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Detailed Changes In Star Wars DVD Release w/Pics

JSDopefish writes "DVD news site dvdanswers.com has written a pretty cool article on the changes in Star Wars: Episode IV. A list of changes is nothing new, but this version has detailed screenshots and comparisons between the 1977 original, the 1997 reissue, and the 2004 DVD version. He plans one for Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi, but they're not out yet."

303 of 449 comments (clear)

  1. Oh well... by aldeng · · Score: 1, Funny

    0-/.'ed in 0 comments... a new recrd?

    1. Re:Oh well... by BitwiseX · · Score: 2, Funny

      wow. I even said to myself "No comments! Maybe I can check it out before it's /.ed!"

      The server has turned to the dark side of the Force..

    2. Re:Oh well... by FirstTimeCaller · · Score: 4, Funny

      What do expect? Everyone reads the articles before posting, right? Ahhh, who am I kidding.

      --
      Wanted: witty unique signature. Must be willing to relocate.
    3. Re:Oh well... by somethinghollow · · Score: 4, Informative
    4. Re:Oh well... by Disposable+Rob · · Score: 5, Informative
      If it's /.'ed, try these instead:

      Episode IV

      Episode V

      Episode VI

  2. We understand by GreenCrackBaby · · Score: 5, Funny
    He plans one for Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi, but they're not out yet.


    I bet his busy sex life is keeping him from having the other two finished for us.

    --

    "The market alone cannot provide sufficient constraints on corporation's penchant to cause harm." -- Joel Bakan
    1. Re:We understand by Doesn't_Comment_Code · · Score: 3, Funny

      He plans one for Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi, but they're not out yet.

      I think he just misunderstood the confusing numbering system since they started with Episode IV.

      --

      Slashdot Syndrome: the sudden, extreme urge to correct someone in order to validate one's self.
    2. Re:We understand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      One trick pony. I'm so bored with Lucas. For one thing, I've never understood Star Wars. It's a fun movie. Once. But it's not any better than about 50% of the movies out there. It must be great to be a guy who only has one storyline in his pocket and you can just keep milking the idiots who will buy THE SAME FUCKING MOVIE every 36 months just because you added an animated monster or changed the lighting in one scene or another.

      Pathetic!

    3. Re:We understand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
      I bet his busy sex life is keeping him from having the other two finished for us.

      Yeah you try balancing two ewoks and a wookie!

    4. Re:We understand by Whalou · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's easy, it all depends on where you the fulcrum underneath the seesaw.

      --
      English is not this .sig mother tongue...
    5. Re:We understand by Talennor · · Score: 1

      Why is it that it's considered an achievement to have a girlfriend/boyfriend? Do you understand that, for some of us, there are better things to do that putting up with another person's crap for the rest of our life and that sex is not that important?

      So you're one of them: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/10/14/asexual .study/index.html

      "Study: One in 100 adults asexual" is one of CNN's headlines today...

      But while I'm on the topic, I wonder what those numbers would have been had they surveyed the /. crowd alone.

      --

      //TODO: signature
    6. Re:We understand by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      You know. Star Wars came out when I was 12 and it was the coolest movie I'd ever seen by a light year. I still have fond memories of that movie and the two that followed, but I justy realized the other night I've watched "Manos: The Hands of Fate" (via MST3K) more times than I've seen "Star Wars". I don't what this says about my mental health but in the grand scheme of things it just hasn't been that big a thing in my life.

      Of course, I AM here on /. talking about it.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    7. Re:We understand by Bull999999 · · Score: 1

      I bet his busy sex life is keeping him from having the other two finished for us.

      It's kind of hard to type with one hand.

      --
      1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d
    8. Re:We understand by shigelojoe · · Score: 1

      You might just be a nerd if after reading the parent comment you actually sketched out a diagram (complete with equations and measurements) of where you would need to put the fulcrum to balance a Wookiee and two Ewoks.

      Hey, I didn't do it myself, I'm just sayin'.

    9. Re:We understand by katarac · · Score: 1
      "Study: One in 100 adults asexual" is one of CNN's headlines today...
      Best quote from the linked article:

      "The Asexual Visibility and Education Network has an online store that sell items promoting awareness and acceptance on asexuality. Among the items is a T-shirt with the slogan, "Asexuality: it's not just for amoebas anymore.""
    10. Re:We understand by PW2 · · Score: 1

      Problem is that Ewoks move around to much -- especially when you don't want them to

  3. Cost Benefit by erick99 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    These changes seem like they would be time consuming and quite expensive. Does the studio recover these costs in new sales of the updated DVD? Or, does Lucas do this partly for the art?

    --
    http://www.busyweather.com/
    1. Re:Cost Benefit by anonymous+cowherd+(m · · Score: 5, Informative

      George Lucas talks about this on the extras DVD. He says it was primarily to make them the movies they were supposed to be. So, I suppose you could say, it's for the art.

      --
      http://neokosmos.blogsome.com
    2. Re:Cost Benefit by CrazyTalk · · Score: 1, Funny

      I think Mr. Lucas does it mostly to piss us off.

    3. Re:Cost Benefit by Reducer2001 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Pray I don't alter it any further.

      --
      When you get to hell -- tell 'em Itchy sent ya!
    4. Re:Cost Benefit by nadamsieee · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's not for the art. George Lucas is all about the money and his ego. I submit two choice quotes from an AP/Yahoo! article mentioned previously on Slashdot:

      Money:

      AP: Why did you change your mind and decide to put the original three movies out on DVD now? Lucas: Just because the market has shifted so dramatically. A lot of people are getting very worried about piracy. That has really eaten dramatically into the sales. It really just came down to, there may not be a market when I wanted to bring it out, which was like, three years from now. So rather than just sit by and watch the whole thing fall apart, better to bring it out early and get it over with.

      Ego:

      AP: Do you pay much attention to fan reactions to your choices? Lucas: Not really. The movies are what the movies are. ... The thing about science-fiction fans and "Star Wars" fans is they're very independent-thinking people. They all think outside the box, but they all have very strong ideas about what should happen, and they think it should be their way. Which is fine, except I'm making the movies, so I should have it my way.

      Episodes IV through VI were great because either somebody else directed them or George wasn't fat headed enough at that time to always get his way. Watch the behind-the-scenes making of the special editions and you will see a whole lot George-ass-kissing-yes-men.

    5. Re:Cost Benefit by fireduck · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't see that these quotes strongly support the idea that its about money and ego. While, yes the money quote does list piracy as a readson to release sooner; to combat that all Lucas would have to do is a quick transfer to DVD and put it out. Rather than do that, he went back and did a lot of work cleaning up the quality (color, scratches, noise, etc.) of the film as well as adding/adjusting various special effects. That wasn't free, and likely was done because he wanted to best quality movie available.

      As for ego, well, sure, it's his movie so he should have his way. If he couldn't so the effects he wanted in the 70s and 80s and can do them now and insert them, how is that just ego, and not an artist finally fulfilling his vision?

      Yes, he may be greedy and very ego driven, but the amount of work that he's put into these movies over the years (even if many fans don't agree with it) indicates his degree of passion.

    6. Re:Cost Benefit by SkyWalk423 · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Do you disagree that these are Lucas' movies and that he has the right to present them however he wants? I'm not exactly defending him, but if he is as money-grubbing as you say he is, wouldn't it have made more economic sense to give the fans exactly what they wanted? And if he had done that, wouldn't you then have to call him a sellout?

      For the record, I would have loved for Lucas to release the original theatrical versions with a few visual cleanups (matte lines around the TIE fighters, for instance). Just playing devil's advocate here, no flames.

    7. Re:Cost Benefit by tverbeek · · Score: 4, Insightful
      "Which is fine, except I'm making the movies, so I should have it my way."

      So it is about the art.

      The whole point of being an artist/creator is to shape something the way you want it to be made. If that's "ego", it's simply the sort of ego that leads one to create stuff in the first place.

      Whether other people also like it, or whether it's commercially successful is entirely separate questions.

      --
      http://alternatives.rzero.com/
    8. Re:Cost Benefit by ComputerSlicer23 · · Score: 3, Informative
      Yes and no. There are a number of changes which aren't neccessary and could have easily been shot in the original films they just weren't.

      The most egregious in my opinion is Greedo shooting first. That could have easily been done in 1977, however, that wasn't the story as presented then. If it really is about the rating of the movie, I wish he'd just say that from the horse's mouth. I'd at least accept that, and then be angry with silly movie ratings board (along with the fact that I know Lucas would know how to schmooze his way past that if he tried).

      The musical number and dance sequence in ROTJ could have easily been added then. No problem. It wasn't, probably for two reasons, one time was probably running out, and two nobody really likes it except for George.

      You have to remember several things. First off, Lucas is famous for changing his tune on Star Wars movies. He's changed how many movies their were supposed to be. I've seen interviews where he claims it's supposed to be 6, and I've seen interviews where it's supposed to be 9. Both of them with Lucas being the one describing the original history. I trust George about as far as I think George can throw himself.

      Second, this is the George Lucas who when DivX was still a viable option, said the original Star Wars trilogy would never ever be released to a standard DVD. It would only be released on the "pay per play" DivX system that was still around in 1995 and 1996 primarily supported by Circuit City. I decided on the day I found that out, I'd never ever pay for a Star Wars movie. I'd never pirate a copy. I'm still looking for a LaserDisc or VHS widescreen copy that I can use to create a new DVD from even if it's a home brew setup that uses a TV Tuner card. George Lucas uses Star Wars fans to make money, there's no other reason to decide to relase it on DivX and only on DivX. That ain't about art. It's my understanding that the movies we're pretty close to being released back then, but DivX collapsed as a collosal failure. Now he's bringing out the movies. The timing I'm not so sure why now. He's dumb as rocks if he things the DVD market is going to dry up.

      I'd really like a widescreen copy of the original movies, as shown in the theatres. It was one of the greatest movies every made, and now it'll be lost to the sands of times. The movies that are out, aren't the movies that made it famous. This is what people lament about copyright. Lucas will probably successfully destroy all the known copies of the original movie. That's like losing the original manuscripts to Shakespear. They are part of the culture of a generation of people. I'd like to see them released if only to preserve them. It's not like we destroyed the original "King Kong" movies just because they look horrible. They are what they are. They should be preserved if only for historical purposes.

      It's one thing to clean up the frames, and make the images look sharper. It's a whole different thing to add and remove scenes. To change scenes that defined charaters. I really don't care about the stuff that involves linking the original trilogy with the new episodes. I suppose if Lucas wants to act like they are all one big original coherent story that's his business. However, they weren't and aren't. For the most part, that stuff is in portions of the movie I really don't care about.

      Kirby

    9. Re:Cost Benefit by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The most egregious [changes] in my opinion is Greedo shooting first.... If it really is about the rating of the movie, I wish he'd just say that from the horse's mouth.

      MPAA ratings may have also been a factor in the shooting of imperials and why some show the impact flash and others don't. The site claims there's inconsistency. I think there is consistency: the impacts are only removed for the characters who weren't wearing body armor.

      So it's as if they were told they can show armor evaporating in a flash of light, but not flesh. So you get left with the implied searing flesh and not the (FX-simulated) sight of it.

      Granted, I haven't watched my box set yet to see if my theory is correct.

      Still, even if it is the MPAA restricting him in theaters, he could have restored it for an unrated DVD "director's cut" release. (Although that release might be kept out of Wal*Mart.)

      --
      Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
    10. Re:Cost Benefit by kLaNk · · Score: 1

      My take on the whole thing is that he HAS already sold-out, to the kids.

      Here is the real deal. I don't have figures but just like everything else I imagine the real money landslide comes from merchandising. A big part of merchandising is getting a ton of little snot-nosed brats begging their parents to buy the latest plastic toy. In order to do that you need to make sure that the movie is constantly around so that the new wave of little snot nosed brats and beg their parents for it. So, he keeps dicking with the old movie just a bit to a) make it more "kid" friendly and b). have a good excuse to release it again.

      To sum it up, he *IS* giving his fans exactly what they want. Unfortunately he defines his "fans" as all the little snot-nosed brats which drive up his bottom dollar.

    11. Re:Cost Benefit by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 1

      Re-doing the effects shouldn't have a dramatic impact on sequences of events, plot, or character development. Re-do the matte lines, remaster the sound, and LEAVE THE REST THE FUCK ALONE!!!!

      --
      You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
    12. Re:Cost Benefit by pacodease · · Score: 1

      many artists and scientists change their work over time. Darwin had multiple editions of Origins, there are dozens of different copys of The Screem and Walt Whitman drastically changed Leaves of Grass.

      Most of the best music evolves over time, especially live.

      However, with movies I wouldn't want to see five different versions of Gigli

    13. Re:Cost Benefit by jackb_guppy · · Score: 1

      I have the original on Laserdisk also 5 & 6.

      I was hoping to get them on DVD. It is shame, that Lucas needs to screw with originals so much.

      So is there any chance for getting an orignal?

    14. Re:Cost Benefit by fireduck · · Score: 1

      This is what people lament about copyright. Lucas will probably successfully destroy all the known copies of the original movie. That's like losing the original manuscripts to Shakespear.

      This is an interesting analogy. There really isn't such a thing as an original manuscript (we only have 3 original pages that Shakespeare wrote, apparently). At best we have various transcriptions from actors or Shakespeare or editors who put things together posthumously. So there is no such thing as an original Shakespeare. Its all just our best guess based on various different versions available. This isn't all too different from the various different versions of Star Wars we seem to be subjected to...

    15. Re:Cost Benefit by tverbeek · · Score: 1
      They would be "Lucas' movies" if he had never released them.

      But they won't be "our movies" until... well, a long long time from now. But if the original spirit of copyright law were still in effect, they'd be "our movies" fairly soon.

      --
      http://alternatives.rzero.com/
    16. Re:Cost Benefit by nutrock69 · · Score: 1

      - wouldn't it have made more economic sense to give the fans exactly what they wanted?

      Economically - it would make even more sense to give the fans what he wants to give them, telling them they're never going to get what they really want. Then after he's milked the fans for this first product, release it again, only this time giving the fans what they want. The fans buy it twice - economically (for him) it's much better than simply giving the fans what they want in the first place.

