Star Wars Saturday

78 Reasons to Hate Star Wars:  Episode 1 is a great website for people who feel the way I do about the Star Wars Prequels...they were awful!  Along with 78 reasons to hate episode 1, they offer 64+ reasons to hate episode 2, and 91 reasons to hate episode 3.

There is also a special section devoted to the Special Edition version of episodes 4-6 that came out in 1997.  There were a lot of problems with these as well.  George Lucas decided to screw around with his three masterpiece movies and really made fans upset; this one included!

Today, one of the most argued and disputed issues to come from the special edition of Star Wars episode 4:  Who shot first, Han Solo or Greedo?

The following comes directly from their website, I didn't write any of it.

The Special Edition DVDs are like the greatest tease I've ever experienced. The tease comes with the first ten or so minutes of the movie remaining relatively unchanged. Absent are the bells and whistles that Lucas has stuck all over the remainder of the movie. Seeing the pristine digital image of the unblemished movie lets you get lost in the moment, thinking that you're watching the Star Wars from your youth. Seeing the scuffed up C-3PO and R2-D2 is like a breath of fresh air after being mostly exposed to the squeaky clean images of droids and landscapes presented by the prequel trilogy. The first ten minutes simply show a beautifully touched up digital version of the original movies, finally in digital format.

Then you are jarred back into your reality when you spot the first changes creeping in. A change in Tatooine's sky, an additional droid, a new sandcrawler. Finally the Mos Eisley scene occurs and slaps you in the face. There may as well be a ticker at the bottom of the screen that displays a message reading: THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY! THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY!


Nitpick #4
Greedo Shoots First At the Same Time
I know, the Greedo thing has been done to death, but the latest development in Greedo's death scene complicates the debate enough that it warrants further discussion. It is only through a frame-by-frame viewing that you can truly figure out what is going on but it appears that both Solo and Greedo are shooting at the exact same time, at least too close together for either shot to be in reaction to the other.

Calmness in the face of danger worthy of the Jedi.   Some people think that this scene is not a big deal but it is critical in explaining the character of Han Solo. Originally Solo shot first, killing Greedo and showing his character, a character that was changed over the course of the trilogy from a roguish scoundrel into someone with a heart. In 1997 Greedo shot first showing that Solo was really always that way, thus negating any development of his character. Even larger was the problem that no one could miss shooting anything from that range. In any movie of this kind we take liberties with the aim of enemies.

Stormtroopers are constantly missing when shooting at Luke, Leia, Han and Chewbacca but it is easier to let go when they're 30-40 feet across a corridor. When someone is sitting across a table from someone else you'd expect their aim to be at least good enough to graze their target. Greedo should have been able to extend his arm and poke Han Solo in the nose if so desired, so how could he miss with a blaster? The only explanation I've seen to why Greedo missed was in the brilliant short story, The Passions of Greedo by Jacques Redcloud. However, I don't think that is an official Lucasfilm approved part of the extended universe.

In  my opinion: