to Cloud City, including a new shot of the Millennium Falcon landing and an extended shot of a speeder flying through the city. Lucas’ team also added more windows to make the city feel less claustrophobic and allow viewers to see the clouds.
Luke Screams Like Palpatine When He Falls

One of Lucas’ more unusual Special Edition changes was adding Palpatine’s Return of the Jedi scream to Luke Skywalker’s fall in Cloud City. This was likely a change made for novelty, as it was removed from subsequent releases.
New Scenes Of Darth Vader Leaving Cloud City

In the theatrical version of The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader says “Bring my shuttle” after his duel with Luke Skywalker, and he is next seen onboard the Executor. In the Special Edition, Vader now says “Alert my Star Destroyer to prepare for my arrival” and there are new shots of Vader walking to his shuttle and later arriving onboard the Executor in between the action.
A New Musical Number In Jabba’s Palace

While A New Hope has the greatest number of noticeable changes, Return of the Jedi has some of the biggest alterations out of all three original trilogy films. The first was a new musical number in Jabba’s Palace, “Jedi Rocks,” which is much bigger than the original songs with more dancers and CGI aliens. The song is followed by a new scene of Jabba’s Twi’lek dancer falling inside the pit just before the Rancor eats her.
New Shots Of Tatooine & A Bantha Herd

The original cut of Return of the Jedi cut straight from Jabba’s Palace to the Sail Barge gliding across the desert, but now there is a transition shot of a Bantha herd followed by the camera moving across the landscape.
A CGI Sarlacc Pit

While the original sarlacc was nothing but a hole in the ground with protruding teeth, the Special Editon added a CGI creature with a beak and longer tentacles. This was likely meant to emulate the mythological kraken eating those forced to walk the plank at sea.
New Darth Vader Dialogue

Darth Vader originally said nothing when he picked up his master and threw him down a shaft to his death, but in the 2011 Blu-ray, Vader shouted “No!” as he picked up Palpatine. This may have been done to add more clarity or tension to the moment, or it could have been done to parallel Vader shouting “No!” at the end of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
A Montage Of Planets Celebrating Palpatine’s Death

The rebel victory celebration was limited to Endor in the theatrical cut of Return of the Jedi, but the Special Edition features a montage of other worlds celebrating throughout the galaxy. Some of these planets would later appear in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, including Coruscant and Naboo.
New Music For The Endor Celebration

The original version of the Endor celebration was also much more lighthearted in tone, with the fun song “Ewok Celebration”https://screenrant.com/”Yub Nub” closing out the movie. For the Special Edition, this was replaced by the more orchestral “Victory Celebration,” likely to give a more bittersweet and emotional tone to the ending.
Hayden Christensen As Anakin Skywalker’s Force Ghost

The final change to the original Star Wars trilogy is Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw as the Force Ghost of Anakin Skywalker. Lucas did this because he believes it reflects the last time Anakin was good, and it makes his Force Ghost visually consistent with the prequel trilogy.

With George Lucas no longer in charge of the Star Wars franchise, it is unlikely that there will ever be more Special Edition changes to the original trilogy. While Disney and Lucasfilm currently have no plans to release the theatrical versions of the films, perhaps the fans who prefer these cuts will eventually get their wish, but only time will tell.