      It's not a new idea - George has been doing exactly this for most of 20 years. All the griping and complaining that's ever been done over this still hasn't changed the fact that he's made a huge steaming pile of cash doing it.

    17. Re:Cost Benefit by 10Ghz · · Score: 1

      I fail to see how the altered versions are "what the movies were supposed to be". Sure, I can understand altering the SFX (they can do alot more advanced stuff today that they could do back when SW was originally released). But what about changes to the storyline? like Greedo shooting first. If they wanted to, they could have made Greedo shoot first in the theatrical release. But they didn't. There was no REAL reason to change that scene, apart from Lucas's desire to pussify Solo. If they wanted Greedo to shoot first, they could have done so right from the beginning.

      --
      Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
  4. This time... by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


    .. the Mos Eisley cantina bartender shoots first, killing Greedo instantly and rendering Solo a parapalegic. Watch for the CGI wheelchair!

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:This time... by Dirtside · · Score: 5, Funny
      .. the Mos Eisley cantina bartender shoots first, killing Greedo instantly and rendering Solo a parapalegic. Watch for the CGI wheelchair!
      And then he buys a shrimping boat in Alabama, and the local retard (Jar-Jar) hires on and calls him Lieutenant Han.
      --
      "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
    2. Re:This time... by khendron · · Score: 4, Funny

      Meesa mama say life isa like box of chocolates. Meesa no know whata comes next!

      --
      Life is like a web application. Sometime you need cookies just to get by.
    3. Re:This time... by Darilo76 · · Score: 1

      shrimping boat

      It's a trap!

    4. Re:This time... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Enough with the Greedo (or anything) shoots first jokes!

      Greedo shoots his load onto your mom's face. First.

      Begun this gang bang has.

    5. Re:This time... by FuzzyBad-Mofo · · Score: 1

      Or roll across Jabba's tail..

    6. Re:This time... by SamBaughman · · Score: 3, Funny

      Meesa mama say life isa like box of chocolates. Meesa no know whata comes next!

      If I'm lucky, it's the cyanide chocolate...

    7. Re:This time... by lexbaby · · Score: 1

      A box of chocolates like life it is. Difficult to see is the future.

      --
      lexbaby
      "Be Brave, Be Loyal, Be True." -- Hawkeye Pierce
  5. Question... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    What is this "Star Wars" you speak of? This article is so 1st and 2nd world centric. What about us 3rd world countries with no TV and internet access? Before you ask, the answer is "carrier pidgeons."

    1. Re:Question... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wow! How did you know that I was going to ask you about your sex life?

    2. Re:Question... by aldeng · · Score: 1

      While they may work, it only takes a shotgun to break the line and you don't even get a handy {NO CARRIER} message.

    3. Re:Question... by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      If Carrier Pidgeons is the answer for internet connectivity, what does the modem look like?

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    4. Re:Question... by jcostantino · · Score: 1

      A coconut.

      --
      Reviews with a twist! http://www.sardonicbastard.com
    5. Re:Question... by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 1
      "If Carrier Pidgeons is the answer for internet connectivity, what does the modem look like?"

      What kind of geek are you? Haven't you read RFC 1149: IP over Avian Carriers? And what kind of uneducated geeks is slashdot producing these days? Sheesh... </joke>

      (I actually had to model RFC 1149 using petri nets as part of a final examination in a 4th Year Engineering Real Time Systems course.)

    6. Re:Question... by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      Ok, so the mod part of the modem consists of a printer, and the dem part of a scanner, with duct tape and paper in between. With a maximum weight of duct tape and paper of 256 mg, what does that translate to for an MTU in bytes? And how many birds worth of datagrams would it take to transmit the standard slashdot main page?

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    7. Re:Question... by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 1

      European or African pigeons?

  6. I guess... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Force wasn't with him, or his server.

  7. Can't see the link... by jmcmunn · · Score: 5, Informative

    The link in the story seems to be dead for me already...but here is another one that I was reading a few weeks ago, similar content.

    http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews3/starwarscha nges.html

    1. Re:Can't see the link... by FortKnox · · Score: 1

      that one's gone, now, too (at least the pics).

      --
      Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
    2. Re:Can't see the link... by FrostedWheat · · Score: 4, Funny

      I knew Lucas had edited these movies a lot, but putting Frodo Baggins in there is just simply to much! :)

      (Personal mirror.. original site is gone)

  8. w/Pics by Tobias+Luetke · · Score: 4, Funny

    Slashdot posts with title containing "w/Pics" scare the bejesus out of me.

    1. Re:w/Pics by FurryFeet · · Score: 3, Funny

      Are you a web server?

  9. Re:seems like it's slashdoted already... by JUSTONEMORELATTE · · Score: 4, Funny

    In this version, slashdot shoots first.
    Then nobody can see the rest of the movie.

  10. site not found by SQLz · · Score: 4, Funny

    "You've never heard of the DVD news site dvdanswers.com, its the site that got Slashdotted in under 12 parsects."

    1. Re:site not found by zx75 · · Score: 1

      Apologies first.

      Then, #1 its parsecs, no 't'.
      and #2 a parsec is 3.26 lightyears, and thus a measurement of distance. Unless that person's webserver is located in the Orion nebula, I think its a given that its closer than 12 parsecs.

      --
      This is not a sig.
    2. Re:site not found by cephyn · · Score: 1

      unless of course the kessel run is where you have to overtake a moving target, in which case, the ability of the millennium falcon to do so would accurately be measured in distance.

      --
      Moo.
    3. Re:site not found by bobwoodard · · Score: 2, Informative

      Pretty much right, since you have to account for motion out there, nothing's static.

      GL goes over this in the DVD extras and his point was that you couldn't simply go from point A to point B since you'd have to miss all the planets/stars/junk in the middle or run headlong into something at an enormous rate of speed.

      So... his point was that the route between point A and point B might actually be a longer distance than the straightline distance. Han's pride was in having a navigational computer that could come up with a route that only covered 12 parsecs.

    4. Re:site not found by flosofl · · Score: 5, Interesting

      a parsec is 3.26 lightyears, and thus a measurement of distance...

      Over the years I have thought long and hard about the Kessel Run statement in the movie (it always bugged me). The only semi-satisfactory explanation I could come up with was this:

      Since the Millenium Falcon mostly travels in Hyperspace, the only real space it travels in would be too and from jump points and planets. I am making a HUGE assumption that in the SW universe you can't make arbitrary jumps from point A to Z. You could argue that he discovered a highly efficient jump pattern that required only 12 parsecs of travel in real space. Therefore, this is more a testament to his skill as a Navigator than how fast the ship is.

      It would make sense... but, if I remember correctly, the statement is made reagrding how fast the ship is. While the trip would obviously be faster (because its covering less real space), the comment is not about the efficient navigational plotting but the inherent speed of the Falcon.

      Damn! Now its back to bugging me again.

      --
      "This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence" - Vyvyan "The Young Ones"
    5. Re:site not found by robi2106 · · Score: 1

      Hehehe, please tell me you that you don't know the distance in light years to Orion off hand and that you made the calculation based on the post's made up number?

      Cause if you did, that would be... either odd or amazing. I can't tell which.

      jason

    6. Re:site not found by Laivincolmo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I was under the impression that perhaps it was a case of the shorter the route, the more difficult it was. Perhaps taking shortcuts through more dangerous areas would require more skill, but could be done faster and in a lesser distance. Therefore a larger distance traveled would imply a lack of skill for taking an easier route.

    7. Re:site not found by JudgeFurious · · Score: 1

      That makes sense but something deep down inside of me still thinks that George just didn't know what the hell a parsec was when he wrote it and so that's the reason it sounds wrong.

      Everything else is just George trying to cover up his mistakes, both real and percieved.

      --
      Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
    8. Re:site not found by Babbster · · Score: 3, Informative

      Actually, one of the books (supposedly canon) explains that the Kessel Run is a smuggling route which skirts close to "The Maw," a cluster of black holes. The closer one navigates to the black holes the greater the distortion of normal space, and the shorter the route turns out to be. I'm not a astrophysicist, and thus can't judge the story's plausibility, but it sure seemed like an entertaining explanation for what was originally just a mistake. :)

    9. Re:site not found by cjpez · · Score: 1
      I believe that the more-or-less "official" response to this has something to do with how close a spaceship is able to get to a barebones prototype Death Star in the Kessel system or something like that... Like they had just built the bare minimum of a shell and the weapons system, and the weapon systems were all set to automatic or something, so the Kessel Run was measured by how close you can get to this prototype Death Star and still make it back in one piece. I think that may have been in one of the Zahn books or something.

      Of course, that measures both cojones/supidity and the actual merit of your ship, but still.

    10. Re:site not found by zx75 · · Score: 1

      No I don't :) but I do know that its further away than 12 parsecs. I took an astronomy course recently so I do know that it is a hell of a long way away.

      Quick search on google reveals that it is 1600 ly away, or just over 444 parsecs.

      --
      This is not a sig.
    11. Re:site not found by Seekerofknowledge · · Score: 1

      I had always thought about this too, with the same reasoning. A short route would imply having to go through asteroid fields or tight ravines, etc. (Isn't the Kessel Run on a desert-like planet, anways? Seem to remember it being a star wars game.) Still it makes me laugh when I read it from other people.

      It's like some mass-delusion. I wish Lucas had just done his homework in the first place and saved us all of this schizophrenia of lying to ourselves into believing that Han's statement made sense.

      BTW - This isn't a troll. I'm just reflecting on the state of star wars fandom.

    12. Re:site not found by glorf · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well if you also make an assumption that hyperspace involves bending space then the falcon's ability to bend space to the point where a 12 parsec jump route is available would be impressive compared to other ships that can't bend space as efficiently.

    13. Re:site not found by AJWM · · Score: 1

      It's just a piece of bafflegab that Solo throws out to see how clueless his passengers are. Observe that Kenobi rolls his eyes at the idiocy of this claim.

      --
      -- Alastair
    14. Re:site not found by Matimus · · Score: 1
      I have heard people argue about this a lot and I have never heard anybody bring up the fact that at relativistic speeds space itself dialates. You could calculate how fast the ship was moving if you knew how far the Kessel Run was from the viewpoint of an Observer who was not in motion with respect to the Kessel Run. This is assuming that 12 parsecs is the length of the Kessel run from the viewpoint of an observer moving with the Millenium Falcon.

      If you bring relativity into it though you have to bring it all the way in, and that causes all sorts of problems. Even if Han was traveling close to the speed of light it would have taken him almost 40 years from his own point of view to make the run. Observers who are not moving relative to the Kessel Run would probably see a much greater amount of time pass. With all of the space travel that is done in this movie its not even worth discussing... Nothing works out.

      --
      GENERATION 25: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social exper
    15. Re:site not found by nburtner · · Score: 1

      Actually, this was explained in one of the Star Wars books (the second Young Han Solo trilogy). The Kessel Run through an area of space that has a huge amount of black holes. Basically, what the pilots would do was they'd see how close to the black holes they could get and, by doing so, they would cut more and more distance from their trip. I don't know if that's actually doable by physics, but I just know that's how the book explained it. Really good book, too.

    16. Re:site not found by rmdir+-r+* · · Score: 1
      Yes. This is sort of embarrassing, but the official in-universe explanation is that Kessel is surrounded by a colony of black holes. You can go all the way around, close to the edge, or straight through- and straight through is 12 parsecs. You can't just go through via hyperspace because black holes are bad news there as well...

      Damn. My girlfriend just slapped me and walked off. Is that a bad sign?

    17. Re:site not found by cephyn · · Score: 1

      Revisionist history is always more correct. ;)

      --
      Moo.
    18. Re:site not found by b-baggins · · Score: 1

      What amuses me is people seriously trying to argue the physics of a movie with light sabers, the force, little green puppets that can lift space ships out of a swamp with their minds, little fuzzy creatures with spears defeating armored tanks and space craft, and an entire space station the size of a moon being destroyed by two little torpedoes fired perfectly down a 1000 mile shaft without ever touching the sides.

      Folks, it's space opera. Han says 12 parsecs because it sounded cool when the wrote the dialog. Just like Robin says Holy disappearing UN Ambassadors, Batman!

      --
      You can tell a great deal about the character of a man by observing those who hate him.
    19. Re:site not found by osguru · · Score: 1

      George Lucas explains on the EPIV DVD commentary that the reason the falcon is so fast is because of its navigational computer.

      While it makes sense, I am sure there is plenty of room for continuity errors.

    20. Re:site not found by menace3society · · Score: 1

      I'm sure someone's already said this, but in the book version, Lucas changed Han's line to "12 standard timeparts." Obviously, this early correction *with respect to facts* isn't as important as who shoots first. It really makes me want to cry.

  11. I told my 7 yr old about this.... by MrsPReDiToR · · Score: 1

    and he said, " Mummy will the pictures look as old as you cos Star Wars is REALLY old?" Geeeez kiddo thanks I'm not even 30 yet. Maybe his time perception is as warped as Lucas will need to be to fit everything thats missing into Episode 3!

    --
    It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.
    1. Re:I told my 7 yr old about this.... by MrsPReDiToR · · Score: 1

      21 is too early? Moron! Im actually 29 still under 30

      --
      It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.
    2. Re:I told my 7 yr old about this.... by dlb · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure what the ACs point is, and nobody should be made to regret having children, but I am certainly glad I didn't spend my 20s chasing after a kid(s).

    3. Re:I told my 7 yr old about this.... by CaptainPinko · · Score: 1

      As a point for comparison in my family 30 is considered to be an ideal age. THat way you can have fun when you are young and still live long enough to see your grandkids. Dad was 30, mom was 28. I'm 21 and would never have kids anytime soon. Not critising, just sharing.

      --
      Your CPU is not doing anything else, at least do something.
  12. I don't think... by Locdonan · · Score: 1

    that Harry Potter fans are this obsessed. Is that a muggle in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

    --
    If I wrote something witty, you would say I stole it from somewhere.
  13. He forgot this change... by xTK-421x · · Score: 4, Funny
    --
    "TK-421, why aren't you at your post?"
  14. Further changes. by Dirtside · · Score: 4, Funny

    In the new version, Alderaan shoots first.

