Star Wars Special Edition Edits

[Yukaphile]

With Winter recently bringing up how the Special Edition edits (along with what's happened to Legends and the new canon) might drive him (her?) to move on from Star Wars, given how much trouble it's become, I figured I'd make a thread asking people their opinions on the Special Edition edits. Tbh, I don't mind many of them. Even something as stupid as Luke's scream, well... tbh, I like it. Even that Han didn't shoot first. I grew up with the 1997 Special Edition, and that's the one I miss the most, and ironically, hate anything made past that. Additions of Naboo are fine, but I feel like changing Obi-Wan's roar... eh. And of course, replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen. Anything else is fine. I personally have the most love for the 1997 Special Edition, but tbf, I think that's mainly for a few reasons, which is nostalgia, and that it's super hard to find nowadays. I can admit it's not flawless.

[Mecha82]

To me worst changes were ones that were just made for sake of adding special effects to movie like those beasts that Stormtroopers rode in that one scene of ANH, that one beast that randomly showed up and blocked view of Luke talking to guy whom he sold his Speeder to and of course having Jabba show up and have Han step on his tail. So I agree with Chuck when it comes to every change based on case by case. Of course because I originally saw unedited version of ANH I am in Han not only shot first but was only one who did shoot camp. After all if you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.

[Yukaphile]

I love all the new effects, so I probably will never understand you, lol. Of course, nostalgia probably plays a strong role, as it does for me. And it's all subjective. I think the old FX of Alderaan blowing up is just... eh. You can't even claim it was "good for its day," because it's so fake-looking. Looks like cheesy 1950s sci-fi serials. That said, most of ANH's original FX just does NOT hold up well. At all. But as I said, nostalgia and preference is subjective.

[Mecha82]

I didn't say that all added effects were bad thing. For example new special effects for Alderaan being blown up was good thing while I think that some other cased like ones that I mentioned weren't needed at all. Just because some changes are bad doesn't mean that all changes are. It's not case of one or other. There is middle ground that one can like some changes and dislike other changes without having to have same opinion about all changes.

[Yukaphile]

Didn't say you said that, lol. But it does remind me of what Chuck said about him personally disliking the new Wampa scenes, and I love them. I literally see nothing wrong with those past personal preference.

[Winter]

For the most part I don't mind them. I do agree that the Sarlacc having a beak was a mistake, Vader's Big No is rather jarring and why did was there a Dug in Jabba's palace? But other points don't really bug me that much like Han shooting first never bothered me. I get why so many dislike that scene but, as I said Many times before, (sorry about that, OCD can be a real twat) I found Luke "Moment of Weakness" in TLJ to be far worse as a moment that hurt a character's overall arc.

Much like the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy I grew up with both the Extended Editions and the Theatrical cuts and I didn't really see any real significant difference between them. Though again, I do get why they bug so many fans and I no issue with anyone who dislikes the EE.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I suppose I was familiar enough with the original trilogy that I damn well noticed every single change when I saw SE installments in theaters (edit: except for Han shooting first, I did not notice that or know what it was about), but I wasn't partial to them to the point where the speeder passing by some rodents for a split second made me cringe.

Foremost I was excited to see Star Wars in theaters. Same thing with the prequels (1 and 2), but yes, the subjective experience in question of being exposed to alterations ultimately enhanced my personal experience.

By the time Return of the Jedi SE came about, the preview going so far as to show the party at Jabba's palace looked good, but I agree with what Chuck said in that comparison wise it is kinda obscure and takes up more time and yeah. In particular it was kind of a weird scene in itself.

[Yukaphile]

I love the beak, tbh. Don't mind it. Vader's "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" is just pure cringe. Again, that ties to my viewpoint, prefer the 1997 Edition, I grew up with it, it's my Star Wars, anything past it... is not.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Never really thought twice about the beak but I get what Chuck was saying about his perception of it before and how it's kinda reformatted unduly.

[clearspira]

My views coincide with Chuck's almost completely. There was good and there was bad. My least favourite was always that alien that sticks his mouth to the camera during the celebration in Jabba's palace because it reminds you that you are watching a film and thus is extremely immersion breaking. That was always my problem with all that lens flare crap that thankfully seems to have died a welcome death. Why remind me that there is a camera? What is that serving? Either you want me to be invested in this world or you don't.