Something You Would Change About Your Favorite Star Wars Movie?

[Admiral Archer]

I have always adored the prequel trilogy. Born in 1989, I was the perfect age when Episode I came out, and although I didn't care for it as a young teen, Episode II is still watchable and largely, at least for me, enjoyable. Episode III is, next to the original trilogy and maybe Rogue One, the perfect Star Wars film. But it can be important to point out flaws in a movie you love, to remind yourself that some things are not for everyone and that that is ok.

For example, I have to admit the CGI was massively overdone in the prequels, and some of the characters were racist caricatures. One such character was Watto, and I can easily see how they could have fixed the character, both effects-wise and by removing the racist element: make the character a human (I personally find the character could have been a large shaggy man who was similar to the original concept for Jabba the Hutt) or an alien who is like Greedo, aka a person in heavy makeup and prosthetics to appear more alien. Also, Watto doesn't need to have an accent of any kind, unless it is the accent of the actor playing the part, and that actor should be selected mindfully, so as not to fit a stereotype.

Obviously there are other examples of flawed aspects of otherwise amazing films. What are some parts of one of your favorite Star Wars film or series that could have been improved without changing the core essence of the film?

 

[Gaith]

Fun question! Empire is my favorite, of course, and it's basically perfect, except for perhaps a wee bit too much Threepio prattling in the last act, the Rebels on Hoth could have had a bit more diversity (especially women pilots), and, as a big fan of the Thrawn Trilogy, some mention of the Grand Admiral would have been cool.

ANH is my second favorite, and I don't like Leia calling Chewie a "walking carpet," or her guessing there was a tracking device aboard the Falcon. If indeed she had guessed that, she should have arranged for a transfer to a clean ship in deep space, not gone straight to the Yavin base.

RotJ is my third favorite, with the most changes I'd have wished for. I wish rescuing Han from Jabba was more a James Bond-type opening sequence than a narratively incomprehensible whole first act, and I wish it didn't take place on Tatooine (for more visual variety). I grew up with the movie, so while I can say with the objectivity of adulthood that doing another Death Star is kind of lame, I still have nostalgia for it, and I love the fact that the series ends in a redwood forest. The Ewoks could have been less cutesy. While I appreciate Anakin ultimately renouncing the Dark Side, I don't think he should have joined Yoda and Obi-Wan as a Force Ghost; I think that's too much redemption. In fact, I'd prefer not to end with any Force Ghosts at all, and to keep the focus on the living heroes:

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I also think Anakin telling Luke to tell Leia "you were right about me" is too much. You murdered her parents and family, a**hole! The scene plays better if he doesn't talk after the mask is removed:

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[Set Harth]

as a big fan of the Thrawn Trilogy, some mention of the Grand Admiral would have been cool.

"Hey, remember that alien Imperial admiral who did some stuff three or four years ago? Haven't heard much about him lately. Wonder what that's about. Anyway I just decided to bring that up for no reason at all."

While I appreciate Anakin ultimately renouncing the Dark Side, I don't think he should have joined Yoda and Obi-Wan as a Force Ghost; I think that's too much redemption.

It's basically just a Force ability, you might be reading too much into it.

 

[fireproof78]

It's basically just a Force ability, you might be reading too much into it

Yup. It is simply visual short hand that Anakin is a Jedi again.

 

[Gaith]

"Hey, remember that alien Imperial admiral who did some stuff three or four years ago? Haven't heard much about him lately. Wonder what that's about. Anyway I just decided to bring that up for no reason at all."

I said I was a fan of the Thrawn Trilogy, not the Rebels/Ahsoka and its lame idiot Thrawn invented years later. In my conception of the OT/Galactic Civil War time frame, Thrawn is very much still around.

you might be reading too much into it.

Tell me you don't care about quality writing without outright saying you don't care about quality writing.

Yup. It is simply visual short hand that Anakin is a Jedi again.

Yeah, I get it. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I wouldn't have killed off Maul in Episode I. Instead, he would have met his end at Anakin's hand in Episode III, with the irony that Anakin would eventually become Maul's successor.

 

[Set Harth]

Tell me you don't care about quality writing without outright saying you don't care about quality writing.

Moral beancounting and fulminating at ghosts has zero to do with writing quality.

 

[camdudetenger2018]

its a really long list i would change in the prequel trilogy the sequel trilogy and in the original trilogy that there would be different verisons of star wars

 

[fireproof78]

its a really long list i would change in the prequel trilogy the sequel trilogy and in the original trilogy that there would be different verisons of star wars

Palpatine: Do it!

Yeah, I get it. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

I don't like Leia as Luke's sister.

