The STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE SPECIAL EDITION FAQ by Jay Pennington (datalore@jax-inter.net) v. 4.1 May 6, 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHERE ELSE TO FIND IT In addition to my own Web page, loaded with lots of before & after pictures... Treadwell's Techdome: http://www.jax-inter.net/users/datalore/starwars/swindex.htm ...the Web sites below have honored me by featuring my SW SE FAQs. Deluxe HTML versions, courtesy of Lost Scenes guru Ryan Silva: The Star Wars Cutting Room Floor: http://www.usticke.org/lost_sw/ Text versions: Dr. Daniel's Movie Emergency: http://www.stairwell.com/doc/ The Star Wars Home Page at UPENN: http://stwing.resnet.upenn.edu:80/starwars/index.html Rod's Star Wars Page: http://members.tripod.com/~RodneyT/index.html The Ultimate Star Wars Page (by Jedi Wold): http://www.bgnett.no/~mwold/sw/index.htm Dave's Star Wars Page: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/3315/starwars.html Docking Bay 94: http://www.sound.net/~mlanio Belgian Star Wars Page: http://studwww.rug.ac.be/~ndgraeve/ Some of these sites are still displaying older versions, however. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PURPOSE To list the differences between the Special Edition of Star Wars: A New Hope and the original version. (Most sound mix comparisons are biased toward the recent THX home video remix, for reasons stated below.) At the time of this writing, the Special Editions are a recent memory in America, and have only just been released in Europe, so the page serves as a guide to what we haven't seen before. As the SE's gradually take their place in the mass consciousness as the definitive versions of the Trilogy, (and this will happen whether or not you think it's a good thing), this page will be just as useful for those who are curious about what the films used to look and sound like. Several of my comments are just new observations about the film, and thus aren't strictly about SE changes, but it's my FAQ and I'll ramble if I wanna! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The official Star Wars web site has posted an authoritative list of changes to the Trilogy. Since I want to be as thorough as possible, I've encorporated that information into this FAQ, designated as WWW. No designation means it was by me (JP). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NOTES ABOUT THE SOUND MIX For the sake of avoiding confusion, my observations of changes in the sound mix mostly lean toward comparing the SE and the THX mix used in 1993's Definitive Collection laserdisc box set (and subsequent CLV laserdiscs and video tapes in 1995). The reason why would require a FAQ all by itself, (which I may undertake some time), but here it is in a nutshell: Sound Designer Ben Burtt mixed three different versions of Star Wars (not counting foreign releases, which, based on a Spanish tape I have, probably used the mono mix for music and effects): 1. 70mm six-track stereo (magnetic strips on the prints) 2. Dolby Stereo (two optical tracks) 3. mono (a single optical track) Version 1 had the best fidelity, but since it was finished first, it wasn't as polished as subsequent mixes. It did, however, use a mono surround channel. Version 2 had more work put into it, but since the vast majority of theatres didn't have stereo (and the stereo optical tracks were not yet compatible with mono equipment) the most attention was lavished on the MONO MIX. That was the one most people would hear, so it was the one George Lucas cared most about. At the time, # 3 would probably have been considered the "definitive" version. When the film hit HBO, CBS, and home video, it seemed as if a different mix was used every time. Threepio's tractor beam line would come and go, as would "close the blast doors" and dozens of other minor differences. I have precious few clues as to which mix used what, so that's why I'm comparing the SE to Burtt's 1993 THX mix, which was a FOURTH mix supposedly combining the best of the first three. (I wrote another pseudo-FAQ comparing the THX and Dolby Stereo mixes almost two years ago. Check my page.) The SE provides us with Version 5, in which Burtt had another whack at combining all the other versions. With very few exceptions, the SE has EVERYTHING anyone ever heard in any of the other mixes, (with the exception, of course, of instances where only one source could be used, like a character's voice), and more. From the Trilogy SE Press Kit: "Burtt assembled the various mixes and versions of the original film, some featuring additional dialog that has 'created a bit of folklore because some people would say they heard one version and somebody else heard a different one, and they would argue over which is the ultimate version....If there was an extra line of dialog or a change in sound effects, it is here in this new mix for the Special Edition'." To sum up: if you disagree about something I claim is "new", keep in mind I'm comparing it to the THX MIX. It's very likely many of these "new" things have showed up in one mix or another. (Sources of this information: The liner notes to the Definitive Collection box set, STARLOG #236, and the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition Press Kit.