To be fair to Lucas/Lucasfilm, attitudes towards that kind of violence have changed a lot since the '70s, especially in stories intended for kids.
George's attitudes to 'violence' may have changed over the years - yet that's till no reason to make things up and lie continuously about it? To have each lie and claim debunked by not only cast and crew working on the scenes - but also by fans who have debunked George's claims.
As well as...
“Attention should be paid to the interest of those who are yet unborn, who should be able to see this generation as it saw itself, and the past generation as it saw itself.”
^ George Lucas. - ''George Lucas explains why you shouldn’t digitally alter films' - at Force Material.
Were both scenes in the original script or was it just the Jabba scene? If it's not a replacement scene, it could be that he added dialouge to cover what was in the Jabba scene, and either way having both would now make it redundant since the two scenes weren't meant to be seen together.
Yeah... the original Jabba scene dialogue
(shot with a human Jabba - and later discarded) was later switched into the earlier Greedo scenes. Putting the Jabba scene back in years alter (with alien slug) - yet not changing the any of the Jabba dialogue essentially repeats the dialogue of the Greedo scene - it certainly is redundant. Gary Kurtz explains it well here:-
^ at 3 mins and 20 secs in.
I was always under the impression that they were pretty much just work for hire directors, and that they were basically Lucas's movies. It's not like these were their totally original unique stories that he came and changed, they were basically his movies to start with.
Nope. The plan back then was to have different directors give their own take on the series - George was not going to direct another Star Wars film...
^
from an interview with Gary Kurtz, on Page 22 of the 'Once Upon A Galaxy: A Journal of The Making of The Empire Strikes Back’ book, published in 1980.
and...
^ From George Lucas himself back in 1979 - from Issue 15 of
‘Star Wars Official Poster Monthly’ - when asked if it bothered him allowing other directors to make other Star Wars films.
Kershner was even told...
“I said that under certain conditions I’d make the film. First of all, if I felt I could make the film better than the first one that means having freedom. And sufficient money. George assured me that money was not a problem - within limits, of course.
He further assured me it would be my film completely.”
^
On Page 38 of JW Rinzler’s ‘Making Of The Empire Strikes Back’ book, by director Irvin Kershner.
As well as George stating...
“There should be at least three or four [further films], but I won’t direct them. I made the prototype. I’ll not do that again. Let others interpret it their own way…” below…
So when George has already made changes to other director's work - and comes out with this...
and then makes further alterations to those directors' work - George is being a hypocrite... especially as either the Empire Strikes Back or Return Of The Jedi are available as their respective directors intended, or indeed made, on a modern and quality digital format.
I do agree with you here though.
Yeah, and in doing so... iconic, pioneering and award-winning films get preserved in the process. Wins all around.
