A third version of Star Wars Episode 4?

There have been rumours floating around for a
while that Star Wars episodes 4-6 will be
modified to flow better with Episodes 1-3. The
first substantial evidence I’ve seen applies only
to Episode 4, and is being reported here
on Cinescape.

5 replies on “A third version of Star Wars Episode 4?”

  1. Yeah
    I read about this somewhere else a while back. It seems Lucas wasn’t happy with Obi-Wan’s duel with Vader, and wanted to punch it up.

    Someone on AICN cracked a joke about what the FX would look like: “look at that spry old guy running up and down the walls before finally being killed by Vader.”

    Maybe this will will be Lucas’ big chance to make the “Greedo Shoots First” scene not suck quite so much — or better yet, take it out altogether.

  2. Oh great! just what we need…
    I can see it now:

    Luke racing across the desert in his landspeeder.
    Jar-Jar-Jr. trying frantically to keep up on foot behind him, “Massa Boss, Massa Boss, Youssa goin too fassa fo me!”

    Obi-Wan reels in pain, “I felt a great disturbance in the Force. As if a million souls cried out in torment…”
    Jar-Jar-Jr. gives a sheepish grin, “Nossuh, Meesa sorry. I had da baked beans dissa mo’nin. Meesa can never control meself affa some fine baked beans.”

    Why don’t we JUST LEAVE “Star Wars” alone, huh?
    Isn’t it enough that they ruined “The Phantom Menace”?!

    • Re: Oh great! just what we need…
      Well, it’s possible that a few extra lines could pull the whole thing together, like if Obi-Wan were to recognize the droids or say to Luke, “I knew your father. Did you know he’s the one who built C-3P0 here? If his memory core hadn’t been erased, he could have told you himself.”

      And he really should have warned Luke about getting the hots for his sister. Even if he wanted to keep it cryptic, he could have said something like “Yes, the princess is very pretty, but be careful, Luke. She is not to be yours.”
      But it probably serves Luke right for not even bothering to ask Obi anything about his mother.

  3. No More Versions, Por Favor!
    I’ve got box after box of 4-5-6 (unletterboxed original releases, letterboxed special big wide Vader box, and letterboxed special edition), and I think I’m just going to wait to buy any more until 10 years after Lucas’ death. That way, no more versions, and there will have been enough time for someone to have unearthed any secret diaries where Lucas regrets Jar-Jar (it could happen) and some third party remakes the whole thing digitally editing out Jar-Jar (please?).

    I don’t even have 1 on DVD.

  4. Interesting potential…

    Ep. 4 was originally meant to be a standalone movie of course, so it will be interesting to see if Lucus thinks he needs to “fix” it so that it will serve as a better bridge between the two sets of movies.

    For instance, if in Ep. 3 we see the end of the Republic Senate and the beginning of the Imperial Senate, it may be interesting to follow the events as the Imperial Senate is dissolved in Ep. 4 more closely (which Smits, McDiarmid, et. al. would be needed for) and perhaps lend a bit more impact to the destruction of Alderaan and the addition of a scene with Bail Organna before that happens.

    I could see this expanding into a kind of “prologue” for Ep. 4. Scenes with the Vader & Emperor, unrest in the Senate, the rebels stealing the Death Star plans, maybe even the Anchorhead footage could fit into this. Of course the opening scroll would have to be rewritten…

    Also, it might seem rather odd to have Palpatine/the Emperor featured prominently in the first three movies, then he practically drops out of sight for two movies to reappear at the very end. From the OT perspective, it made sense to build up to his appearance in the final movie, but in the context of all six it might not…

    I think from a moviemaking perspective, the possibilities are very interesting; I wonder how much Lucas will be tempted to do a little more tinkering…

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