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GENERAL COMMENTS: •Yes, I enjoyed myself, despite my uncontrollable habit of making mental notes of everything. :) •The film seemed a little grainier than I'd hoped, with the restoration and all. There was a little more dirt (negative and otherwise) and scratches than I expected. I thought they cleaned all that up! Example: there's an annoying scratch on the film as the last TIE explodes during the Falcon's escape from the Death Star, but that same explosion was used in the ESB/ROJ trailer (the ESB logo comes out of it) and there it's scratch-free and much more colorful and dynamic. If they could spruce it up for the trailer, why not the movie?! (This scratch was noticeable on three different prints I viewed.) There has been some speculation that Fox paid more attention to quality control for prints destined for big cities like New York and Los Angeles than they did for lower-profile cities like my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. If you have evidence or observations to help clarify this issue, please email me. •Red glows were added to all TIE engines. •The Falcon's cockpit has more electronic and mechanical sounds, many underscoring switches Han flips that previously had no effect other than a click. On occasion these new sounds slightly interfered with the dialogue. The same goes for many other scenes with computers and such in them. Reports seem to indicate the mono mix as the source of these effects. •I'd hoped that the dialogue editing would be improved. All the places where it's obvious the dialogue is dubbed or the words cobbled together from different takes are still there. •The color timing was inconsistent; skin tones would go from pale to pink IN THE SAME SHOT. Most noticeable when Ben and Luke first meet Han. •Contrary to what I've read, I didn't detect ANY new music in the film-- new scenes used "tracked" music from elsewhere in the score. (Or another score, in the case of the Jabba scene. Details to follow.) •WWW: Color Reversal Internegative: Opticals created on CRI stock, which had deteriorated, were recomposited in various shots including the Star Destroyer capturing Leia's ship and X-wings flying through the Death Star trench. •WWW: Original elements were recomposited to remove matte lines and correct color mismatches. JP: That sentence is so vague this is the only place I could put it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SPOILER WARNING If you haven't seen the film yet, don't read on if you want to be surprised. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AND NOW, IN MOVIE ORDER 'Scope trailers were part of American prints. One for the Fox animated feature, Anastasia, and another for the special editions of ESB/ROTJ. New footage featured: a new shot of the Cloud Cars escorting the Falcon thru Cloud City, extra Wampa footage in the cave, and a couple of shots of a new CG Sarlaac creature, its new mouth and tentacles protruding from the bottom of the pit .All very nice. This trailer features the new Lucasfilm logo as described below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Fox logo used is the new one, but it's not the "rotating" one. The Fanfare is the old Alfred Newman w/ Cinemascope extension, as always, not the newly recorded performance Fox has used recently. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Lucasfilm logo is the new design used since, oh, Willow, I guess, but augmented. It starts out green, as before, then the "surface" of the letters sorta morph to a metallic, reflective surface (silver, then gold). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ No change from the "A New Hope" re-release version of the opening crawl. The synch of the BOOM of the music and the Tatooine reveal is still off. WWW: Opening Sequence: The original elements were recomposited to reduce optical dirt and grain buildup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For once and for all, the opening Star Destroyer chase IS NOT the IMAX version. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Luke watching the battle through his macrobinoculars.....NOT RESTORED. (Sorry, that was cruel.) See Ryan Silva's Star Wars The Star Wars Cutting Room Floor URL above) for pics of this deleted scene. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Threepio's servos still have the low, motory sound effect. I'd hoped they'd use the kish-kish hydraulic sound used in ESB and ROTJ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's a minor thing, but I'd hoped they'd add flashing red lights to the coin slots on Vader's chest, like they did in ESB & ROTJ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This would probably be some sort of affront to the purity of the film's musical identity, but I think a subtle hint of the Imperial March from ESB would've been nice for Vader's grand entrance to the Blockade Runner. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ One of the shots of Threepio approaching the skeleton is (and has always been) a flop. The grease smear on his chest switches sides. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The scene with Luke talking to Biggs in Anchorhead, shot in 1976, is still not in the movie. Again, see Ryan Silva's Star Wars The Star Wars Cutting Room Floor for pics. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The canyon scene now begins with a tilt down from a gorgeous sunset to the pre-existing shot of Artoo rolling along below. It has been observed that the scene now occurs at night; I read an intelligent posting (sorry, I can't find it again to give credit) stating that it was shot "day-for-night", was always intended to look like dusk, and has been incorrectly color timed on home video. Sounds reasonable to me. WWW: A new digital matte painting has been added to the scene in which R2-D2 is in the canyon on Tatooine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kevin Creary contributes: "The shot of R2 in the Sandcrawler where you could see Kenny Baker (in the round glass bubble thing) has been fixed. Instead of seeing Baker, there is now a reddish glare on R2." I didn't notice this, so I can't comment on the change. But I've analyzed the original footage and for the life of me I can't see Baker. Sure, there's a blob of light or something inside Artoo, but how anyone could make a face out of that is beyond me. Seems reasonable to me that something might be visible through the eye of an R2 unit, but if it's been "fixed", more power to 'em! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Dewback scene (new footage of Stormtroopers searching the desert, riding CG Dewbacks) consists of two new shots, the second one featuring a seamless pan from the newly-shot additional troopers to the ones there originally. The old immobile dewback on the hill is replaced with a new one. Music tracked from the scene where Luke and Han escort Chewie through the Death Star ("Mouse Robot" on the old album, "Wookiee Prisoner" on the new CD) pads out the soundtrack for the extra few seconds. The new troopers can be told from the old ones by looking at their "mouths": the originals are black and grey, and the new ones are all black. WWW: New live action footage of stormtroopers has been added to the scene in which the Imperials search the droids' escape pod in the Tatooine Dunes. CG Dewbacks, ridden by stormtroopers, were also composited into the scene. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There was nothing wrong with the original one, but a new shot of the Sandcrawler rolling over the top of a dune is featured, and it looks great. The camera POV is much closer to the vehicle, at a low angle, and it is moving much faster. The new shot is longer, though, so part of the music repeats itself. Not a CG shot; the original model was pulled from the Archives. WWW: A new enhanced scene shows a sandcrawler slowly moving over rocky terrain from a lower, more dramatic angle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The first wide shot of the exterior of the moisture farm has been expanded out to a much wider shot! We see more of the back of the sandcrawler, its tracks in the sand, more of farm, and more sky and sand at the top and bottom, respectively. Seamless! WWW: A wider view of Luke's Farm was created using the original sandcrawler model. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There is no longer extra space above Leia's hologram where the garbage matte had been placed. Instead of the jerky changes as she kneels, the edge of the projection travels smoothly in line with the top of her head. (I never really minded this "bad" effect....it sorta added to the "not quite perfect" flickery video look of the hologram.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Still the dubbed Aunt Beru voice. No return to the alternate that was on one of the original mixes. (Must've been the mono one, because I heard the other voice on a 16mm print in the late '80's). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: Tatooine Suns: Static grain was removed from the two suns shot; the recomposite reduced optical dirt as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can still see the rope pulling the small droid in front of Luke as he scans the horizon for Artoo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: Red Sky: The color of the sky was matched to surrounding shots in the scene at Luke's farm in which Luke and C-3PO talk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ No more blurry blob beneath the landspeeder. WWW: The landspeeder's mirror was removed and a clean plate was created in each shot so that the hovering effect was more believable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ New foley effects for the Tusken Raider's attack on Luke. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ New establishing shot of Kenobi's hut; it's now nestled among rocky outcroppings, not stuck out in the middle of the desert. Very nice matte painting. WWW: A new shot of Obi-Wan's house, now located high on a hill, was added to the Special Edition, using a digital matte painting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was always there, but it's now more noticeable: Kenobi's hut has an ambient sound, a hum in the surrounds. The beedly-beedly Star Trek sound is still buried deep in the background.(The hum is another Star Trek sound, used in the transporter room.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Luke's saber doesn't look very blue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The old shot that cheated the landspeeder's floating effect by having it drive behind a ridge (covering the wheels) is altered to show it actually hovering off the ground. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Augmented matte painting of Mos Eisley is nice....dunno what was wrong with the old one, though. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Approach into Mos Eisley: several new shots of the busy spaceport, featuring scurrying rodents, tromping Rontos (tall dino-like creatures), etc. Music tracked from the unused Dia Noga cue pads out the soundtrack. (The last part of "The Walls Converge" on the original soundtrack album.) There are numerous ships taking off and landing (one is an Imperial Shuttle, in fact) in almost every shot in Mos Eisley. One shot features that new "Asp" droid in a comical moment with a small hovering droid. A rusty version of the ESB Rebel Transport is in the background. A nice overhead tracking shot following the speeder precedes its approach to the Stormtrooper checkpoint, in addition to the "swoop spooking the Ronto" scene we've seen in the trailer and elsewhere (the Jawas looked much less purple this time, thankfully). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The R2 unit that used to pass in the foreground of the "you don't need to see his identification" scene is replaced by the legs of a passing Ronto; the yellow R5 still follows,though. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Ronto added to the background does not distract from the drama, fortunately. Another hovering little droid behind the Stormtrooper does. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: New creatures have been added to the scene in which Luke's landspeeder zooms into the Mos Eisley spaceport, which has been enlarged with new CG buildings. On entering, small rodents known as scurriers jump out of his way, new robots and landspeeders make an appearance, and a huge dinosaur-like ronto rears back and throws his Jawa riders when a swoop bike flies too close. New CG shots of a ronto and new a flying droid have been added to the scene in which stormtroopers question Luke and Obi-Wan in Luke's landspeeder. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Let's see if I can list the new/augmented shots (from Mos Eisley's outskirts to the cantina): 1.The shot with the landspeeder passing overhead now has scurrying rodents, more buildings, and the landspeeder itself is CG (but still looks a little fake). 2.A totally new shot of the Asp droid mentioned above; Luke's CG landspeeder zips behind it and we quick-pan to catch up. 3.The "spook the ronto" shot, which is an augmentation of an existing shot of the landspeeder passing from L to R (the speeder just like the "Lars Family Speeder" still enters from the right, now hovering higher off the ground just like Luke's). While the new shot seems to be the same take, it begins and ends at different points in the action than the original (the speeder proceeds across the frame, which it didn't do before). 4.The old medium shot of the Luke driving the speeder, unchanged. (I'm pretty sure this is where it goes.....correct me if I'm wrong.) 5.The overhead tracking shot. Dash Rendar's Outrider can be seen in the sky.. 6.Stopping by the troopers. (several intercut shots of the dialogue not numbered here) 7.The old pan of the speeder passing the spaceship wreckage: again, the speeder is higher off the ground, theugly blob is gone, more buildings and air traffic, and a pre-existing passerby now holds the leash of a Ronto. 8.The speeder approaching the camera and parking. That Ronto from #7 is in the far background, a nice bit of continuity. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The cutaway to the cantina entrance has new patrons approaching the entrance (which I think is also enhanced, as the "doorway" shot on location wasn't one at all!), and the old immobile Dewback has been relieved by his CG counterpart. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The *audio* of Ben saying "this place can be a little rough" seems to be a different take. The now-mobile Dewback by the entrance howls, and Artoo makes different noises than before in response [the "razz" effect].) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Cantina scene is unchanged, except for the two shots of the Wolfman being replaced with a different new alien in each shot. The footage of the other hand-puppet alien in his second shot remains the same. (Lucas reportedly hated the Wolfman. To be fair, so did its creator, Rick Baker. It was an off-the-shelf mask he'd customized, and provided it for the cantina pickup shots in 1976 [77?] with the intention of it only being used in the background. He was quite embarrassed by its prominent appearance. I read this years ago in STARLOG.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Luke slamming into the table after being shoved has more crashing sound effects. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ben's saber is blue like it should be, unlike Luke's. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The new Dewbacks in the exterior shot when Threepio says "I don't like the look of this" are very cool, but they distract one's attention from the important information in the scene--that being a guy from the bar talking to two Stormtroopers. The Dewback's howl increases the distraction. Osirus1999@aol.com says the CG stormtrooper's leg disappears into the Dewback. Didn't notice, myself. WWW: Exterior shots of the Cantina incorporate new model and digital matte buildings and CG creatures, including dewbacks and stormtroopers. The shot in which R2-D2 and C-3PO hide from stormtroopers while waiting for Luke and Obi-Wan outside the Cantina has been enhanced by the addition of a ronto and new droids. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Greedo's subtitles are in a different font than I remember, but it could just be faulty memory. (Anyone have an old bootleg to check?) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The "yes" in Han's line "Yes, I bet you have" is gone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ sigh, now we must get to the Greedo issue. In case you missed all the talk about this, Greedo now FIRES FIRST. I agree with the detractors of this change; it doesn't make Han more heroic, it makes him seem more STUPID for letting someone a foot away get off the first shot. (And we thought Stormtroopers were bad shots!) A totally unwelcome alteration. The scene is ruined; but I won't go so far as to say the movie is. WWW: Laser fire was added to Han and Greedo's blasters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another hovering droid slightly distracts one from the action when the Stormtroopers bang on the door Threepio and Artoo are hiding behind. The Stormtrooper's line is the "door's locked" version (from the Dolby mix). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A few more alien sound effects while Luke sells his speeder, including some for the ostrich legs that pass in front of the camera. Ships passing in the sky have been added, through an alcove in the background. Some claim to have seen a Klingon Bird of Prey through there. I'm a Star Trek fan, but I certainly hope it's actually an Imperial Landing craft. Let's not mix universes here! WWW: Landspeeder Lot: The hanging backing sky color was replaced to better match surrounding footage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Jabba scene! A scene shot in 1976 of Han confronting Jabba (then portrayed by a fat actor with a Scottish accent) has finally been included in the film--now that Lucas can insert a proper alien in the actor's place. Yes, Jabba doesn't look just like his foam rubber doppleganger that appears in ROTJ, but this is how he should look. I think the detractors of the SG Jabba are just used to seeing a poorly articulated puppet and thus balk at seeing a "living" creature. (Many think he's way too small, neglecting to consider he was up on a platform in ROTJ. He was shrunk only a little for this scene, so that his eyes would line up with Han's and so that Han could step on Jabba's tail.) Perhaps another problem people have is that Jabba and Han have a more friendly relationship in this scene than we expect. (Han even barters with the slimy crime lord!) But this is exactly how the scene was originally scripted, and it underscores how Jabba gets more powerful and decadent over the next few years as their relationship deteriorates (Han not paying him back and all). Music tracked from Jedi (Jabba's tuba theme) scores the scene. It was nice to see Boba Fett's cameo, but his look straight into the camera at the end of the scene was TOO MUCH. We know it's Fett, already! I mean, he practically winks at us! "See, folks, it's me! Boba Fett! Don't I look cool?" WWW: Artists at ILM created a CG model of Jabba to seamlessly insert into 20-year old footage shot of Harrison Ford, a shot that George Lucas was not able to use at the time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ With the SE we learn that Han's line to Greedo "Even I get boarded sometimes. Do you think I had a choice?" is actually from the Jabba scene! It's the same take of the line, too. (Notice how the camera is on Han's blaster and not his face when you hear the line in the cantina). It made sense to use the line there originally (with no Jabba scene), but with Jabba back, the line to Greedo should have been replaced with something else. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The full-size Falcon was only half a ship for the first film (the starboard side). I was hoping the second half would be filled in, or at least the sensor dish tacked on, for the "what a piece of junk" shot. Alas, the wall still seems to cut the ship in two. In addition, the squared-off shape of the docking bay interior set does not match the new effects footage of the rounded bay as seen from overhead. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There's a nice new overhead shot of the Falcon rising out of the docking bay, under fire. Such a shot was indeed needed. This is the only time we see the Falcon's engines glow with a bunch of vertical blue lights, though. The following shot of it soaring into the sky has been enhanced to good effect. WWW: A new shot of the Millennium Falcon flying out of the Mos Eisley hangar bay. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can still see Kenobi's shoulder behind Han in the cockpit hallway, long before he's supposed to be there. (The editor had used a closeup of Han that had been intended for later in the scene.) Couldn't that have been painted out digitally? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The destruction of Alderaan is much improved. A "Praxis Moon" ring of fire (ala Star Trek VI) is just one new aspect of the explosion. WWW: A new element -- a shock wave -- has been added to the scene in which the Death Star destroys the planet Alderaan. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The holographic chess game: still no humming sounds that exist on a Spanish version of the movie I have, but now there's a metallic clink each time Artoo or Chewie presses a lever to make a move. (You can hear the clinks and hum during the clip of this scene in "The Making of Star Wars".) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Luke's saber looks WHITE through most of the scene--when it does have any tint, it's GREENISH. Wha??!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vader still gestures without speaking for a couple of seconds before we cut to Tarkin saying "Terminate her. Immediately." Someone pointed out on Usenet that they couldn't cut away earlier because they have to wait until Tarkin stops walking. True, but they should've found something else for Vader to say. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The TIE laser effects before those two booms (just before it passes the Falcon's cockpit) that were added to the THX home video mix are gone again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: Death Star Approach: Original elements were recomposited to reduce optical dirt and grain buildup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: A new CG matte painting has been added to the original plate of the Millennium Falcon in the Death Star hangar bay. JP: Not sure which shot they're referring to. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The docking bay elevator that Stormtroopers ride (shouldn't those be reserved for ships and equipment?) now makes a sound (or a more pronounced one). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The officer's line "...I want every part of this ship checked" now echoes slightly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some extra beeps, clicks and whatnot for the equipment in the docking bay control room. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Threepio's tractor beam line is back again. More sound effects for the graphics on the computer screen are added. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: Elevator: The composites were recreated to reduce the mismatch in sharpness. JP: Yeah, that one definitely needed a sprucing up! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Many more sound effects added to the detention level shoot-out. (And you thought the THX video added a bunch? Well...!) Many of the cameras make that high-pitched "kabumph" explosion sound, and there are generally more blaster sounds and explosions all around. Chewie's big-ass rifle how has a different sound, similar to the AT-ST guns'. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There's now a blaster sound effect like Chewie's big gun just before the hole is blown in the elevator door by Stormtroopers. More blaster sound effects during this scene, too, up to where they jump down the garbage chute. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ricocheting laserbolts in the trash compactor bounce all around the surrounds. Neat! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Despite what many of us have heard, the "big turd" Dia Noga is unaltered. More machinery sound effects, though, especially where they're needed the most: when all the actors stand around for several seconds waiting for the walls to move on cue, there are now more sound effects to announce that it will indeed happen (just give it a sec!). Several very effective crunching sounds have been added as the walls crush debris between them. Incidentally, I recently saw 1971's Five Easy Pieces on television, and noticed that a sound effect used for the pumping of oil rigs was the same as that used for the trash compactor motor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yes, the Stormtrooper still bumps his head. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ New sounds for the Dia Noga as Han and Luke are shucking their Stormtrooper armor in the hallway. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Still the English lettering on the tractor beam that Ben shuts off. Owel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When Han is chasing troopers, there are now A LOT MORE of them waiting for him around the corner. (There's a docking bay in the far right background with a TIE in it. Others claim to have seen red-armored Royal Guards.) Got a laugh out of me! Nice addition. WWW: In the original edition, Han Solo chases a group of stormtroopers down a Death Star hallway where they meet more stormtroopers and turn and chase him. In the Special Edition, the new stormtroopers have been digitally transformed into a platoon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The fabled footage from the original 70mm release of Luke throwing the rope and missing once is *not* restored. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: The original matte painting was recomposited in the scene in which Luke and Leia are trapped at the Death Star bridge chasm by stormtroopers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ KAPOW!! Whenever Leia fires the rifle, it sounds like Dirty Harry's .357 Magnum. KAPOW!! What's the deal?! Others have postulated that it's production sound of the blanks in the prop gun going off that has been "left in". This cannot be, for two reasons: 1.With the exception of "For luck", there is no production sound remaining in the scene, in any mix I know of. All of it was replaced with sound effects and dubbed dialogue 20 years ago. For Ben Burtt and Gary Summers to have "accidentally" left more in, they'd have had to do A LOT of digging to find the original tapes of the audio as recorded on the set, (if they stillexist), and put three small parts of it in the final mix by mistake. I don't believe that happened. 2.Even if that happened, all we'd hear is a wimpy little crack, not KAPOW. Even REAL guns don't make the sound Leia's blaster makes (at least not guns that size); only in the movies. It's definitely a stock gunshot sound used in the movies and on television for years. But that still doesn't answer why it's there at all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Close the Blast Doors!!" He says it now. Enough of the arguing! ;) ...but it's not the same voice as on the "Story Of" record. The line makes the "open the blast doors" line more humorous, and the audience laughed all four times I saw the SE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can still see the unaugmented reflective stick Ben points toward the camera at the end of a particular shot. (You know the one.) NOTE: The end credits referring to the "Sabre Group" has nothing to do with lightsabers. It's the Lucasfilm name for the team of artists that did all the digital fixes. SABRE is a graphics workstation similar to "Flame", which is used by other companies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Artoo still has metal struts holding his legs in position when he's in 3-wheel mode; struts that aren't "supposed" to be there. Couldn't they paint them out? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ More blaster sounds and whatnot as Luke blazes away at Stormtroopers before boarding the Falcon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vader's saber is still white as the doors close in front of him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ More TIE roars during the dogfight, and the cheezy graphics on the Falcon's gun control displays(unaltered) have new sound effects (possibly from the mono mix). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Hagerman points out that when Han and Leia discuss his reward and such, the "hyperspace tube" effect should be seen out the front of the cockpit window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A couple of the shots of the Falcon approaching Yavin have been replaced with super keen-o CGI. WWW: A new CG Falcon model was added to the original scene in which the Falcon approaches Yavin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: A new digital matte painting, CG ship models, and a CG Falcon model have been added to te original shots at the Rebel Base at Yavin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ya know the shot of the Rebel in the tower pointing some doohickey out above the trees? You can now see the Falcon approach, slow, turn in place, and lower into the forest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A new matte painting of the temple ruins as Luke and co. get on the "courtesy cart". A new CG one is HOVERING away at the left. So some have repulsor units, but the one our heroes ride is on wheels?! (We never see the wheels, but it sounds like a golf cart or something.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flop shot: Artoo is still backwards as he gets off the cart. (Fixing that one *and* maintaining screen direction would indeed be difficult.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The primitive "first generation Atari" vector graphics of the Death Star plans are unchanged, including the inaccurate location of the main weapon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A new whirr sound effect after "Clear Main Launch Tubes". "Stand Clear for X-Wing Liftoff" is gone, along with the footage it occupied. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Biggs! We don't get him on Tatooine, but at least we get this: Biggs sees Luke in the hangar and they have a chummy chat along the lines of I told you I'd get here, didn't I, and have I got some stories to tell you, etc. Red Leader comes by, expresses concern about Luke's experience, Biggs says Luke is the best gully jumper in the outer rim territories, and all of a sudden Red Leader says Luke'll do just fine. (What a turnaround!) As others observed, a newly-shot person passing in front of the camera masks the edit that removed Red Leader's line about Luke's father. I don't see what would be so non-canonical about the line. Anakin was a "great pilot" before he turned to the Dark Side, after all. Others have also stated that they cut or altered Biggs' line "we're like two shooting stars that'll never be stopped." I personally think the line was originally shot as it appears now, "they'll never stop us". Nice to finally see this footage, but the scene is a little rushed and just a hair "gosh and golly". Maybe the Tatooine footage is better left out? WWW: ILM's digital editing skills allowed a scene to be added back in, in which Biggs and Luke meet and talk on the Flight Deck before the Battle of Yavin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the last "Rebel guy standing on top of a REAALLLY tall stick" shot, the tiny white dots soaring into the sky are replaced with much closer X-Wings and Y-Wings rising up out of the trees and zooming away. With new forest and sky elements, the only original part of the shot that's left is the guy-on-a-stick. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A great many shots during the Death Star battle have been re-compositied or replaced entirely. I shall name as many as I can, but I shall undoubtedly miss some. New observations are always welcome. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A new pan shot of the fighter fleet passing the camera replaces two old shots (one from in front, the other behind). WWW: The scene in which the Rebel ships attack the Death Star has been digitally enhanced in many ways. A new CG shot in which X-wings gather in formation before attacking was added, replacing a scene that formerly had to be done in two shots. Many other battle shots were cleaned up with new CG additions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Artoo's "blue" panels are still black when in blue-screen shots. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Locking S-Foils in attack position is a new shot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Right after Gold Leader says "Red Leader this is Gold Leader", the Y-Wings outside his window still disappear for a single frame at the end of the shot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The first dive of the X-Wings toward the Death Star surface has been replaced with CG. This new shot is about one second longer than the one it replaced (33 video frames longer, but that doesn't precisely translate to the number of frames of film). Likewise, the next shot of the Imperial crews manning the turbolasers is now missing the first six frames (film count) of the orignal. That still leaves well over half a second of extra footage that is somehow compensated for in the soundtrack. (I was able to make such a precise comparison due to having the first 3 minutes of the SE Death Star attack on tape. Whenever the SE's come out on video, I'll be able to make more of these anal observations.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Luke's barrel roll prior to his first dive on the Death Star has been redone in CG. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ New CG X-Wings and laserblasts enhance the shot of the turbolaser tower opening fire on the Rebel craft. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ At least one shot of X-Wings evading Imperial fire has been redone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Luke being "cooked" by that fireball has new enhancements. Note how one of the spark elements has been flopped. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Many of the reaction shots of Leia and Threepio are flops. Not a change, just an observation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: Explosion Fixes: Digital recomposites were used to reduce matte lines and restore color. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wedge getting a TIE off Luke's tail is mostly new, and now Wedge actually flies through the exploding TIE, instead of it merely being implied editorially. (I personally suspect the report featured on Ryan Silva's The Star Wars Cutting Room Floor of the original 70mm version actually showing the collision is just someone's memory piecing together what the scene was trying to show you. Unless it was a really bad shot, why would they cut it in favor of editing trickery? On the other hand, that person actually saw the 70mm release, and I didn't.....) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Luke saving Biggs' bacon has likewise been augmented. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ After Red Leader botches his trench run, there's a shot of Luke looking concerned. During this pre-existing cutaway, a new voice now says "He's on your tail" over the radio..a different voice than is heard anywhere else in the sequence. The next shot is indeed Red Leader being pursued by Vader's TIE, as always. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: Darth's Trio: Digital recomposites allowed tighter framing of the ships. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I discovered this as I was preparing pics for my website: the first two frames of the shot where Vader opens fire on Luke are missing the TIE on the left-hand side! I don't know if this flub remains in the SE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The shot of the Falcon just before Han says "you're all clear, kid" is new...the Falcon makes a hard turn. WWW: Millennium Falcon: CG ships travel in new flight paths. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: Luke's Hand: Two recomposites were done to correct matte edges and retain motion blur. JP: I don't get this one. Do they mean insert shots of him firing the torpedoes? Those aren't composite shots. I think this belongs in the Empire section of their list, so I'm listing it in my ESB faq, too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: Exhaust Port: The torpedo animation was improved. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The shot of the surviving ships flying away from the Death Star is all new. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Death Star explosion has another "Praxis Moon" ring, and other enhancements, but still ends with the "Buck Rogers" twinkles. WWW: A new CG shock wave element has been added to the scene in which the Death Star explodes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The shot of the surviving ships heading toward Yavin is new. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The matte painting (some say cardboard cutouts) of the members of the assembly in the far left and right foreground of the Throne Room have been replaced by...gasp!....REAL PEOPLE. WWW: In the brighter color timing, painted troops became obvious. Photographs were substituted in a digital matte recomposite. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The final shot before the credits begin used to freeze for a few frames before (or perhaps during) the iris out. There is now no freeze. (Dunno if the wipe occurs a few frames earlier, though.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Longer Special Edition credits require some of Luke's theme to be repeated. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ James Earl Jones is now credited. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There must be tough decisions to be made when making new credits for an old movie. There are some credits left over from the original release that simply don't apply to this one. Example 1: "re-recorded at Goldwyn Studios". True then, certainly not true now. (Skywalker Sound is credited as well, however.) Example 2: the old "making films sound better" Dolby logo is retained, but later on the new one is also featured, with all the other digital logos. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The PHONE-THX statement is included. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FAQ history: Version 1.0: posted to rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc as: I saw it! SW:SE Report (SPOILERS!) Version 1.1: A couple of minor changes and additions that mostly didn't make it to the newsgroups, but was emailed to a few people, and may have made it to a website or two. Version 2.0: posted to rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc as: REVISED! (and LONG!) (was: I saw it! SW:SE Report (SPOILERS!)....this was after I'd seen the film two more times, and thus had additions and corrections to make. Version 2.1: A couple of minor additions, and the first time I assigned it FAQ status. (I retroactively assigned FAQ version numbers to the previous incarnations, even though they were never labeled as such.) Version 3.0: More added, made to look slightly more like a traditional FAQ (okay, so there's no table of contents), and merges original and revised material into a cohesive whole. I finally ran a damn spellcheck, too, and brought my "English degree arrogance" down a notch as a result. Version 4.0: Incorporated the list of changes posted on the Official Star Wars Web Site. Emailed to a list of 91 (theoretically) interested parties (including the seven webmasters) and posted on Usenet on March 17. Version 4.0: This document, adapted from my more up-to-date HTML version.