6 Star Wars DVD releases coming this fall.

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I'm not talking about any legal right...you are.

What I'm talking about is George Lucas' right AS AN ARTIST to make, change, and perfect his work as HE sees fit. Not because the law says so, but because it is his creation. No matter how important this may have become to the popular culture of the day, it is HIS creation and his vision. His artwork, essentially.

Like it or not, many artists are extreme perfectionists and have a habit of continually touching things up and changing them. Lucas is no exception to this, and perhaps the reason I don't have problems with his reasons for changing things is I find myself doing the EXACT SAME THINGS with my own art. No, I don't have the exposure Star Wars does, but why should that matter? Obviously, that's a rhetorical question, but you can probably guess my answer to that.

Lucas does not change things just because he can. HE has made these changes because HE FEELS that he SHOULD to present HIS work as HE FEELS it should be presented. That has nothing to do with legal right. Tell me right now what's wrong with an artist wanting to present their work in the way they feel it should be presented, because in the end, that's all that Lucas is doing.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Tell me right now what's wrong with an artist wanting to present their work in the way they feel it should be presented, because in the end, that's all that Lucas is doing.

You're absolutely right. There is nothing wrong, either morally, ethically or legally, with presenting your work as you like it. However, in order to show it to the public, you have to be able to endure critical scrutiny, which is what I'm doing here. And if you don't like what the public has to say, tough, don't show it to them. Lucas has never had a problem with this. I'm sure he reads every negative review and messageboard flame and cries all the way to the bank.

Now, back to the Hutt.

One thing you should remember: Lucas didn't know he was going to get to make a trilogy when he was making ANH. There's probably gobs of things he might have put in there or left out if he'd known then what he knows now. I like to think that once Star Wars's success was clear and a trilogy would be made of it, he decided to make lemonade out of lemons and dust off Jabba. I'll hand it to him, the way they tease about him in the Cantina with Greedo and Han in ANH, the fear that grips Han of capture in ESB, all leading up to the big reveal of Jabba in ROTJ - all masterfully done, even if it was all just a happy accident because Lucas couldn't put him in the original. They set up Jabba really well in those movies as this unseen evil who sent scary triggermen like Boba Fett around the galaxy. Now I'm sorry to harp on it, but the Jabba we see in ANH SE is nothing like this.

Ironically enough, there is a character development in Jabba through the movies as he gets annoyed with Han for not paying him off.

Huh? Han's supposed to be a hunted man from the minute we first meet him. There's nothing else in ANH or ESB to suggest that Jabba's losing patience - he didn't send Boba Fett after him to deliver a stern lecture.

 

[wingsandsword]

You're absolutely right. There is nothing wrong, either morally, ethically or legally, with presenting your work as you like it. However, in order to show it to the public, you have to be able to endure critical scrutiny, which is what I'm doing here. And if you don't like what the public has to say, tough, don't show it to them. Lucas has never had a problem with this. I'm sure he reads every negative review and messageboard flame and cries all the way to the bank.

Thank you for putting it that way. Yes, as an artist he can revise his works, but he better be prepared for public and critical scrutiny. He is making a work for public consumption, and the public will be the judge of the work. Making lots of money? Sure! Irritating (but not enraging) much of his fan base with the changes? Yes! Possibly slightly weakening its status as a modern legend by constantly making minor but notable revisions to important events or scenes? Yup.

Huh? Han's supposed to be a hunted man from the minute we first meet him. There's nothing else in ANH or ESB to suggest that Jabba's losing patience - he didn't send Boba Fett after him to deliver a stern lecture.

Exactly, Greedo was there to bring him in, and Han felt the need to kill him to get out of there. He didn't set it to stun, he blasted Greedo to bits at point-blank range, then (in the SE) had to talk fast on his feet when he realized Jabba himself was there with Boba Fett to come after him, and word had gotten out that Solo had blasted the last (chump) bounty hunter to come after him. Han talked his way out of Jabba's ire by getting an extension on his debts (way to roll a natural 20 on that Diplomacy check there). For all we know, walking on a Hutt's tail could be analgous to a shoulder massage to a human; Jabba's eyes bulged, but yours might if somebody started working on your back. Solo just went from Wanted, to temporarily not wanted, to delayed while running around with the Rebels and not getting back to pay off Jabba, and having to deal with Jabba being really upset that Han had owed him the money for several years and not repaid him.

 

[Kai Lord]

Hey Ankh-Morpork Guard,

Didn't you hear? Revenge of the Sith made Star Wars and George Lucas cool again. Consequently, Lucas-bashers are no longer "purists" but are now officially "whiners." So there isn't any more need to defend him with such conviction. Just thought you should know...

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Hey Ankh-Morpork Guard,

Didn't you hear? Revenge of the Sith made Star Wars and George Lucas cool again. Consequently, Lucas-bashers are no longer "purists" but are now officially "whiners." So there isn't any more need to defend him with such conviction. Just thought you should know...

But...but...but what will I do now?!?!

 

[Kai Lord]

But...but...but what will I do now?!?!

Just sit back and chuckle as you would upon witnessing a small child cutely mispronounce a common word.

 

[MacMathan]

Simply put: Joss Whedon is my master now.

http://pvponline.com/archive.php3?archive=20050510

 

[mojo1701]

Simply put: Joss Whedon is my master now.

http://pvponline.com/archive.php3?archive=20050510

Then the Emperor has already won.

 

[Faraer]

Rick McCallum has said that the six-movie release won't be this year: the subject of this thread is an erroneous rumour.

I'm entirely with Ankh-Morpork Guard above. Not personally liking some of these changes is one thing; projecting that into George committing some sin, or not knowing what he's doing, or doing things just because he can, is senseless, and smacks of just the kind of holding on to things whose error Star Wars speaks against so profoundly.

Making lots of money? Sure!

How do you spin the changes made for the DVD release, which George paid for from his own pocket and weren't even publicized, as 'doing it for the money'?

Irritating (but not enraging) much of his fan base with the changes? Yes! Possibly slightly weakening its status as a modern legend by constantly making minor but notable revisions to important events or scenes? Yup.

Get some perspective here. The number of people who are even more than passingly aware of these changes is a tiny percentage of the people who watch the films. The number who don't like them is even more insignificant.

 

[glass]

How about if GL puts out the ultimate set in 2007 with 4-6 as they orginally were in the theater with all the special edtion stuff taken out, to preserve the classic look of them.

To be the 'ultimate', I think it should have all the versions in there.


glass.