    --
    "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
    1. Re:Further changes. by eingram · · Score: 1

      On shooting first, I made an animated GIF of the sequence so people can see it instead of pictures:

      Small (~600k)
      Medium (~2mb)

      Be gentle. :(

    2. Re:Further changes. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Apparently Han fires twice.

  15. Top three changes by Anixamander · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. Greedo now strangles a baby, sodomizes an Ewok, and then shoots at Han. First.

    2. Several black stormtroopers added for racial balance.

    3. Millineum Falcon is now totally riced

    I'm sure there are others...

    --
    Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball(TM)
    1. Re:Top three changes by infinite9 · · Score: 4, Funny

      3. Millineum Falcon is now totally riced

      Admiral, did you remove the Type-R stickers from the Millenium Falcon?

      --
      Disconnect your television. Do your own research. Draw your own conclusions. They're probably lying. Don't be a sheep.
    2. Re:Top three changes by Rudeboy777 · · Score: 4, Funny

      2. Several black stormtroopers added for racial balance.

      Additionally, when the stormtroopers open the door to the control room where C-3PO and R2-D2 should be and find it empty, one is heard to exclaim "We ain't found shit"

      --

      From hell's heart I fstab at /dev/hdc

    3. Re:Top three changes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I heard that they all speak jive, then Barbara Billingsley shows up and translates for all the white 'troopers.

    4. Re:Top three changes by aliens · · Score: 1

      And Leia now asks Luke, "Aren't you alittle veritcally challenged for a storm trooper?"

      --
      -- taking over the world, we are.
    5. Re:Top three changes by identity0 · · Score: 1

      4. MS-C3PO and iR2D2 look like they were designed by and for 3-year olds.

      I hear there are some "right-wing" changes in the new series, too...

      5. The Death Star is now referred to as the "Weapons of Mass Destruction".

      6. The "Force" is now called "Personal faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour"

      7. Mark Hamil digitally replaced with George W. Bush.

      8. Luke *does not* go AWOL by going to Dagobah. Never happened. Any references to such are lies spread by Lib- er, Imperial spies.

      9. Imperials not only have a gay British accent, they now also destroy Alderaan because they wouldn't recognize gay marriages.

      10. The Emperor replaced by Saddam Hussein; Darth Vader is now Bill Clinton, and wants to "Feel your pain" with force abilities.

    6. Re:Top three changes by nyekulturniy · · Score: 1

      Gredo warns Han, "Be careful! I'm a graduate of the Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship School!"

      --
      Nyekulturniy... Proudly confusing readers and editors since 1981!
    7. Re:Top three changes by craw · · Score: 1

      A better, more up-to-date version would be for Leia to ask Luke, "Aren't you a little, ahem, um, short for a storm trooper?"

      While gazing at his crotch.

    8. Re:Top three changes by craw · · Score: 1

      Quentin Tarantino signs on to help make changes to the original.

      Obi Wan's last words, "That really was a Hattori Hanzo sword."

    9. Re:Top three changes by G-funk · · Score: 1

      2. Several black stormtroopers added for racial balance.

      Except we know that they're already all Maoris.

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
  16. I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Sorry for a long rant... It will probably be modded down in no time, just because it is not a trendy thing to say here, but what the hell: I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release -- for an entire week.

    Why? What's to boycott? Isn't "Star Wars" good old fashioned sci-fi? Harmless fun? Some people call it "eye candy" -- a chance to drop back into childhood and punt your adult cares away for two hours, dwelling in a lavish universe where good and evil are vividly drawn, without all the inconvenient counterpoint distinctions that clutter daily life.

    Got a problem? Cleave it with a light saber! Wouldn't you love -- just once in your life -- to dive a fast little ship into your worst enemy's stronghold and set off a chain reaction, blowing up the whole megillah from within its rotten core while you streak away to safety at the speed of light? (It's such a nifty notion that it happens in three out of four "Star Wars" flicks.)

    One of the problems with so-called light entertainment today is that somehow, amid all the gaudy special effects, people tend to lose track of simple things, like story and meaning. They stop noticing the moral lessons the director is trying to push. Yet these things matter.

    By now it's grown clear that George Lucas has an agenda, one that he takes very seriously. After four "Star Wars" films, alarm bells should have gone off, even among those who don't look for morals in movies. When the chief feature distinguishing "good" from "evil" is how pretty the characters are, it's a clue that maybe the whole saga deserves a second look.

    Just what bill of goods are we being sold, between the frames?

    - Elites have an inherent right to arbitrary rule; common citizens needn't be consulted. They may only choose which elite to follow.
    - "Good" elites should act on their subjective whims, without evidence, argument or accountability.
    - Any amount of sin can be forgiven if you are important enough.
    - True leaders are born. It's genetic. The right to rule is inherited.
    - Justified human emotions can turn a good person evil.

    That is just the beginning of a long list of "moral" lessons relentlessly pushed by "Star Wars." Lessons that starkly differentiate this saga from others that seem superficially similar, like "Star Trek." (We'll take a much closer look at some stark divergences between these two sci-fi universes below.)

    Above all, I never cared for the whole Nietzschian Übermensch thing: the notion -- pervading a great many myths and legends -- that a good yarn has to be about demigods who are bigger, badder and better than normal folk by several orders of magnitude. It's an ancient storytelling tradition based on abiding contempt for the masses -- one that I find odious in the works of A.E. Van Vogt, E.E. Smith, L. Ron Hubbard and wherever you witness slanlike super-beings deciding the fate of billions without ever pausing to consider their wishes.

    Wow, you say. If I feel that strongly about this, why just a week-long boycott? Why see the latest "Star Wars" film at all?

    Because I am forced to admit that demigod tales resonate deeply in the human heart.

    In "The Hero With a Thousand Faces," Joseph Campbell showed how a particular, rhythmic storytelling technique was used in almost every ancient and pre-modern culture, depicting protagonists and antagonists with certain consistent motives and character traits, a pattern that transcended boundaries of language and culture. In these classic tales, the hero begins reluctant, yet signs and portents foretell his pre-ordained greatness. He receives dire warnings and sage wisdom from a mentor, acquires quirky-but-faithful companions, faces a series of steepening crises, explores the pit of his own fears and emerges triumphant to bring some boon/talisman/victory home to his admiring tribe/people/nation.

    By offering valuable insights into this revered storytelling tradition, Joseph Campbell did indeed shed light on common spiritual traits that seem shared by all human bein

    1. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Wow, what an enourmous load of horseshit.

    2. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Ruprecht+the+Monkeyb · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You know, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

    3. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I was with this up until this point:

      But then, in "Return of the Jedi," Lucas takes this basic wisdom and perverts it, saying -- "If you get angry -- even at injustice and murder -- it will automatically and immediately transform you into an unalloyedly evil person! All of your opinions and political beliefs will suddenly and magically reverse. Every loyalty will be forsaken and your friends won't be able to draw you back. You will instantly join your sworn enemy as his close pal or apprentice. All because you let yourself get angry at his crimes."

      Not WILL- MIGHT. Examples abound- The Bolshevik revolution is my favorite expample. Human rebels have a tendency to imitate the worst in what they are fighting against- WWII is another example. A primary feature of facism was the joining together of governmental and corporate power to oppress the citizenry- and here in the United States we created the Military-Industrial Complex to fight the Nazis, which eventually grew up to oppress the citizenry.

      In other words, getting angry at Adolf Hitler will cause you to rush right out and join the Nazi Party? Excuse me, George. Could you come up with a single example of that happening? Ever?

      Not quite right- more that getting angry at Adolf Hitler will cause you to rush out, create a military industrial complex, and then eventually create the House Unamerican Activities Comittee to silence the voices that are complaining by labeling them "communists". It happened. Right here in the United States. George W. Bush himself is the inheritor of Adolf Hitler's fascism- through a lot of twists and turns.

      I agree with everything else you had to say- but like your book The Postman you irk me with the stuff you did not know. (The Postman irked me because I was going to school in Klamath Falls at the time- and I knew you got the order of towns on Hwy 58 completely fouled up). Oakridge is EAST of Springfield, damnit).

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    4. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Technician · · Score: 1

      When the chief feature distinguishing "good" from "evil" is how pretty the characters are, it's a clue that maybe the whole saga deserves a second look.

      If you want the story, it's a very old one. Look to the old westerns for the story. Starwars is just a cowboy western in a new setting.

      The story line. The bad guy and his gang of outlaws is taking sweet sue's ranch. She becomes captured. Only the hero and nobody else can rescue her. Sometimes the hero has a dumb sidekick. There is a bar fight in the saloon. There is a big shootout. The good guys win. Did I miss anything?

      Now watch the film again and fill in the names of the players in the roles.

      Saw it plain and simple witht the first one released. Don't read too much into it. It's a Cowboy western. John Wayne has been replaced.

      --
      The truth shall set you free!
    5. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Note to readers: MIGHT is important here. If we know the danger of the dark side- like David Brin pointed out- then our future isn't set in stone. We don't have to choose either branch of the flawed family- we can strike out on our own and build something new.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    6. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by moorcito · · Score: 4, Insightful

      But then, in "Return of the Jedi," Lucas takes this basic wisdom and perverts it, saying -- "If you get angry -- even at injustice and murder -- it will automatically and immediately transform you into an unalloyedly evil person! All of your opinions and political beliefs will suddenly and magically reverse. Every loyalty will be forsaken and your friends won't be able to draw you back. You will instantly join your sworn enemy as his close pal or apprentice. All because you let yourself get angry at his crimes."

      Sounds about right except for the fact that you used the word angry when you should have used hate. I belive it was hate that Yoda warned against, and Luke was trying to not let his hatred get the best of him. There is a big difference between anger and hate, for instance I may get angry at my children because of something they did wrong, but that doesn't mean that I hate them.

    7. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Lysol · · Score: 1

      Why see the latest "Star Wars" film at all?

      Because I am forced to admit that demigod tales resonate deeply in the human heart.


      Yah, here we go, there's the answer covered up in a layer of crap.

      The plain and simple:

      Lucas is a dork. His views and opinions resonate about as much as a rock being dropped into thick mud. People who are so worried about changing the past are just that cuz their trapped in it. Lucas' latest episodes and views like "I better release it now before piracy swallows it up and then I'll never have a chance to add more to my mound of cash" are so idiotic and myopic that it boggles the mind.

      Look, special effects are good. But when those overtake the story, then they're a waste. You can clearly watch the first three vs. the last two (talking about when they were made and not episode numbers) and actually see the difference. The story, the acting, the script - huge differences. And it's not just Lucas, it's a lot of 'artists' that get too fat later in the game and still wanna raise their hands saying to people "look, I still matter, I'm still cool and prophetic, love me". Bullshit.

      Mr. Brin delves a little too deep into something that doesn't need any or much explaining. And by doing so, jumps headfirst into the Lucas camp of "look at how deep all this is, look at the quintessential battle between good and evil, the timeless struggle in us all..". By doing this, both put too much onus on something that was better left alone and un-interpreted.

    8. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by JavaLord · · Score: 1

      I think it's time to choose, people. This saga is not just another expression of the Homeric archetype, extolling old hierarchies of princes, wizards and demigods. By making its centerpiece the romanticization of a mass murderer, "Star Wars" has sunk far lower. It is unworthy of our attention, our enthusiasm -- or our civilization.

      Homoeric? You mean Chewie was gay? No way man, the gunbelt was just a fashion statement. ;)

      as Darth Vader murders billions with the press of a button -- but none of those casualties matters next to the personal saga of a great one. The slaughtered victims are mere minions. Extras, without families or hopes to worry about shattering. Spear-carriers. Only the demigod's personal drama is important....(4 more pages of crap skipped)

      I read this whole thing, can I have those 10 minutes of my life back? Thx.

    9. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by MuMart · · Score: 1

      Masters thesis is it?

    10. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by hackstraw · · Score: 1

      You know, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

      Ah, but this is not a pipe!

    11. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by ElectricPoppy · · Score: 1

      I read this whole thing, can I have those 10 minutes of my life back? Thx. LOL. I stopped 1/4 of the way through. I think you deserve not to have those 10 minutes back because you actually chose to read it all. Next time, you'll know better!

    12. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Gulthek · · Score: 1

      Unless your name is David Brin, give credit where due.

      Here is one of his latest starwars articles.

    13. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 1

      Not WILL- MIGHT

      Yes, that's exactly the AC's point. But the whole story of Star Wars is that Annykin's righteous anger turns him into an evil monster (and later, that Luke risks the same fate). That's what Yoda says.

      Note that this AC isn't doing anything original. His main points are all from a 5-year old article, which spawned some net-nerd flamewars in its day.

    14. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      Which is why I directed my comments not to the AC, but hypothetically towards David Brin (not that I can actually get to the Salon.com article to read the original- I hate websense). But it's an important point- so I created a more generalized journal entry out of it.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    15. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by jcoleman · · Score: 1

      Let me guess...David Brin will be voting for Ralph Nader. Has anyone else noticed that these grapes are sour?

    16. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by NightRain · · Score: 1

      Sounds about right except for the fact that you used the word angry when you should have used hate

      But don't you know? Fear leads to Anger. Anger leads to Hate. Hate leads to suffering. :)

      Ray

    17. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Bloomy · · Score: 1

      Can a Slashdot editor modify a comment? Like adding a "-- David Brin" at the end of a comment, with a link to the same article you link to?

    18. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by kettch · · Score: 1

      I agree:

      Sure you can pick apart the premise all you want, in the context of reality. BUT (1)This is a movie, and (2) The force is involved.

      In star wars, there is nothing wrong with being angry, however there is a danger for someone who is sensitive to the force. The dark side is accessed through strong negative emotions such as anger and hate. Because such emotions are easier to come by than calm detachement there is a danger that someone could become addicted to and corrupted by, not the emotions, but by the power that comes from being able to wield the dark side.

      "Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely" - Lord Acton

      Above all, remember that this is a movie. George Lucas has never said that there were any deep philosophical concepts in it. It is a Good-vs-Evil-lasers-blasting-stuff-blowing-up-good -guy-tries-to-get-the-girl-but-realizes-she-is-his -sister-so-the-backup-good-guy-gets-the-girl movie.

      If people want more philosophy than action than go to the library and start in the section labeled 100 (dewey)

      --
      Opportunities multiply as they are seized. --Sun-Tzu
    19. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Grax · · Score: 1

      "If you get angry -- even at injustice and murder -- it will automatically and immediately transform you into an unalloyedly evil person!"