 

[Gaith]

I don't like Leia as Luke's sister.

I respect that. I grew up with it, and it's of course a big part of the Thrawn Trilogy, so it doesn't bother me, but I can understand why it would others.

 

[camdudetenger2018]

episode 1 should have been when anakin was a teenager and doing his jedi trainings with yoda and obi wan while started dating girls behind the jedis back then anakin meets padame on his 1st mission that the jedis were sent on and during the mission they encounter the jedis long time arch enemies the siths and the dark side of the force

episode 2 would have been about a few years later and anakin still a teenager but promoted to junior jedi knight and now many missions on planets across the galaxy with other jedis and there allies while at the same time anakin is still dating padame behind the jedis back and the jedis encounters the clones and meets the siths again

episode 3 would be about another few years later and anakin is a young adult secretly married to padame and has twins luke and leia while at the same time ankin meets with the chancellor again who turns out to be one of the emperors for the siths and they captures anakin and they turns anakin to the dark side while the emperor starts order 66 and the clones hunt all the jedis while at the same time anakin transforms into darth vader and he takes on obi wan and yoda

 

[DigificWriter]

I would've let the post-Exogol conversation between Lando and Jannah be more ambiguous as to whether or not she might be his daughter.

Ruling out that possibility pretty much conclusively was a misstep, IMO.

 

[Set Harth]

The end result seems ambiguous to me. Nothing appears to be ruled out.

 

[Gepard]

Tough question. It's easy to suggest fixes for the less-good films, but for ESB that's tough.

I guess I've always felt the timeline during the middle of the film is a little muddy. Luke is on Degoba for some unknown amount of time, but it's enough for him to pick up Jedi skills. Meanwhile, the Falcon makes a sub-light trip to another system (?) that seems to only take a day or two (??). It's not terribly important to the story, but it does all feel rather hand-waivy and it would be nice to see certain things cleared up. Were Han and Leia cooped up in the Falcon for weeks? Or did Luke really do his training in a couple days?

Really, with no FTL travel, the Luke and Falcon storylines shouldn't sync up at all, but they need to for the last act to work. So perhaps it's best it's left vague.

For the other OT movies:

ANH: it would be nice for Leia to have something to do in the last act other than stare in worry at a screen. I'm not sure what, but something.

ROTJ: Where to begin? No second Death Star. No Leia being Luke's sister. No Ewoks. Kill off Han like originally planned. Keep the Luke/Vader/Emperor stuff, but the rest needs to be rebuilt from scratch.

 

[JD]

The biggest chang I would make would be to the prequels.
I'd start off by melding The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones into one movie, Anakin's backstory could just be covered in the opening scroll, and then we could have it be the first time Anakin and Padme met.
I'd then do a second movie set during the Clone Wars, and end with pretty much the same Revenge of the Sith that we got.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Empire is my favorite Star Wars movie, and I can't think of a single thing that I would change in that movie. The only change that would make in Star Wars (ep4) was already made by George, the restoration of the Jabba scene. I could probably think of things I would tweak about the rest of the series, but this thread is specifically about our favorite Star Wars movie.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

There are a few editing issues that have always bugged me in SW77.

There's "Red 6, can you see Red 5?" That line needs a fixin'.

There's a shot of R2 with R5 still in the frame. Probably should fix that someday, before putting in another goddamn doofus hovering droid in another special edition.

There are some continuity issues with the heavy blaster rifle on the rack in the docking bay control room on the Death Star.

Stuff like that. Pretty low-hanging fruit, all in all.

 

[Gepard]

The only change that would make in Star Wars (ep4) was already made by George, the restoration of the Jabba scene.

That reminds me -- I'd take the Jabba scene out.

It undercuts his reveal in ROTJ and is completely redundant given that half the dialogue is repeated in the scene with Greedo, some verbatim. I don't see any upside to including it.

 

[Turtletrekker]

That reminds me -- I'd take the Jabba scene out.

It undercuts his reveal in ROTJ and is completely redundant given that half the dialogue is repeated in the scene with Greedo, some verbatim. I don't see any upside to including it.

I loved finally seeing that scene completed. That scene appeared in one form or another in the novelization, the comic adaptation and the NPR radio adaptation. It was already canon as far as I was concerned. I had seen the incomplete version with the human standing in for Jabba many times, but loved finally seeing it fully realized.

 

[Set Harth]

I was in denial about how bad the first version of the scene they released was.

Then I was watching it with a girl and she went "that is the worst special effect!" and it snapped me out of it.

Later versions were improvements but none of them look entirely good to me at this point.