Science Fiction

The ones who were there 47 years ago remember it clearly: Han shot first. But in nearly every version of 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope that you can find today, Harrison Ford’s charming smuggler was a little slow to the trigger in his face-off against Greedo — one of the many changes that director George Lucas made to the three original Star Wars movies in their home video releases over the past four decades. Lucas has been criticized for his tendency to fiddle with his original Star Wars trilogy in these re-releases; adding scenes, changing pivotal moments, and punching up the practical effects with new digital innovations. The new versions have become so controversial that fans have launched whole projects to restore the original theatrical versions. But if Lucas had his way, no one would see those versions again.