      I have watched these scenes and thought about them some. It is possible the author never intended the depth I attribute to them but here goes.

      The Emperor is lying. He wants Luke to join the dark side and a big part of that is convincing Luke that he has already gone over. If Luke believes he has already joined the dark side he will stop resisting and embrace it.

      So, while hate and fear may make someone more susceptible to the dark side, it does not take away their power of choice. Anakin does not learn this until the very end when he sees Luke defeat the dark side in the battle of wills.

      (and yes, that is very long. you should write a book)

    20. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by cafelatte · · Score: 2, Informative

      This guy just pasted this from here.

    21. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Bovineck · · Score: 1

      Wasn't George Lucas a good friend of Joseph Campbell? My recollection is they spent time together at George's ranch when George was crafting the Star Wars universe and that Joseph's vast repertoire of mythology formed the basis of the pervading creed of absolute good and evil which underscores the films. Current world events would seem to indicate that absolutes still rule many governments' foreign policy stances - no room for compromise and diplomacy when the "others" are just plain evil.

    22. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by entrigant · · Score: 1

      Well ya, he gave the link at the end of the post! So he kinda told us that himself. It's not as if he was trying to hide it or pretend he wrote it himself.

    23. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by G-funk · · Score: 2, Funny

      And the pacific highways leads to Sydney, Canberra and eventually to Melbourne (ech), but I manage to stop at Coffs Harbour.

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
    24. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Grail · · Score: 1

      Boycotted for a whole week?

      I admire your* staying power.

      I know I've only ever managed to boycott Diablo II for days at a time - and then only because my computer desperately needs a reinstall.

      As for the rest of the trash? Don't confuse fear with anger. Don't confuse anger with hate. Don't confuse hate with evil. Evil is what evil does - fear, anger, hate are the triumvirate motivators - the supporting elements that provide the incentive and drive for doing evil.

      Don't worry too much though - humanity is built upon conflict. We can't survive without it. Humans will always find something to complain about, or fight about. Some will always crave power, and take advantage of those who crave security. It's a never ending story - a wheel or cycle that goes around and around. There's no escaping it, any attempt to do so just makes the wheel spin faster or slower.

      Remember the wheel.

      * I address David Brin directly, not the AC who cut-and-pasted his work.

    25. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by Rakarra · · Score: 2, Interesting
      But then, in "Return of the Jedi," Lucas takes this basic wisdom and perverts it, saying -- "If you get angry -- even at injustice and murder -- it will automatically and immediately transform you into an unalloyedly evil person! All of your opinions and political beliefs will suddenly and magically reverse. Every loyalty will be forsaken and your friends won't be able to draw you back. You will instantly join your sworn enemy as his close pal or apprentice. All because you let yourself get angry at his crimes."

      I disagree with David's interpretation here fairly strongly. It's been some time since I've last seen the movies, but my recollection was not that anger and hatred simply switched you over to the dark side, but that acting through it hurt you as well as the ones that you strike down. The emperor was pleased that he could feel hatred inside Luke, but did that instantly make Luke evil? No.. the emperor was constantly urging him to follow that hatred, to be spurned to violence because of it. Essentially to let that fear and hatred become dominant in him. That might not instantly turn him into the next Vader, as Anakin's off-screen killing spree didn't suddenly switch all his allegiances either.. but the idea is that such actions from those motivations damage the spirit, making it the next time even easier. A slippery slope arguement.

      There are a number of ideas that David scoffs at that are fundamentally Christian too.. the idea that a good action for the wrong reasons is still damaging, the idea that even the worst of people can find complete redemption if he truly wishes to change, to come to the light. These are hardly "evil" ideas, and David goes a little overboard in his desire to paint Lucas as a villain for the ideas of Star Wars.

    26. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by suckmysav · · Score: 1

      "Isn't "Star Wars" good old fashioned sci-fi?"

      No. No it's not. In fact Star Wars was the first movie to introduce the new style of sci-fi, where laser blasts and whooshing space ships are all the rage.

      Old fashioned sci-fi is more intellectual, story driven fare. Modern sci-fi relies heavily on in-your-face excitement, spectacular special effects and vapid storylines that are becoming increasingly hard to spot.

      The 1977 Star Wars has a decent enough story, but it is essentially a fairly simple hero vs villian with damsel in distress tacked on for good measure type story, hardly groundbreaking stuff. Since then, sci-fi has been getting progressively less story based. We can all see the culmination of that process with the totally banal rubbish that Lucas has served up with the latest Star Wars movies, Episodes I-III

      Great special effects, shame about the crap story.

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    27. Re:I boycotted Star Wars DVD Release by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      Yes, that's exactly the AC's point. But the whole story of Star Wars is that Annykin's righteous anger turns him into an evil monster (and later, that Luke risks the same fate). That's what Yoda says.

      And I thought it was the wholesale slaughter of essentially defenseless people (whether they were evil murderers of his mother or not). And for Return of the Jedi, it was that they were trying to get Luke to kill his own father.

      It wasn't that the emotions were bad, but it was that the emotions led to other emotions and actions that were. The hate didn't turn him, the hate turned to pain, the pain to suffering.

  17. I don't know how... by Zaranne · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He managed to get screenshots of the 1977 release, since the one that ended up on video all those years ago wasn't the same as what I saw 50 times in the theatre. I know C3P0 had a tendency to babble, but he did have some great lines that got nixed. Unlike AOTC.

    Unless of course, this was something recorded on Beta off of OnTV...go figure...oh, or Laserdisc.

    --
    So when is the Hawkeye movie coming out?
    1. Re:I don't know how... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's like saying:

      I have no idea how the addition of two numbers could equal 5.

      Unless of course, they were 4 and 1.
      Or, if they were 3 and 2.
      Or 5 and 0.

      There are Beta copies floating around, and there are many LD copies floating around. LD would be pretty easy to get screen shots from.

    2. Re:I don't know how... by Zaranne · · Score: 1

      But that is STILL assuming that they are the same as the release in the theatre. Which I'm not thoroughly convinced of.

      --
      So when is the Hawkeye movie coming out?
    3. Re:I don't know how... by BayBlade · · Score: 1
      It may be that visually for every scene that's true, but I read somewhere a year or two back that they changed minor verbage for EVERY release, and rerelease to theaters back in the 80s, as well as videocasette (I had it on Beta back in the day) and later LD.

      Essentailly what the editors would do was release different takes at a few different points in the film, for shits and giggles as the way Lucas does shoots his actors, things get rephrased and paraphrased for almost every take. (Yet somehow it still always sounds kinda wooden.)

      Its not the kind of thing you notice (like Greedo shooting first,) unless you have every line from another release committed to memory.

      --

      The key difference between a Programmer and a Senior Programmer is that one of them is Mexican.

    4. Re:I don't know how... by hyperizer · · Score: 1

      See the famous Star Wars Compendium of Lost Footage (the "Re-editing Star Wars" section) for details. Of course wanting to own the original mono sound mix is pretty hardcore ;-)

  18. Oops... by Last_Available_Usern · · Score: 4, Funny

    He found a few more things he missed...after he finishes updating the page, he's going to make another page detailing the differences between the first page he released and the second.

  19. My greatest fear by lunatik42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Honestly, I think that somewhere in George Lucas' fragmented mind, motivation is building to remake Episodes IV-VI. Notwithstanding that this is the worst thing that could happen to the series, I think we could expect some "great" innovations, like Jerry Springer making a cameo to help out with the Skywalker family issues.

    1. Re:My greatest fear by infinite9 · · Score: 1

      Jerry Springer making a cameo to help out with the Skywalker family issues.

      Oh God, please Padme, go for the beads.

      --
      Disconnect your television. Do your own research. Draw your own conclusions. They're probably lying. Don't be a sheep.
  20. Altered Color? by Gates82 · · Score: 1

    It appears that the coloring changes that are pointed out between the special edition and the DVD edition of Star Wars have more to do with the two types of media then having been color corrected.

  21. Palpatine's Voice, Lines in 'Empire' by goldspider · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They changed the voice of the Emperor (when communicating with Vader) to be consistent with the actor who played him in ROTJ. They also changed the lines so that the less-observant could understand the story more easily. It was a bit disappointing.

    --
    "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
    1. Re:Palpatine's Voice, Lines in 'Empire' by Random+BedHead+Ed · · Score: 5, Funny

      Transript. It is indeed revealing for people who might not have been paying attention:

      Vader: What is thy bidding, my master?

      Palpatine:There is a great disturbance in the Force. We have a new enemy: Luke Skywalker.

      V: Of course. As you know, he is my son, and I am now in disguise after that incident on the lava planet.

      P: Yes, of course. And as I'm sure you remember, my friend, I became Emperor after using a clone army to initiate a faux civil war built on beurocratic pretences, which allowed me to rise in power without the Jedi becoming aware. I'm sure you remember Darth Tyranus, whom you destroyed.

      V: I remember, my master. And while we're on this subject, it was that series of events that allowed me to also crush the Jedi, which I was bound to do after the death of my mother.

      P: Enough of the recap. Back to young Skywalker. If he could be turned, he could be a great asset ...

      And it goes on. Lucas's writing is definitely going downhill as he revises these films.

    2. Re:Palpatine's Voice, Lines in 'Empire' by DA-MAN · · Score: 1

      They changed the voice of the Emperor (when communicating with Vader) to be consistent with the actor who played him in ROTJ. They also changed the lines so that the less-observant could understand the story more easily. It was a bit disappointing.

      Actually the guy who played the emperor in the original series is the same guy who plays Sen. Palpatine (R).

      --
      Can I get an eye poke?
      Dog House Forum
    3. Re:Palpatine's Voice, Lines in 'Empire' by el-spectre · · Score: 1

      Only in Jedi. In empire, it was an optical composite of an old woman and a chimp.

      --
      "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
  22. To be honest by Timesprout · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I thought I was a star wars fan till I found slashdot, now I realise I just thought they were entertaining movies. Its been so long since I have see the originals I doubt I would actually notice the changes or even be aware of them if I had not been forewarned.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
    1. Re:To be honest by GNUguy · · Score: 1

      The only changes I really noticed were the obviouse CGI additions. Other than that, the DVD release is good, and since I haven't seen the movies in about 15 years, it was very enjoyable.

      -G

      --
      A man, a plan, a canal, panama
    2. Re:To be honest by Morrigu · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I realized this myself 8 years ago.

      Second year at college, first day back, and I was setting up my room in the honors dorm. I got a tiny little single-bed room, but it was all mine. Threw up an Star Wars Episode IV and an Indiana Jones poster on the wall, sat down, hooked up my PC, and was happily downloading crap off the 'Net or wasting time on IRC or something.

      Two new freshmen guys come down the hall, chattering back and forth, all excited. They set up shop four doors down on the right, and then one of them sticks their head in my room: "Hey! You're a Star Wars fan too?!"

      I grunt or nod or something, a little taken aback by his excitement. At that point I had nearly forgotten the Star Wars poster hanging on my wall. His roomie comes by at that point and sticks his head in too, all smiling and happy.

      "Who's your favorite character from the movies?" the first one asks. I think for a second, not quite sure since it had been a little bit since I sat down and watched all of 'em on VHS (maybe the previous Christmas or something), and come up with "Han Solo, I think."

      The first one looks kind of disappointed - what a pedestrian choice! - but the other guy chimes in, "Oh, I like Greedo. And Muftak!" Greedo I recognized, but Muftak? Who the hell is Muftak? He kept grinning at me like some sort of deranged hyena, waiting for a response.

      Realizing that I was talking to people who had spent more time involved with the movies than I spent on, say, my senior-year Computer Science class in high school, I nodded, said something polite, and smiled. They moved on, and I knew deep down that I wouldn't be winning the award for Biggest Star Wars Fan in Thomas Hall that year, despite the cardboard stand-up Yoda I still hadn't unpacked.

      --
      "We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area." - Major Mike Shearer, UK
    3. Re:To be honest by valintin · · Score: 1

      Welcome, welcome to the dorkside.

    4. Re:To be honest by reachinmark · · Score: 1
      Still, knowing who the hell Muftak is can't be as utterly pointless as having written the official star wars bio of Muftak:

      For years, Muftak had no knowledge of his heritage. Muftak's cocoon was accidentally loaded onto an Imperial freighter and deposited on Tatooine. He knew he was different and he never encountered a fellow Talz in his years growing up on the desert world.

      Muftak grew up in the streets of Mos Eisley, becoming a friend to the regulars at Chalmun's cantina. His hulking size and incredible strength kept him alive in the often-violent port city, and his friendly disposition earned him many allies.

      Muftak lived in the abandoned tunnels beneath Docking Bay 83 with fellow street urchin Kabe. Kabe became a ward of sorts to Muftak, as he felt compelled to watch over the little Chadra-Fan girl. Kabe also provided them with income, as her talents with thievery provided much-needed credits.

      Muftak helped Kabe in her bold plan to rob Jabba the Hutt's Mos Eisley townhouse. That in turn led to doing a bit of espionage work for the Rebel Alliance, before Muftak and Kabe took off for Alzoc III to explore his past.

      The two ventured to different worlds and experienced a number of adventures. Muftak, who was often regarded as simple on Tatooine, developed eloquence enough to tell his story in an autobiographical novel entitled Sands in the Winter.

      Now THAT is depraved.

      (Taken from http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/muftak/ ?id=eu)

  23. It worked! by orangeguru · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The '77 Star Wars just did it for me. I can't stand artist who can't let go of their work ... imagine Picasso rushing into the museeum to add little bits here and there just because ...

    Make new a better movies Mr. Lucas! You have the money and technology now.

    1. Re:It worked! by vondo · · Score: 1


      Yeah, because money and technology are what it takes to make a great movie, right?

      That's why Episode I and II are *so* much better than the original trilogy
      </sarcasm>

      Lucas seems to believe this, which is why I shudder when I hear him speculate about the day when a CGI character can fill in for a completely non-existant actor.

    2. Re:It worked! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      imagine Picasso rushing into the museeum to add little bits here and there just because ...

      Its not unheard of. Some artists are notorious for trying to do this.

    3. Re:It worked! by orangeguru · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well, Lucas main argument for all the changes was that he didn't have the money and technology to make 'proper' movies.

      He seems to suffer from the same strange syndrome like many movie makers: the more money they get, their flicks get worse. Look at John Carpenter, his first low budget movies were great - and like Lucas he got fame and money ... and he only produced bad stuff in his later years.

      Lucas is a great producer, ok director and a lousy scriptwriter (especially his dialogues suck). But he is also a control fetishist ... in some strange way all his new movies suffer from too much 'Lucas' ...

    4. Re:It worked! by aztektum · · Score: 1

      I'm trying to imagine Picasso doing that, but I'm having a hard time not imagining him having to pick up bits of himself here and there as he tries to find one of his paintings

      --
      :: aztek ::
      No sig for you!!
    5. Re:It worked! by soulsteal · · Score: 1

      Picasso fixing his paintings now? Impressive.

      I, for one, welcome our zombie-painter overlord!

    6. Re:It worked! by johnnye · · Score: 1

      While I generally agree with you, if you watch the documentary (disc 4) it tells how Star Wars was rushed out of production before Lucas felt it was complete. Now if someone had taken one of Picassos paintings while bush in hand, would you blame him for wanting to go back and finish the painting years later?

    7. Re:It worked! by oops · · Score: 1

      Why not ? Turner did it

    8. Re:It worked! by mrjive · · Score: 1

      I can think of at least one director/producer who has bucked this trend: Sam Raimi

      The Evil Dead series is classic, and totally low-budget. Recently, he did the two Spider-man movies, and they also turned out great, even though they were big budget blockbuster style movies.

      --
      If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten. -George Carlin
    9. Re:It worked! by arose · · Score: 1

      Don't give the Star Wars nerds any bad ideas. ;-)

      --
      Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
    10. Re:It worked! by TiggsPanther · · Score: 1
      Well, Lucas main argument for all the changes was that he didn't have the money and technology to make 'proper' movies.

      I guess it is one of the drawbacks of the recent improvements in technology. Chances are that back then he really couldn't make the films he really wanted. There were definite limitations in what could be done, and he settled for "The Next Best Thing".
      The problem with this is that it worked. Or at least, it worked for the fans. What was done for the originals is endearing. Plus obviously held a special place in the hearts of those who saw it back in 1977.

      Me, I saw them first all the way through in the mid-1990s. So I wasn't quite as emotionally attached to the originals. And, as such, I loved the re-makes.

      The new re-releases also mark something that I'm sure many directors love the idea of. Being able to make things consistant.
      Like apparently they've re-done the lightsaber effects in "A New Hope" to match the way they were done from "Empire Strike Back" and onwards. I have to admit it always bugged me a little that the first film had a slightly different effect. I'm not sure which I prefer, I'm not even sure I think one way is better than the other, but having them look consistent is good.
      Similarly I like the idea that in the sweeping added shots at the end of "Return of the Jedi" they've re-tweaked the landscapes to reflect stuff done in the prequels. I think that re-doing the emperor in "Empire" for actor-consistency is good. Same for Anakin, it's nice that for the brief shot of "Good Anakin" they've made it using the current actor.

      Having said all that, as much as I beleive that the director does have the right to release the version he always wishes he could have I also believe that the fans have the right to see (and the director should have the sense to release) the version that they fell in love with years ago. Every "Director's Cut" should come alongside (not instead of) the Original Fan-Loved Version.
      Even if only as a "Special Additional Feature" on the next "Special Milk 'Em Dry Edition" release, it really should be given an official DVD release. The fans deserve it. (And he'd make a few bucks out of it)

      --
      Tiggs
      "120 chars should be enough for everyone..."
    11. Re:It worked! by beowulfcluster · · Score: 1

      Peter Jackson has done ok when given increasingly larger budgets compared to what he had for Bad Taste too.

  24. One more added scene... by dew4au · · Score: 4, Funny

    For the upcoming Blu-Ray release of the trilogy I hear Lucas is planning a shower scene with Obi-wan and a bantha. "Ol' Ben gets lonely, then desperate" Pre-order now!

  25. Not just screenshots... by freeze128 · · Score: 5, Funny

    One of the funniest changes couldn't really be seen in a screenshot. At the end of Return of the Jedi, the second death star is destroyed, and all the worlds rejoice in their freedom from the evil empire. We see scenes from Corusant, Endor, and a new shot of Naboo. With subtitles turned on, all the people of Naboo are in the streets partying, and the subtitles say "Weesa free!"

    I laughed my assa offa!

    1. Re:Not just screenshots... by cHALiTO · · Score: 1

      As a matter of fact, if you listen carefully.. or even not so carefully, in that scene, the music has changed from the original. Not from the SE, but from the original (1983/LD/etc) movies.
      In the original movies there was some kind of ewok song, whereas in the new versions we got a different background song with non-ewok sounding chorus and stuff.

      --
      "Luck is my middle name," said Rincewind, indistinctly. "Mind you, my first name is Bad." -- Terry Pratchett
    2. Re:Not just screenshots... by jea6 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And, quote The Critic, "It Stinks".

      --

      sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
    3. Re:Not just screenshots... by crimson30 · · Score: 1

      As a matter of fact, if you listen carefully.. or even not so carefully, in that scene, the music has changed from the original.

      Listen carefully?! Are you going deaf?

  26. Re:awsome by ggvaidya · · Score: 1

    I've been waiting for something this, i am currently downloading the DVD versions of this classic.

    Being a long time SW fan ai can't wait to see the changes made for the better/worse.

    The scary thing is, I don't think this guy is kidding ... :-S

  27. anybody got a good link? by ryane67 · · Score: 1

    perhaps a google cache or something that isnt already /.ed?

    --
    ?SYNTAX ERROR IN LINE 42
    1. Re:anybody got a good link? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      http://www.dvdanswers.com.nyud.net:8090/index.php? r=0&s=8&c=28

  28. Re:awsome by DaHat · · Score: 2, Funny

    i am currently downloading the DVD versions of this classic

    I so enjoy when a person admits to committing a crime without prompting.

    The MPAA and FBI will be knocking at your door shortly.

  29. Especially ... by gstoddart · · Score: 1
    Slashdot posts with title containing "w/Pics" scare the bejesus out of me.


    Especially when they also say "Star Wars" and "DVD".

    Might just as well put up a link that says "Pics of Natalie Portman in Hot Grits" and get it over with. :-P

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  30. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by fireduck · · Score: 4, Informative

    But in 1977, there was no movie ratings, but now we do have them.

    ummm... the ratings system was introduced in November 1, 1968. That's 9 years before Star Wars came out. At the time of Star Wars, however, there was no PG-13. Perhaps that is what you are thinking of.

  31. The ability to destroy a planet... by Spencerian · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...is insignificant next to the power of a Slashdotting.

    --
    Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
  32. Use the Cache Luke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
  33. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by mmkkbb · · Score: 1

    But in 1977, there was no movie ratings, but now we do have them. Because of this, if Han still did shoot first, the movie would have been rated R for "graphic violence and adult content" (murder). But with having Han shot at, it becomes clear self defence and is just "graphic violence".

    What? The original Star Wars was rated PG, under the current system which started in 1968.

    --
    -mkb
  34. Google to the Rescue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Looks like google has cached the page for us.

  35. Re:seems like it's slashdoted already... by Dorothy+86 · · Score: 2, Funny

    their server definitely didn't make the kessel run in 30 parsects...

  36. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by r_barchetta · · Score: 1


    The current movie rating system used by the MPAA was first introduced in 1968. Episode IV has always been rated PG.

    Just FYI.

    -r

    --
    Just because something is free does not mean you have to take it.
  37. Auto-Coralize links!!! by hacker · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've been thinking.. and this is the 5th instance of this.. why can't Slashdot auto-Coralize the links that they use in the articles?

    If $ARTICLE_SUMMARY has a URL in it, split the domain off, append .nyud.net:8090 to it, and then post it publically. Thats exactly what the NYU Distribution Network was designed for.

    In this case, this would be:

    http://www.dvdanswers.com.nyud.net:8090/index.php? r=0&s=8&c=28

    1. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by pnatural · · Score: 5, Funny

      I've been thinking.. and this is the 5th instance of this..

      Don't worry, thinking gets easier! Some people have thunk 10, maybe even 20 times in their lives.

    2. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by -=Zak=- · · Score: 1

      Interestingly, I can't get your Coral cache link to work either...

    3. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by Johnno74 · · Score: 1

      No, DON'T do that automatically.

      Many people, like me, are reading slashdot at work (shhh) where their firewall won't let you get to port 8090.

    4. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by Minwee · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That would be lovely if it weren't for the fact that your "coralized" page is still trying to load all the images from the original site.

      Ten pages of "Look at this scene: {Broken Image} It was changed to this: (Broken Image) You can clearly see Natalie Portman's nipple in the background here: (Broken Image) But the biggest change is right here: (Broken Image)" really isn't doing it for me.

    5. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by ValentineMSmith · · Score: 1
      I don't know about you, but I haven't had to worry about thunking since all of the operating systems for which I code went to a flat 32 bit memory model.

      Oh..... You mean....

      Never mind.

      --
      Karma: Chameleon - mostly influenced by bad '80s New Wave music
    6. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by cylcyl · · Score: 1

      Because due to the stupid firewalls that we have, we can't hit sites that are hosted on 8090.

    7. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by hacker · · Score: 1
      "That would be lovely if it weren't for the fact that your "coralized" page is still trying to load all the images from the original site."

      That is precisely the point of the Coral network, and why I keep suggesting it.

      If the original submitter's story was stored with the Coralized URL appended to the domain, before it hit the front page of Slashdot, ALL of the site, would be distributed, and everyone who reads the story from Slashdot, would be reading the story through the use of the Coralized URL instead, which retains the availability of the content.

      But thank you for reinforcing the point for others.

    8. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by hacker · · Score: 1
      "Interestingly, I can't get your Coral cache link to work either..."

      That is because the page was never Coralized to begin with, before it was Slashdotted off the net.

    9. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by hacker · · Score: 1
      "Because due to the stupid firewalls that we have, we can't hit sites that are hosted on 8090."

      But as you can see, without Coral, you can't hit the site anyway...

      Use an anonymizer that redirects ports, or one of the hundreds of rewriting proxies on the net that can do this for you, and you should be able to get to the Coralized URL from work.

    10. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by Thuktun · · Score: 1

      Is there an overwhelming reason to use port 8090? Not everyone lives behind a firewall that allows access to that port.

    11. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by hacker · · Score: 1
      "Is there an overwhelming reason to use port 8090? Not everyone lives behind a firewall that allows access to that port."

      From the FAQ:

      Why don't you use port 80?

      The use of port 8090 is largely a relic of our beta deployment on PlanetLab, given that it is a shared test-bed. We hope to switch to using port 80 as soon as possible. Sorry for any inconvenience; in the short-term, if you can't access port 8090 due to a local firewall and still wish to use Coral, try finding an open web proxy running on port 80. For example, Google for the search term "cgiproxy start".

    12. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by 1110110001 · · Score: 1

      What about just using http://www.mirrordot.org/ ? It does the same for us, works behind a firewall and is designed just for slashdot. Ah and no one has to change a link. Let the others post and use Mirrordot to visit the pages.

      b4n

    13. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by cliffiecee · · Score: 1

      Use an anonymizer that redirects ports, or one of the hundreds of rewriting proxies on the net that can do this for you, and you should be able to get to the Coralized URL from work.

      ...only to be fired twenty seconds later when IT detects you trying to circumvent their firewall policy...

      Where I work, anonymizer sites themselves are blacklisted. Too many attempts to contact blacklisted sites raises the red flag. It's best to just get back to work...

    14. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by hacker · · Score: 1
      "What about just using http://www.mirrordot.org/ ? It does the same for us, works behind a firewall and is designed just for slashdot. Ah and no one has to change a link. Let the others post and use Mirrordot to visit the pages."

      The problem isn't that Slashdot itself can't be reached, its that the sites linked from Slashdot can't be reached.

      Case in point: This exact story on mirrordot, links directly to the dvdanswers.com site, which was slashdotted.

      Or did I miss some invisible rewrite/proxy magic glue in there somewhere?

    15. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by 1110110001 · · Score: 1

      I just took a look and all links that don't go to *.slashdot.org (and are not email links) go to http://www.mirrordot.org/stories/

      Can't check the dvdanswers.com link as it's too old already.

      b4n

    16. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by Minwee · · Score: 1

      So basicly what you're saying is that you know of a lovely tool which doesn't work, therefore everybody should use it more?

      I used to think that Coral might be a good idea, but this demonstration has convinced me that it's just a waste of time. That's the only point that has been reinforced for me.

    17. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by hacker · · Score: 1

      Your comment makes no sense. To what are you referring? Coral works perfectly, for sites that are either down, overloaded, or inaccessible.

    18. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by Minwee · · Score: 1
      Perhaps a re-read of this thread is in order.

      The "Coralized" link which you posted, http://www.dvdanswers.com.nyud.net:8090/index.php? r=0&s=8&c=28, lead to a page which tried to load all of its images from the slashdotted site dvdanswers.com and failed miserably. As a result, all that that link provided for me was a page with descriptive text referring to images that never loaded.

      When I pointed this out, you replied that that was precisely the point of Coral and that everybody should use it because of that. Because, apparently, broken images and incomplete caches of popular pages are a good thing.

      This must be some new definition of "works perfectly for sites that are either down, overloaded or inacessible" that I was not previously aware of.

    19. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by hacker · · Score: 1
      "When I pointed this out, you replied that that was precisely the point of Coral and that everybody should use it because of that. Because, apparently, broken images and incomplete caches of popular pages are a good thing.

      This must be some new definition of "works perfectly for sites that are either down, overloaded or inacessible" that I was not previously aware of."

      Please go back and re-read my original post which started this thread. I think you missed the point of the whole discussion.

      If the Slashdot editors had used the Coralized URL when they posted the story, the VERY FIRST person to hit the link in the story's header, would have caused the Coral network to start distributing all of the content from dvdanswers. From there, EVERY Slashdot user that hits the URL further encourages that dispersion.

      By the time the site itself was Slashdotted off (if at all), the content would still be available through the Coral network.

      THAT is precisely the point of Coral. Using the Coralized URL after the site has already been slashdotted off the net, is of course going to result in failures, which is what you've seen.

      The use of the Coralized URL should happen before the Slashdot editors post the story for public consumption.

      Is this any clearer for you now?

    20. Re:Auto-Coralize links!!! by Minwee · · Score: 1

      Somewhat clearer. I am assuming from your indignant responses that the image links to dvdanswers.com would have been replaced by something more usable if the Coral server had been able to reach them. The fact that they had not originally led me to assume that Coral simply couldn't be bothered to adjust the IMG tags when instead it was trying to operate in a graceful failure mode by leaving only uncached links untouched.

      If this is right then I would assume that the Coral link would now give the full story with images intact now that the Slashdotting is over, instead of falling over completely as it is today.

      When I hit the Coralized link now all I see is a blank page which loads for a second, then redirects to another server, loads, redirects, and eventually times out without displaying a single letter of text. If this is normal behaviour for Coral then I can see why it would not be in anybody's best interest to rely on them exclusively.

      I hope some day I will see a demonstration of Coral which convinces me that you are right about this, as it sounds like a good idea, but it doesn't look like that will be happening today.

  38. iMovie or whatever by Omega1045 · · Score: 1
    I am waiting for some movie software haxor to come up with a "personal" version of the DVD replacing Hayden with the Original Anakin Skywalker ©, Han shooting first, etc, using some home movie software to splice together the new DVD with laserdisc scenes.

    I do like *some* of the new stuff. The X-Wing scene in IV when they are on their way to attack the death star is nice. Many other shots in space have been cleaned up from the original so you don't see boxes around ships against the stars. But they could cut out just a few annoying, non-plot scenes and I would be very happy....

    --

    Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein

    1. Re:iMovie or whatever by linuxbikr · · Score: 1

      Wrong on the boxes. In the escape battle between the Millenium Falcon and the TIE fighters, you can see brown and green boxes on the Widescreen DVD edition as plain as day. I have the VHS Widescreen and Original editions and I can barely make out the boxes or even see them at all.

      I was stunned. I expected the DVD to be cleaner.

    2. Re:iMovie or whatever by Omega1045 · · Score: 1
      Crap.

      Crap.

      Crap.

      I have yet to buy the DVD. I have the VHS Special Edition. I got it out the other night, and loved it except the sound is not there. And the picture won't look as good as DVD when I upgrade to wide screen this X-Mas.

      --

      Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein

    3. Re:iMovie or whatever by selsine · · Score: 1
      In the escape battle between the Millenium Falcon and the TIE fighters, you can see brown and green boxes on the Widescreen DVD edition as plain as day.
      You are totally right about this, I noticed it when I watched the DVDs.
  39. Image sharpness ? by caronc · · Score: 1

    Has the DVD version been reworked that much to look sharper? It's seems normal that a DVD ripped version be sharper than an analog grab performed on som VHS tape... Am I missing something here?

    1. Re:Image sharpness ? by Fouquet · · Score: 1

      Yes the DVD is much sharper. I was watching ESB last night, and during the Hoth battle scene I could easily see snow and glaciers in the mountains behind the walkers. In the original (at least the VHS) I was hard pressed to discern the mountains at all.

  40. H2G2? by fracai · · Score: 2, Funny

    You are apparently not a fan of Douglas Adams.

    --
    -- i am jack's amusing sig file
  41. Jabba the whiny bitch.. by euxneks · · Score: 1

    In ANH, re-released versions, jabba has this pained expression on his face, makes him look like a whiny bitch. At least the new ones he looks like he's a mafia boss now. You can see the comparison at the previously linked site:

    http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews3/starwarscha nges.html

    about 2/3rds the way down the page.. Jabba actually looks like jabba now. =)

    --
    in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
    1. Re:Jabba the whiny bitch.. by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What I want to know is why Jabba didn't turn Han into a grease spot when he stepped on him. Well, actually, I know the answer: Because Lucas is what, in my teenage years, I would have referred to as a "fucktard". If you stepped on scarface's shoes, you'd have an extra hole in your head in less time than it takes to say "Is that a gun?" Jabba has been known to laugh when his guards are eaten by the Rancor. You think you'd live long if you stepped on him?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  42. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by tverbeek · · Score: 1
    But in 1977, there was no movie ratings,

    and TV was still in black and white, and stereophonic recordings hadn't been invented yet, movies had just recently become "talkies", and there was no FM radio. Those of us who were alive at the time and think we remember differently are simply mistaken.

    --
    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  43. google cache [mirrpr by gustgr · · Score: 2, Informative

    I believe most nerds have already googled for the cache but here it is.

  44. A few frames that MISSED getting cleaned. by Dieppe · · Score: 1
    Just watched the 2004DVD trilogy this last weekend.

    Near the end of Empire Strikes Back, where the Millenium Falcon is escaping from the Cloud City.. there's actually one shot of them being pursued by tie fighters where the original matted boxes were still around the tie fighters AND it wasn't fixed on this digital version EITHER!

    I wonder how they missed that one?

    So to any naysayers... there is at least one shot that did not get updated from 1977 and is still the original crappy shot. So... enjoy! :)

    1. Re:A few frames that MISSED getting cleaned. by Andorion · · Score: 1

      The matted boxes also appear around Tie Fighters when the Millenium Falcon is escaping the Death Star in Episode 4!!!!! I can't believe they didn't fix that!

      Seriously, check it out!

    2. Re:A few frames that MISSED getting cleaned. by porkUpine · · Score: 1

      Personally, that was the single biggest disappointment for me with the new DVDs. Everything else has been cleaned up, and I can even tolerate the new dialog... but not cleaning up a BLACK ON BLACK square around the Tie fighters? Hell, I'm no digital artist, but even *I* could do that with some off-the-shelf software!!!

    3. Re:A few frames that MISSED getting cleaned. by cgenman · · Score: 1

      If you remember back in the day Lucas released an updated version on VHS with these shots optically "corrected," shortly before announcing the Special Editions. Probably the hell of trying to remove little green boxes without discoloring the ships was too much for him, and he decided to redo the whole bloody lot.

      But yes, the green boxes used to be significantly worse.

  45. Re:Who cares? by corsican · · Score: 2, Insightful
    And yet, here you are in the discussion.

    --
    --If something I said could be taken two ways, and one of those ways made you cry, then I meant the other way.
  46. Re:awsome by RPI+Geek · · Score: 1

    I was hoping that someone would come up with a comparison like this! That way someone could take the unmangled scened in this DVD (all nicely cleaned up restored) and the unmangled scenes in an original copy (laserdisk anyone?) and splice them together... maybe have some volunteer labor (or even just CPU time) clean the scenes in a similar fashion to what was done to these. Then when dual layer DVD's hit the market we can make a fan's unmangled version that will play in normal DVD players!

    I'd certainly be willing to learn some editing skills and volunteer some (or a lot) of my time to this project.

    --

    - "Nobody came out that night, not one was ever seen. But Old Man Stauf is waiting there, crazy sick and mean!"
  47. These are not the SW versions you are looking for by tcdk · · Score: 1

    Try search for "star wars definitive original" on the emule/edonkey network.

    Just might be the versions you are looking for.

    Is downloading something that you can't get any other way bad? Not in my world. At least not in this case.

    (yeah, you could hunt down the original LD versions and buy a laser disc player, or build a machine that will take you to a parallel dimension where Lucas didn't lose his mind and buy the new not fubared DVDs ... but maybe downloading them is easier and non of the "don't buy the new version DVD" options make Lucas, of this dimension, any money, anyway)

    --
    TC - My Photos..
  48. Re:Meanwhile, in reality by Tongo · · Score: 1

    Okay, you need to get of the damn internet and go out and do something about it. Sell all of you possesions and move to the Sudan and save people. Then come back and complain.

  49. Re:awsome by corsican · · Score: 1
    Not enough to do it...

    --
    --If something I said could be taken two ways, and one of those ways made you cry, then I meant the other way.
  50. There are sound changes by The+Analog+Kid · · Score: 1

    Apparently there is something that went wrong with the mixing, more about it found here.

    Ofcourse Lucas is quoted as saying:

    We are always impressed with how closely fans listen to the many different sound mixes we have made for the Star Wars movies over the years. It is flattering to know that, indeed, the audience is listening. Consequently, each mix comes out differently and any changes that you hear on the all-new Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX tracks on the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set are deliberate creative decisions. We can confirm that there are no technical glitches as reported.

  51. An apology to the readers by AvantLegion · · Score: 5, Funny
    Look everyone, I'm sorry. I'm this man's psychiatrist. I told him he could go back on the Internet because I thought we were making real progress.

    Davey, repeat afer me, "Star Wars is not real. Darth Vader is not Hitler."

    1. Re: An apology to the readers by gidds · · Score: 1
      :)

      Star Wars is not real

      Yes and no. No, of course it didn't actually happen. But as a story, it exists. And it's a story that an awful lot of people have spent an awful lot of time immersed in, one whose lessons will tend to sink into people's subconsciouses.

      It may be only a story, but stories can have an awful lot of power. Just ask Hamlet about that. Or Salman Rushdie.

      --

      Ceterum censeo subscriptionem esse delendam.

  52. Explosion by Tekoneiric · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The one thing that bugs me the most about the digital enhancements to Episode IV is the Alderaan and Death Star explosions. That damn ring effect bugs me to no end. If they wanted to show a more realisitic effect, they should have shown both the planet and Death Star fracturing along natural weak points in the structure and whole chunks of them being blown away from the exploding mass.

    --
    *It's not what you can do for the Dark Side but what the Dark Side can do for you!*
    1. Re:Explosion by Nonillion · · Score: 1

      They will save that for the "blue-ray" release.

      --
      "I bow to no man" - Riddick
    2. Re:Explosion by djward · · Score: 1

      The breakup of the control ship in The Phantom Menace was actually quite nicely done. Not sure why they couldn't redo the Alderaan and DS explosions for the DVD release.

    3. Re:Explosion by WuphonsReach · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The one thing that bugs me the most about the digital enhancements to Episode IV is the Alderaan and Death Star explosions. That damn ring effect bugs me to no end.

      You're not the only one... the ring effect would've been really cool *if* it was aligned with the equator of the deathstar. Then, at least, it would've looked like it was energy escaping along the "weak point" due to that indentation running around the equator. Instead, it looks like it was just randomly tacked onto the film just because it looked cool.

      But Lucas is a hack and can't leave well enough alone... that, or every time he reviews something for approval he's stoned out of his mind.

      --
      Wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?
    4. Re:Explosion by Tekoneiric · · Score: 1

      Yea, your right, in that case it would have been cool. It could have proceded the seperation of the upper and lower sections then their breakup into smaller sections of debris. Of course it would have blown out the planet cracking weapon emitter too.

      --
      *It's not what you can do for the Dark Side but what the Dark Side can do for you!*
  53. luke by Chiisu · · Score: 1

    the force is not strong with this server

  54. back in teh day... by mcmonkey · · Score: 1
    and TV was still in black and white

    Actually, the whole world was black and white back then. Everything was colorized in the early 80s. Of course, old TV shows and movies are still B&W; they're color pictures of the black and white world.

    Truth is stranger than fiction.

    props to Bill Waterson

  55. Re:awsome by bleckywelcky · · Score: 2, Informative

    I'm not experienced on this topic at all. But, I believe you are allowed to excerpt certain portions of copyrighted works for the purposes of reviewing them. IE, you can quote books, but you can not take a whole chapter and claim it as your own. IE, you can show a couple 5 second clips of a movie while you criticize the movie. I think this comparison could easily fall under this category.

  56. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by Slack3r78 · · Score: 1
    One of the biggest issues with changes in Episode IV has always been the "Han shoots first", which in the origional he did, in fact, in the origional, he is the only one to shoot. But in 1977, there was no movie ratings, but now we do have them. Because of this, if Han still did shoot first, the movie would have been rated R for "graphic violence and adult content" (murder). But with having Han shot at, it becomes clear self defence and is just "graphic violence".

    Absolutely and totally incorrect. In fact, if anything, there's been speculation that the shot of the burning bodies of Luke's aunt and uncle was added to film specifically to avoid receiving a G rating, which it was felt would hurt the movie at the box office.
  57. Re:A plea from the youth of the era by Zork+the+Almighty · · Score: 2, Funny

    Are you talking about Lucas or Bush ?

    --

    In Soviet America the banks rob you!
  58. Stars Wars, hasn't it been beaten to death enough? by Ced_Ex · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's like the whole Star Wars issue won't stay down even though everyone tells it to stay down after a good beating!

    My question is after all this, do the DVD box sets come with Version numbers written in fine print? Like Version 0.1, V 0.25, V 0.31 etc etc... Will they ever come out with Version 1.0? Full version!?!?!

    --
    Live forever, or die trying.
  59. There was more than one audio mix sent to theaters by GlenRaphael · · Score: 2, Informative
    [I don't know how] He managed to get screenshots of the 1977 release, since the one that ended up on video all those years ago wasn't the same as what I saw 50 times in the theatre. I know C3P0 had a tendency to babble, but he did have some great lines that got nixed.

    According to one of the DVD extra features, there were multiple remixes of the audio for the original feature. They tried to get theaters to upgrade to THX Audio, but weren't entirely successful - some theaters were in plain stereo, and many were just plain monaural.

    Thus, they had to redo the audio track several times, and some small things were changed a bit from one version to the next. So it's quite possible that you couldn't hear a line or a sound effect as well in the version that went to laser disk as in the version that played at whatever theater you went to 50 times.

    On the other hand, maybe you just imagined it. Can you give an example of a specific C3PO line you think was dropped?

    --
    I play Nerd-Folk!
  60. You think that's funny? by c4miles · · Score: 3, Informative

    A couple of years ago I was in Morocco. Not quite Third World, yet i was with a large group of 17-22 year olds and none had heard of Star Wars.

    The looks we got whilst trying to demonstrate light sabres were priceless.

    1. Re:You think that's funny? by TheLoneDanger · · Score: 2, Funny

      "The looks we got whilst trying to demonstrate light sabres were priceless."

      Ummm... I can think of maybe 3 ways this could have gone:
      1) You (and whoever else was with you to make it "we") always carry your lightsaber replicas around with you, in which case their "looks" are understandable.

