When it comes to beloved trilogies of all time the original Star Wars trilogy is certainly up there on most people's list. And while I don't have a favorite trilogy in the Star Wars saga and feels as if it evolved into my favorite movie series of all time with all 11 films, it's hard not to ignore that the Original Trilogy has a very special place in my heart. And when I mentioned it in my post about the prequels, which you can click here to read, I find that there isn't such thing as a wrong entry point into Star Wars. Whatever Star Wars journey you enjoyed that brought you into the franchise being one of the movies, the shows, video games, or books, treasure it as being the right way. If it made you love Star Wars, then that's what counts.
And to some, the right way is usually watching the Original Trilogy first, and while the version that has official availability is the Special Edition with the alterations George Lucas made, a majority of people were brought up with the theatrical versions. And yes even though the Special Editions have merit to them, which I'll get into, the theatrical versions are nonetheless impressive for how they changed movies and displayed effects with an enthralling adventure that still caught audiences by surprise and didn't need CGI effects or smaller changes needed like Greedo shooting Han Solo first or having Jabba meet Han at Mos Eisley. But hey, what matters is that since the Special Editions were the only versions available, it still made myself and countless others become fans of this beloved trilogy.
It didn't matter to me and I didn't even care or know which shots were CGI or what scenes were rearranged when I watched these movies for the first time in my youth. I watched Star Wars movies and I was exhilarated. That's all that mattered. I fell in love with the original trio, a couple of crazy droids, and a lovable Wookiee all because I saw these fun adventures on screen. The thrill was still there, which was always the intent for audiences to enjoy Star Wars ever since it came out in 1977. And could I go without a couple changes? Sure, but at least the changes Lucas decided to make doesn't change the spirit of the films themselves. To some with the changes it was almost like experiencing a remake of a film that you loved. You just didn't enjoy the newer version because of the differences that were made compared to the original, yes?
And in the end, these were still the same movies with minor changes that Lucas saw fit in this day and age of technology. And while it would be nice to have official high-quality versions released of the theatrical cuts of the Original Trilogy, I wouldn't say that the Special Editions take away from some of the work that went into the original. Think about it. THOSE original versions of the movies were still screened in theaters from 1977-1983 and eventually on home video and they had their chance to enchant viewers. They served their purpose to make people love Star Wars. Sure some of the practical effects shots were replaced with CGI. Boba Fett lines were dubbed over by Temuera Morrison and Anakin's Force Ghost replaced the actor Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen, but Lucas did this to match the continuity of the Prequels to have more of a cohesive narrative and even though these old versions can't be seen nowadays, it's not like they were never seen by the public ever and the work by some effects artists and actors were completely erased.
The Special Edition is a different story to some, but the way I see it is that Lucas now had the technology to tell the story the way he originally intended it and make this 3 part story feel tighter. For example, there were so many production troubles with A New Hope and maybe Lucas wasn't satisfied by the practical look of some of it that he wanted it to look sleeker and have some natural fluidity to it. He wanted the Star Wars galaxy to feel more massive with additions to some shots whether it was Han running into an army of Stormtroopers on the Death Star or Luke's speeder whizzing past even crazier aliens on Mos Eisley. George Lucas is an artist who just wanted to go back and transform his works into something better. And if an artist wants to do that, I say why not? Some of the audience might not like it and prefer the way it was originally intended, but they don't have ownership over Star Wars. George should be allowed to change his creations as he sees fit. If he didn't think his films were completed the way he intended, then there's no question that he should be able to do that since he has that opportunity.
In his eyes, those were his definitive cuts of the Star Wars Original Trilogy and I can see why he'd want those to be the only versions available if he's more proud of those new cuts and feels more satisfied to see his films completed in that fashion. And I see that there could be conspiracy theories and such like he probably did these new versions and made the Prequels the way he did to make more money. But in reality, Star Wars has always made money and was made to make money as is any other film ever made in existence. It's art in the end, but don't forget this is a business. There is an artistic intent to make the movies as good as they can be, but also enjoyable for viewers to watch and come pay to see more, so I do believe there's truth to the matter that at heart Lucas is still an artist and tried to reinvent technology in his own movies to enrapture audiences.
Personally, I'm all for the Special Editions being around and think the changes were fun in the long run and that there is another version of the movies to enjoy in that way. Though I will say I was able to get a hold of an HD fan remaster of the theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy and while I don't mind the Special Editions being around, I do find the theatricals to be just as impressive. I mean to see more of the practical work in full and how certain scenes were pulled off sweeps me off my feet as a Star Wars fan and a film fan. And while I used to be an advocate of having the theatrical cuts being officially released, I get why the Special Editions are around and in stellar quality. In the end, it's still Star Wars. It's the Star Wars I fell in love with and the Star Wars you fell in love with (depending on who you are).
If you can look past some changes they're still the same movies with the same exciting story, memorable characters, and a galaxy beyond your wildest dreams. I think it'd be lovely to have a couple high-quality versions of the trilogy out there, but it doesn't have to because in the end, whether you can agree with the changes or not, you can still live in an age where you can enjoy the original Star Wars movies and get that same amount of joy. For the changes were intended to patch scenes up while still maintaining on evoking the same lively spirit of Star Wars and since I love that part of Star Wars as much as I do, these versions still succeeded. I love it all because it's Star Wars.
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