When speaking of vocal fanbases, none may be simultaneously louder and less listened-to thanStar Warsfans. While this might feel like an occurrence that has emerged in the social media age, making their opinion known about what they like and don’t like has been going on for years. One of the major instances of this was whenGeorge Lucasreleased the special edition cuts of the originalStar Warstrilogy while he was working on 1999’sStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Lucas decided to revisit the films — first released in 1977, 1980, and 1983, respectively — by giving them visual effects upgrades, added scenes, and other changes.
After the special editions were released, they became Lucas' so-called ‘definitive versions’ of the movies.Unless you happened to own your old-school VHS or LaserDisc copies, these were the editions fans would have to watch moving forward. It was a divisive decision that has drawn a line in the sand with fans, something corroborated by the many conversations and articles on websites devoted to getting the unaltered films released, such asSave Star WarsandOriginal Trilogy.
It’s simply something that the director will not budge on. He not only continues to defend the special editions but also suggests that the unaltered versions of the original trilogy will never be released again.During an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, viaScreen Rant, Lucas seemed to end the debate once and for all by reiterating that the unaltered versions of the originalStar Warstrilogy will never again see the light of day, at least as an official release, and he feels that the changes that were made gave him a sense of ownership over what he created.Comparing himself to the Renaissance genius Michelangelo, the former director said:
I think a film belongs to its creator. When Michelangelo made the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he looked at it and said, ‘I’m going to redo this part.’
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In a Speech to Congress, George Lucas Attacked What He’d Become
Lucas' statements today may seem hypocritical when compared to his heavy involvement in film preservation and his many past statements, especially ina 1988 speech to Congress. In the late 1980s, there was a mild crisis among cinephiles as technology had advanced to the point that films could be significantly and realistically altered beyond how they were originally presented. Ted Turner had purchased the archives of studios like MGM and RKO and had begun to colorize old films for TV broadcast and home media releases. There was eventually a Congressional investigation into the matter, and a hearing which featured directors like Steven Spielberg, John Huston, Woody Allen, and George Lucas.
Lucas' statement (viaSave Star Wars) comes from pp.482-490 of a document bearing the titleThe Berne Convention: Hearings Before the Subcomittee on Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks of the Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate. One Hundreth Congress. Second session on s.1301 and s.1971. February 18 and August 18, 2025.
“A copyright is held in trust by its owner until it ultimately reverts to public domain. American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history,” stated Lucas, who added:
People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society…
“These current defacements are just the beginning. Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder.Tommorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with ‘fresher faces,’ or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actor’s lips to match. It will soon be possible to create a new ‘original’ negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires…”
“In the future, it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be “replaced” by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten…”
“The public’s interest is ultimately dominant over all other interests. And the proof of that is that even a copyright law only permits the creators and their estate a limited amount of time to enjoy the economic fruits of that work.”
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“There are those who say American law is sufficient. That’s an outrage! It’s not sufficient! If it were sufficient, why would I be here? Why would John Houston have been so studiously ignored when he protested the colorization ofThe Maltese Falcon?Why are films cut up and butchered?Attention should be paid to this question of our soul, and not simply to accounting procedures. Attention should be paid to the interest of those who are yet unborn,who should be able to see this generation as it saw itself, and the past generation as it saw itself.”
A decade later, Lucas would re-cut the originalStar Warstrilogy and refuse to release the original, unaltered films ever again (give or take 2006’s GOUT).
The Most Notable Star Wars Changes Began in 1997
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hopehas been reissued on several occasions, but the most notable re-release was for the film’s 20th anniversary in 1997. On one hand, the theatrical Special Edition ofA New Hopereignited interest in the franchise and showed that it was just as viable as ever when it became the highest-grossing re-release of all-time, grossing $138.3 million at the domestic box office.
On the other hand, the inclusion of enhanced effects, new scenes, and dialogue became a bone of contention with some fans.This would’ve been a softer blow if fans had the option to have whatever edition of the films they desired should more re-releases come, but it was clear thatthe new editions would now be the normfor these movies moving forward. Reissues ofThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedifollowed, and they also featured changes, but none as extensive as those made toA New Hope.
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Other notable changes to the original trilogy were made to connect them more to the prequel trilogy after they were all released. The Force Ghost ofHayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalkerwas added to the end ofReturn of the Jedi,replacing Sebastian Shaw from the 1983 film, since the prequel trilogy was concluded with 2005’sRevenge of the Sith. Another significant change came inThe Empire Strikes Backwhen the Emperor in that film, played originally by Marjorie Eaton, was replaced by Ian McDiarmid in the special edition because the actor portrayed Palpatine in 1983’sReturn of the Jediand the subsequent prequel trilogy.
Other changes come down to maintaining his sense of ownership. Fanbases sometimes take ownership of big franchises because the stories mean so much to them and define a certain time and place in their lives, but many fans forget that the ultimate direction of these franchises comes down to the people who created them. Fans may not like every change that Lucas has made to the Star Wars films but, in the case of those original movies, they are his baby and brainchild, giving him the right to make any changes he desires.
At the same time, blocking the original, unaltered trilogy from being seen in any high-quality way shows that there’s a thin line between an artistic sense of ownership and authoritarian historical revisionism. After all, as George Lucas said in 1988, “The public’s interest is ultimately dominant over all other interests.”