      2) You have actually created and were using real lightsabers, in which case their "looks" are understandable.

      3) You were using breadsticks and kept saying, 'now imagine a glowing blade of light coming out of the end here', and making the whooshing, humming, and crackling sounds, in which case their "looks" are nderstandable.

      Ghyslain got a whole hell of a lot of attention for his lightsaber demonstration. I can only imagine you looked at least half as amusing as he did...

      --

      "But I trust in the people's capacity for reflection, rage and rebellion." -Oscar Olivera
    2. Re:You think that's funny? by cmstremi · · Score: 1

      The looks we got whilst trying to demonstrate light sabres were priceless.

      So, then - you're the "Star Wars Kid"?

      (http://www.spindulik.com/)

    3. Re:You think that's funny? by xSauronx · · Score: 1
      sp basically you were all: hey honey wanna see my lightsaber?

      and she was all: go fuck a tree you retard

      --
      By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth. -- George Carlin
    4. Re:You think that's funny? by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 1
      The looks we got whilst trying to demonstrate light sabres were priceless.

      Maybe you shouldn't have used the Light Sabre example from Spaceballs.
      So Lonestar, I see your Schwartz is as big as mine.

      --
      If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
    5. Re:You think that's funny? by suckmysav · · Score: 1

      "hey honey wanna see my lightsaber?"

      Surely you mean "porksaber", no?

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    6. Re:You think that's funny? by c4miles · · Score: 1

      3) With an imaginary breadstick. And kinda going "Whommmmm......". In the absence of knowing the French or Arabic transation (Guerre des Etoiles didn't ring any bells with them), we figured it'd be the most obvious reference we could make in order to find out if they really didn't know the films.

      This was in Tangiers, btw, the folks were relatively rich and cosmopolitan.

  61. Re:seems like it's slashdoted already... by AnalogDiehard · · Score: 1

    Begun, the slashdotting has...

    --
    Eternity: will that be smoking, or non-smoking? I Corinthians 6:9-10
  62. The most striking change I saw.. by d_jedi · · Score: 1

    Was that they changed the actor for ANAKIN SKYWALER at the end of ROTJ (you know, when he appears with Obi-Wan and Yoda as Jedi-ghosts.. err.. ghost isn't the right word)

    Probably to make it appear as if Haydn Christianson could actually transform into the Anakin at the end of ROTJ (still unconfirmed if it actually IS Christianson in ROTJ..)

    --
    I am the maverick of Slashdot
  63. Better Article at Apple's Website by slothjammin · · Score: 1

    At least this link is working....for now...

    --
    Squidward: "Spongebob, If I had a dollar for every brain you don't have, I'd have 1 dollar."
  64. Missed Change in Episode V: ESB by Jtheletter · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I preordered the DVDs, and while I did go straight home and watch them all I haven't scrutinized them for every change. However I did notice that one of the big "errors" from the originals still remains in Empire Strike Back.

    In the fight scene between Vader and Luke in the Carbonite Chamber, after Luke turns of his saber and jumps off the platform to follow Vader he lands on a trampoline (since the set platform was ~10 ft high) and when he rebounds his head reappears in the shot. Surprisingly Lucas missed editing out Luke's head as he bounces back into frame.

    I find it hard to believe Lucas didn't have a check list of fixes for the re-remastering; both personal, and culled from the endless fan forums that at this point have probably documented every mistake there is.
    Oversight? Or perhaps a little piece of nostalgia left in there on purpose?

    --
    -- I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. It's not my fault that life sucks so much. --
    1. Re:Missed Change in Episode V: ESB by ctishman · · Score: 2, Informative

      They also left the "Luke! Carrie!" bit from the celebration in ANH in there. I think lots of stuff was left like that for nostalgia's sake.

    2. Re:Missed Change in Episode V: ESB by EvanED · · Score: 1

      Most people involved in the shooting deny that the 'Carrie!' line happened. The soundtrack is rather muttled, so it's not clear either way.

    3. Re:Missed Change in Episode V: ESB by Rhonwyn · · Score: 1

      My favorite mistake is when the storm trooper bumps his head going into the room with the droids. Not only is it still in there, but it has a louder clunking sound when he hits.

  65. TO MODERATORS: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Just for the record, David Brin is a well known American author of science fiction. He is the winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards and has been both a NASA consultant and a physics professor, known for his sharp criticisms of not only George Lucas and Star Wars, but science fiction at large. I personally find the above comment the most Insightful text about Star Wars I have ever read on Slashdot, certainly more worth reading than every +5 post in this story combined. I honestly think that moderating it as Troll is insulting and we can really do better than that. Is it Offtopic? It is more on-topic than anything, as it's the deepest and most interesting analysis of Star Wars I have ever read, which all of the intelligent answers seem to prove. Please keep that in mind while moderating. Thank you.

    1. Re:TO MODERATORS: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I personally find the above comment the most Insightful text about Star Wars I have ever read on Slashdot, certainly more worth reading than every +5 post in this story combined.

      I personally think that post was unnecessarily long, pointless and sickening, even to non fans of Star Wars.

      I mean, seriously, the guy does a huge dissertation on why he doesn't like a scifi movie that teens liked in the 70s and early 80s. I prefer many times the "it suxx0rs!" troll.

      And no, I don't care what the guy does with the rest of his life.

    2. Re:TO MODERATORS: by AJWM · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's no good defending yourself, Brin ;-)

      Crap is crap no matter who writes it -- and Sturgeon's Law probably applies to an individual author's output too. Moderators go by content, not authorship.

      (BTW, liked the first three "Uplift War" books, but everything's been downhill from there. The Postman seemed pretty derivative of Lucifer's Hammer's "Harry the mailman".)

      --
      -- Alastair
    3. Re:TO MODERATORS: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Jesus, that clears things up for me. I was thinking, "that's the most unnecessarily long stream of pretentious childish bullshit since I read 'The Postman' in Junior High." And it turns out to be written by none other than the same author!

  66. Distributed by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Thats exactly what the NYU Distribution Network was designed for.

    Yes, it seems to have accomplished the goal quite well - it's now EXACTLY as slashdotted as the original. Now that's what I call a cache!

    You sure Slashdot should post EVERY story through it?

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Distributed by hacker · · Score: 1
      Actually no, it isn't slashdotted.. the original site was never Coralized before it went down, so the resource you try to reach through the Coral network, is also unavailable. Makes perfect sense.

      What I meant originally, was that the submitter's story, once posted, would be injected with the Coralized URL, so that when the thousands of Slashdot visitors hit the site (via the Coralized URL), the content would still be available.

  67. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by Daoenti · · Score: 1

    Because of this, if Han still did shoot first, the movie would have been rated R for "graphic violence and adult content" (murder). The flaw in this is that there is nothing that states "This movie MUST get a R rating because such and such conditions were met". The MPAA has a board that watched the movie and determines what they think the rating should be. That's how movies like Clerks (which origionally got an NC-17 rating) was able to get dropped down to an R rating with absoutly no cuts to the movie, Kevin Smith actually talked them into dropping the rating without having to make cuts for that reason. Besides the other flaws in your logic which others have pointed out already, the 'Greedo shoots first' change was not made because of any ratings issues.

  68. Re:parent is dupe by Spencerian · · Score: 1

    Being bitter that the timing was good (albeit with an old joke) and being a Coward is no way to go through life, son.

    --
    Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
  69. And dont forget by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    The brand new Gungans Gone Wild... *shudder*.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  70. Re:There was more than one audio mix sent to theat by oni · · Score: 4, Informative

    C3PO line you think was dropped?

    On the regular VHS version that I have, when R2 pulls up the directions that obiwan will take to the tractor beam thing and the camera zooms to the video screen, C3PO explains what obiwan has to do. "the beam is powered by these three things, and if you take out one the beam will be disabled." But in the widescreen VHS version, that line isn't present.

    Not a C3PO line, but in the scene where Adm Tark is told that there is a security alert in the detention area, Darth Vader is there and he says a couple of lines, but then stops talking and continues shaking his finger. It's clear there was more dialog there. This is easily explained though by the fact that all of vader's lines were dubbed.

  71. Movies are often mutable by tallbill · · Score: 1

    I learned in film classes in college twenty years ago that movies can often be mutable. It is totally within the right of the film-maker to do this. Films are often changed before being released. Soviet Film makers used to make it easy to cut parts out of their films. A movie about Lenin and Stalin turned into a movie just about Lenin after Stalin was dead. What Lucas is doing is his deal. Why are some posters so hateful towards him?

    1. Re:Movies are often mutable by jjohnson · · Score: 1

      Because the Star Wars movies entered their hearts when they were kids, so what's precious to them isn't the movies themselves, it's their memories of the movies. By altering the movies, their memories are being challenged, and the movies are exposed for the silly tripe they always were because they don't stand up to an updated interpretation (which is what the rereleases are).

      [I say "they", but I'm as guilty as anyone of the same thing.]

      It's closely related to the disgust most ./ers feel when they see episodes I & II--those movies are silly tripe, and they violate the essential warmth we all have towards the '77 versions by reminding us that none of the Star Wars movies are that good.

      --
      Anyone who loves or hates any language, platform, or manufacturer, doesn't know what they're talking about.
  72. Two things about these new versions by gphinch · · Score: 2, Informative

    1. On the DVD when the storm troopers come rushing into the control room that C-3P0 and R2-D2 are hiding in, one hits his head on the door as its rising and falls down. This was always a little blooper that made it in. Now there is a lound *thunk* sound, which had me rolling.

    2. No one ever seems to complain about it, but i think the worst change made to the trilogy is in RotJ, Jabba's Palace, the singing and dancing scene. It was fine as it was, but the new song and dance routine with the cgi-creatures and backup singers makes me want to retch.
    "They're butchering the classics. John Williams must be rolling over in his grave!"

    --
    in bed.
    1. Re:Two things about these new versions by ce25254 · · Score: 1

      "They're butchering the classics. John Williams must be rolling over in his grave!"

      Huh? John Williams is not dead.
      http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf/wnames-nf/ Williams+John

    2. Re:Two things about these new versions by mihalis · · Score: 1
      1. On the DVD when the storm troopers come rushing into the control room that C-3P0 and R2-D2 are hiding in, one hits his head on the door as its rising and falls down. This was always a little blooper that made it in. Now there is a lound *thunk* sound, which had me rolling.

      I noticed this too. I was absolutely ecstatic that it's been made "canon" by adding the sound effect

      2. No one ever seems to complain about it, but i think the worst change made to the trilogy is in RotJ, Jabba's Palace, the singing and dancing scene. It was fine as it was, but the new song and dance routine with the cgi-creatures and backup singers makes me want to retch. "They're butchering the classics. John Williams must be rolling over in his grave!"

      Errm, you do know he's not actually dead yet, right?

    3. Re:Two things about these new versions by cgenman · · Score: 1

      It was fine as it was, but the new song and dance routine with the cgi-creatures and backup singers makes me want to retch.

      I hate it too. I always expect that CGI fuzzball to start shouting "Honeycomb! Honeycomb! Me Want Honeycomb!"

    4. Re:Two things about these new versions by gphinch · · Score: 1

      Simpsons Episode 2F21 The Springfield Connection
      [The theme to Star Wars plays in the background]
      Marge: Aren't you glad we got out of the house and came downtown for a little culture?
      Homer: Peh. They're butchering the classics. Could that bassoon have come in any more late?
      Marge: Aw, come on, Homer, there's lasers. You like lasers...
      Homer: Laser effects, mirrored balls...John Williams must be rolling around in his grave.

      --
      in bed.
    5. Re:Two things about these new versions by gphinch · · Score: 1

      Please see my reply to the other response about John Williams

      --
      in bed.
  73. How much energy do you put into slamming him? by tallbill · · Score: 1

    I agree that Lucas is part of the mainline Movie industry that many /. folk are at war with. But how much time do you need to spend documenting what you see as his flaws? Will your documenting his flaws show up on a list of your flaws? I love his movies because they are easy and fun. I can love the movies and then question his business ethics. But the level of detail that you present for someone that you probably don't even know makes me wonder if you do the same kind of brutal analysis of yourself? I would love to see that post.

  74. Bittorrent is your friend by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

    Someone ripped all 3 movies from laserdisc and has them in VOB files so you can burn them to dvd.

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  75. Screw 'em by ucblockhead · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You know, normally I pay for my movies. I spent good money on the movies I like..."The Big Lebowski". The entire B5 series. "Bladerunner". A number of others. I've probablygt 40-50 DVDs all told. I also bought the original series on VHS way back when.

    I wanted "Star Wars" on DVD. But I don't want the "fixed" crap. I want the "Star Wars" I fell in love with. I'd pay good money for it even though I've already paid Lucas once for the original version on tape and once (to my regret) for the "Special Edition" on DVD.

    But Lucas won't sell it to him. So screw 'em. I pulled it off of bittorrent and made my own DVDs of the first three films. I'm not going to pay the bastard for further fucked up versions.

    --
    The cake is a pie
  76. Re:I HATE ALL OF YOU! by airrage · · Score: 1

    This reminds me of Shatner's "Get a life" skit on SNL. And yet, I was strangely attracted to read the article.

    --
    "This isn't a study in computer science, its a study in human behavior"
  77. This is not the webpage you are looking for by JLSigman · · Score: 1

    We are free to pass.

    --
    -jls
    Techno-pagan
  78. Such a detailed review by Trogre · · Score: 3, Informative

    And I can't believe he didn't mention the changes to the musical score.

    In some of the most dramatic moments (such as the Death Star run), the music is ramped down so it's barely audiable, in favour of the sound effects. This is due to the sound effect guy doing the final mix.

    Also, all the music in ANH has the rear channels swapped. It's fine in ESB and ROTJ, but it's definitely wrong in ANH. Not a problem unless you're listening to it on your 5/7.1 system with some sense of where the instruments are on the sound stage. Then it just gives you a headache. There's no point in just swapping your rear channels over, since then all your sound effects are the wrong way round.

    The worst thing is that although the channels are clearly wrong, Lucasfilm have stated this is a "deliberate creative decision".

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  79. star wars gangsta rap SE! by Imazalil · · Score: 2, Funny

    hot damn! even the SW gangsta rap has a special edition out!

    http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/content/gangst a_ rap_se

  80. That's funnier than hell! by Seng · · Score: 1

    I've seen various "other things put in Star Wars" spoofs, but never Star Wars in Forrest Gump! "Run, Jar-Jar, run!!!"

  81. David, you missed a step by SMQ · · Score: 1

    I've read most of your (David Brin's) books, and I respect the heck out of you, sir, but you missed a setp in there:

    Fear leads to anger, anger leades to hatred. It's not that anger, in and of itself, is evil, but that unchecked it can lead to hate; and hatred does indeed turn young, disillusioned people toward evil. It's hatred that defined most nazi actions and defines neo-nazis, klansmen, suicide bombers, etc. today. When otherwise good, empassioned people begin to hate bad thing often do follow.

    (I whish I had mod points today as someone already said almost this same thing and if I could mod it up instead of taking my own stab at it there's a better chance of someone seing it... oh well.)

    --
    SMQ 90AE4B2BC4F6BEAF7340F0B40BA2DEF7340F6BC2D0392
  82. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    It's highly unlikely that 10 years after the fact, they'd be concerned about a backwards step in the ratings. To put it bluntly, he isn't concerned about this.

    More likely than not, he is pushing the series slightly G-ward to attract a marginally larger audience. After all, the tail wags the dog in the movie industry. Huge films (such as the prequels, in theory) might take in 2-300 million in gross receipts. Compare this to the estimated [b]2 billion dollars[/b] of merchandising rights Lucas sold for the first prequel alone.

    And who buys all those lil' dollies, sorry, action figures? Children (via parents.)

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  83. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    I'm disturbed to admit it, but finally an issue I'm old enough to see through all the youngster memes floating around.

    Star Wars was definitely PG at the time. He must be thinking of PG-13. More accurately, he may be thinking ratings in general, with meme alteration from "introduction of PG-13" to introduction of PG/ratings via sloppy word of mouth or typing.

    PG-13 was introduced in response to two films: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and one one other that slips my mind at the moment.

    Of course, movies like Old Yeller and Bambi arguably are so psychologically traumatic for lil' kids they should get that rating, too. I remember watching Wizard of Oz and being absolutely out of my gourd with terror if the Tin Woodsman would chop thru the door and rescue Dorothy at the time. Adults forget these experiences can be traumatic.

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  84. Not that detailed by Apotsy · · Score: 1
    He missed quite a few changes, most notably SFX shots in the final battle scene which were redone with computer animation for the 1997 version.

    Not to mention the changes in color saturation and resolution he notes have more to do with the screenhots of the earlier versions being pulled (presumably) from Laserdisc and VHS, and the screenhots of the newest version being pulled from DVD, and less to do with Lowry's restoration.

  85. Stop, young Jedi. by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 1

    Sometimes with analogies there is a tendance to go overboard. I understand that. But, Honestly even you must understand that there is a huge difference between the evils of hittler and the stupidity of bush. I agree 100% with the point you are trying to get accross, but thats such a bad "example".

    Something tells me you're angry with Bush. And we all know where that leads ... ( Oh, the irony)

    --
    Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    1. Re:Stop, young Jedi. by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      :-). Oppression is oppression- and death is death. Sure, Bush hasn't found his scapegoat yet- or has he? He's certainly been working hard to herd the middle class into lower levels of housing (ghettos) and the poor towards homelessness. Even Hitler took a few years before the death camps started.

      But you're very right as far as it goes- my point is more that the military industrial complex and the House UnAmerican Activities Committee was like Hitler. W is several generations down the path from there.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    2. Re:Stop, young Jedi. by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'd also point out that I was comparing the FASCISM of Hitler with the FASCISM of Bush, not the evil or the stupidity.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    3. Re:Stop, young Jedi. by nebaz · · Score: 1

      If Cheney is Grand Moff Tarkin, and Bush is Darth Vader- who is Emperor Palpatine?
      Karl Rove?

      --
      Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
    4. Re:Stop, young Jedi. by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      It's obvious once you say it! Karl Rove is Emperor Palpatine! Now, who is the Trade Federation? The WTO!

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  86. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by akahige · · Score: 1

    The other film was Splash.

  87. No problem by Pan+T.+Hose · · Score: 1

    He plans one for Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi, but they're not out yet.

    I bet his busy sex life is keeping him from having the other two finished for us.

    Which is not a problem since our busy sex lifes would keep us from watching them anyway.

    Am I right?

    --
    Sincerely,
    Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
    "Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
  88. Re:There was more than one audio mix sent to theat by Zaranne · · Score: 1

    You nailed the C3PO stuff I was talking about. Thanks!

    --
    So when is the Hawkeye movie coming out?
  89. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by Carewolf · · Score: 1

    If that is traumatic, then trauma is good for you. It teaches you to deal with your fears, if you don't learn to deal with your fear, you will just grow up and become Geoge W. Bush.

  90. according to starwars.com ... by jjk3 · · Score: 3, Informative
    http://www.starwars.com/community/askjc/jocasta/as kjc20020221.html

    While Captain Solo is known to make boastful claims that seem to defy the basic laws of space-time physics, in this particular case, an understanding of the mechanics of the Kessel Run illuminates this statistic.

    The Kessel Run is a contest of speed and endurance for smugglers. Those who undertake it must deliver specified cargos (usually illicit in nature) to a series of divergently moving transport vessels. The smuggler must deliver the cargo before the transports wander out of the free trade lanes into restricted Imperial space.

    Solo's record is impressive, since the transport vessels covered less than 12 parsecs of distance during his hurried run between them, a testament to his piloting and the speed of the Millennium Falcon.

    There is more than one way to smuggle spice out of Kessel. According to one tale, Solo left out the middleman and ferried the stolen goods himself, skirting dangerously close to the Maw Cluster, a baffling congregation of black holes. In doing so, he shortened the distance for the run, achieving an impressive record of under 12 parsecs.

    Using either methodology allows Solo's claim to stand, but there are many, including the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, who felt that the Corellian captain was just blowing hot air.

  91. Re:There was more than one audio mix sent to theat by Ripp · · Score: 1

    1. The 3P0 'Tractor beam' lines were not in the movie until much later. My pre-THX, pre-SE widescreen VHS version does not have it in there. If you listen carefully it doesn't have the same audio characteristics as the line before it, it sounds "added." Presumably it was added to explain what they were looking for and what Obiwan was doing.

    2. The Vader "hand waving" has always been there and there was never any missing dialog, at least none that's ever been released.

    --
    Blech. Signatures.
  92. Parsec and the Star Wars universe. by SlicerX · · Score: 1

    Well, you do sound very clever, but I always thought Star Wars was set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Maybe a parsec means something totally different. Just my idea anyway. Gotta think out site the box ;)

  93. Re:There was more than one audio mix sent to theat by Zaranne · · Score: 1

    But that's what we're talking about. The difference between the actual THEATRICAL release and the VHS/Beta/LD (what ever!) versions out there now. Those 3P0 lines were in the movie I saw at a drive in 1977, but not in any pre-THX versions.

    --
    So when is the Hawkeye movie coming out?
  94. OT: your link by Pan+T.+Hose · · Score: 1

    This is off-topic: I've followed your link to iUniverse (quite frankly I thought that it was a link to some book by David Brin, posted as a joke). I'm starting to write a book which I am going to self-publish using one of those print-on-demand services. It's a lot of time but I want to be up to date with different options. So far I was considering mostly Lulu or CafePress. Lately I've found also Zazzle which seems nice for printing artwork but there are no books yet. Generally instead of looking for those services myself I just save links to those which I find others using. Could you please tell me why would you personally suggest iUniverse instead of Lulu or CafePress, for both the cheapest options possible as well as standard books with ISBN and everything? Have you used them yourself? Thanks.

    --
    Sincerely,
    Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
    "Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
    1. Re:OT: your link by Grax · · Score: 1

      I have not used any of them myself. I only discovered that low cost self-publishing was possible recently when iUniverse was mentioned in the paper. They are located in the same town as me and I thought the idea of self-publishing was a pretty neat idea.

      iUniverse says your book will be listed on Amazon.com's web site and Barnes & Noble's web site. Those options appealed to me. I haven't reviewed Lulu or CafePress yet to see if they offer the same thing. Thanks for the links. I will check them out.

      Since I discovered the possibility I have been trying to think up what interesting books I could write.

  95. Awful by xYoni69x · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Screw the re-re-re-re-re-re-release. I want the original.
    Why did they touch it? Do they think we don't know the film was aired in 1977?
    I, personally, know. And I want to see that, nothing more.

    Watching A New Hope with 2004 fancy special effects would be like watching Clerks with color and good acting. I mean, seriously, some things shouldn't be changed.

    /Save Films From Their Own Directors Club, Spokesman

    --
    void*x=(*((void*(*)())&(x=(void*)0xfdeb58)))();
    1. Re:Awful by Dissectional · · Score: 1

      Can we also work towards freeing Hat?

  96. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by fucksl4shd0t · · Score: 1

    Contrary to what the other poster said, the other film was another Spielberg film, Gremlins. The reason these two movies were big deals is because they were marketed to kids in many of the previews. For the Temple of Doom, previews featured Indy running around looking cool. Then the kids got to the movie with their parents and saw a film with people eating insects, sexual content (no surprise, that, but Indy does feel up a statue), and the occult ritual with the heart-ripping stuff. My brother and I were kids at the time, and he was scared to death of that movie based on what his friends were telling him.

    Gremlins was marketed to kids as being a film with this cute and furry character, and if you do a certain three things to him, trouble happens. But they didn't even give us a hint what the trouble was. So parents packed up their kdis and took them Gremlins, only to find nasty looking green monsters getting cooked in microwaves and doing all sorts of wicked deeds.

    PG-13 came about as a suggestion from Spielberg himself, and soon after that moviemakers started targetting PG-13 as their rating rather than PG. Nowadays, PG and G mean almost the same thing, except that G is usually animated while PG is usually live action.

    --
    Like what I said? You might like my music
  97. Re:Cost Benefit: HUGE ONE... Epsiode IV is PG now by mat+catastrophe · · Score: 1

    No, it was Gremlins.

    --
    sig not found
  98. the matrix... by wotevah · · Score: 1

    David,

    If this is what you think of Star Wars, I'd like to hear what you think of "The Matrix"...

    I read Postman a long time ago so my memory of it kind of faded, but didn't the postman succeed in defeating the supervillain general where all other (normal) people failed, because the postman himself, has also been one of the few "genetically reinforced", thus "chosen" in a sense ? Or am I thinking of a different book ?

  99. Restoration wasn't for new scenes by gladmac · · Score: 1

    He says that restoration helped even the new scenes, the ones shot for the special edition. I don't think so. Those were shot with modern aids. VHS just made them look shitty.

  100. Re:There was more than one audio mix sent to theat by nekonoko · · Score: 1

    C3PO: The Tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave.

  101. Too many possibilities by Pan+T.+Hose · · Score: 1

    So the iUniverse seems to be somewhat comparable with Lulu. Actually, I know Lulu the best because when I first saw a link to someone's book it was the only such service I knew about, CafePress didn't have books back then, so I've read everything I could on their website. Besides different formats of the book itself (now I see that there are also full-color books available--maybe I should publish a photo album before a book then?--seriously, I feel like a kid in a candy store) there are three options: one can publish a book for free with no ISBN, pay for assigning an ISBN with scannable barcode, or pay more to get the book entered into Ingram's database (so Amazon, Barnes and Noble and even off-line bookstores can easily sell it). Thanks, I'll save your link for later when I have my book ready to choose the best publisher. Well, why even choose? I can use every publisher at the same time. There are just too many possibilities to get anything done...

    --
    Sincerely,
    Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
    "Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
  102. I still only have all the original versions on VHS by sean5008 · · Score: 1
    I have watched the "special editions" and I do prefer the versions that I saw in the theater (I saw my first in 1977 and have been a fan since).

    Unfortunate that we will have to wait until Lucas dies. Inevitably the AFI will eventually sponser some effort to "restore" the original versions then.

    I have no intention to buy the new versions as long as my originals are intact.

  103. An open letter to Chris Gould by papercrane · · Score: 1

    I loved your Star Wars films comparison, it's nice to have a definitive list. I'm looking forward to seeing the differences in episodes V and VI.

    However, every time you refer to computer graphics (CG) as CGI, I cringe. CGI stands for Common Gateway Interface and is a way of running scripts on web servers. It has nothing to do with Computer Graphics. Please, for my sanity and others, use CG and not CGI when referring to Computer Graphics.

    1. Re:An open letter to Chris Gould by NerveGas · · Score: 1

      Sorry to burst your bubble, but acronyms can have more than one meaning, and CGI means a couple of other things, too.

      steve

      --
      Oh, you're not stuck, you're just unable to let go of the onion rings.
    2. Re:An open letter to Chris Gould by papercrane · · Score: 1

      I swear that must have been made up after everyone was calling it CGI. I remember a time when CG was correct and it was assumed that "CGI" was an incorrect combination of SGI (who made the graphics workstations) and CG.

    3. Re:An open letter to Chris Gould by Warlock7 · · Score: 1

      Sorry, papercrane, but your memory is a bit flawed. CGI (computer generated imagery) has been a film industry standard for over 30 years now and has always been known as CGI.

      "CGI was first used in movies in 1973." This was in the movie Westworld. Long before Silicon Graphics Inc. was founded in 1982. CGI has always been called CGI in the film industry.

    4. Re:An open letter to Chris Gould by papercrane · · Score: 1

      Damn...and no one has set *me* straight all this time! Now I feel like a total fool. /me goes to hide in a corner

    5. Re:An open letter to Chris Gould by Warlock7 · · Score: 1

      That's ok. Come out of the corner, you're still welcome at the party...

      Don't be sad. :(

  104. Number of episodes by WearyVulture · · Score: 1
    Not only that, but it's likely it was supposed to be only one movie, despite Lucas' later comments about always envisioning a trilogy. I can't find the original link now, but I read once an interview with (I believe) Gary Kurtz where he said that originally it was going to be a single film, and was then extended into a trilogy when it was a success. Also, from imdb:

    The episode number and subtitle "A New Hope" did not originally appear in the film's opening crawl. These were added to the April 10, 1981 re-release to be consistent with those seen in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)