Star Wars; Arguably the largest cultural phenom ever to be born from modern film has found it’s way into the hearts and minds of near ever man, woman and child on the planet. Since the saga’s debut in theaters in 1977, Star Wars has become a marketing beast spawning countless books, video games, toys, clothing, spin off series, sleeping bags and much much more. Yet with all the nostalgia carried by those who were around for the original trilogy in theaters, and those born in an era where Star Wars always was there is one sad truth. Star Wars at it’s core is constantly changing.
When it comes to ” what is official” as far as lore goes is decided by George Lucas himself. This ” Canon” is set by the films, the Clone Wars cartoon series, and the Force Unleashed video game system. Aside from the controversy of the games, and cartoon series as far as their impact on the films go, the films themselves are constantly changing. The first taste came with the ” special editions” where Lucas decided to ” fix” many of the scenes and effects he was unable to do in the 70’s and 80’s due to technology, or budget limits. Most of these changes were accepted, and largely ignored. There are even a few changes made, that were later removed such as the scene in Empire where Luke willingly allows himself to fall down a massive chasm on cloud city. In the original film Luke does so in silent self sacrifice at the revelations that Vader was his father. The theater, and VHS releases of the special edition added Luke uncharacteristically screaming as he fell, however it was removed by the DVD release.
Other changes have caused a stir in the Star Wars fandom such as ” Greedo shooting first” or replacing certain elements with new Computer generated versions, adding the laughable ” Nooooooooooooooooo!” from Revenge of the Sith to the climax of Return of the Jedi, and even bringing characters back from the dead, as is the current talk about the crimson Sith Lord Darth Maul from Episode I. Yes, the very same Maul that young Obi-Wan cut in half making his return on the Clone Wars series. One has to wonder ” where does this end?”
While there is no argument as to the legal rights of George Lucas to do as he sees fit with his property, there is however a large moral issue surrounding the impacts on the fan base. At this point Star Wars is a part of culture, it’s something we can look at, and even if never seeing the films can still identify main characters, or rattle off a Yoda quote or two. Is it fair to the fans that the films they may have seen in the 70’s or 80’s are forever gone and replaced with an ever changing doppelganger? Is it fair to the directors fo Empire, and Jedi that their creative visions are being altered?
One has to wonder what is driving George to continuously feel the urge to put his fingers into ” finished” films and alter them, and the lore. There is the argument of greed, surely George himself has often said his early days were fighting against ” the man” and studios. Landing in hot water with the film actors guild, and directors guild several times. George has since then become ” the man” himself. Lucas has also stated that Star Wars was often a burden to him, and his aim was to finish them, and move on to more satisfying projects. Yet he never finishes. Is it an OCD at this point?
There is no real answer to the question of ” why” he is constantly altering, adding, or removing elements beyond what he holds in his mind, and our own imaginations. At the end of the day the end result is the same. Star Wars is constantly changing for better or worse. No matter how much fans argue, and fight over these issues the merchandise continues to sell, the tv shows are still watched. It is better to simply hold on for the ride, and treasure the version of the film you as an individual held most dear.