Star Wars: The Complete Saga is coming to Blu-ray next month, and fans have been wondering what digital improvement (or sacrileges) the boxed set will include.
Star Wars rereleases have a history of inciting rage in fans due to changes that Producer George Lucas has decided to make in the remastered versions.
The most grievous of which has been the ‘Han shot first’ controversy, which arose when Lucas decided that in an update of the film, Han would no longer be a badass aggressor, and instead would appear to only be defending himself in one of the murderous opening scenes of the film.
The new Blu-ray set will include nine discs: one each for the six films, and three additional discs with 30 hours of special features and documentaries. The trailer for the set was released earlier this month, and mostly touts the bonus features.
So far, the studio has been tight- lipped about what changes have been made to the yet again remastered versions of the six films, but the fellows over at ComicBookMovie have stumbled upon a clip from the remastered Phantom Menace which shows the puppet Yoda replaced in the scene with a CGI Yoda.
The footage has been available as a special feature on past DVD releases, but the rumor is that it will be made canon in the new version. ComicBookMovie.com deosn’t disclose their source, but you can see the scenes here:
Original film:
Alleged new version:
Honestly, I like the change. I think the puppet Yoda looks silly compared with the excellent CGI, but I know that some diehard fans will feel slighted by any change. No word of course if other instances of the character have been replaced similarly.
We also have the details from the studio for the materials of the three bonus discs. Thus:
Disc Seven –Star Wars Archives: Episodes I-III
Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; a flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives and more.
Disc Eight –Star Wars Archives: Episodes IV-VI
Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; matte paintings and concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; and more.
Disc Nine – The Star Wars Documentaries
Star Warriors (2007, Color, Apx. 84 Minutes) – Some Star Wars fans want to collect action figures…these fans want to be action figures! A tribute to the 501st Legion, a global organization of Star Wars costume enthusiasts, this insightful documentary shows how the super-fan club promotes interest in the films through charity and volunteer work at fundraisers and high-profile special events around the world.
A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010, Color, Apx. 25 Minutes) – George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams look back on the making of The Empire Strikes Back in this in-depth retrospective from Lucasfilm created to help commemorate the 30th anniversary of the movie. The masters discuss and reminisce about one of the most beloved films of all time.
Star Wars Spoofs (2011, Color, Apx. 91 Minutes) – The farce is strong with this one! Enjoy a hilarious collection of Star Wars spoofs and parodies that have been created over the years, including outrageous clips from Family Guy, The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother and more — and don’t miss “Weird Al” Yankovic’s one-of-a-kind music video tribute to The Phantom Menace!
The Making of Star Wars (1977, Color, Apx. 49 Minutes) – Learn the incredible behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in this fascinating documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2. Includes interviews with George Lucas and appearances by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX (1980, Color, Apx. 48 Minutes) – Learn the secrets of making movies in a galaxy far, far away. Hosted by Mark Hamill, this revealing documentary offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the amazing special effects that transformed George Lucas’ vision for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back into reality!
Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983, Color, Apx. 48 Minutes) – Go behind the scenes — and into the costumes — as production footage from Return of the Jedi is interspersed with vintage monster movie clips in this in-depth exploration of the painstaking techniques utilized by George Lucas to create the classic creatures and characters seen in the film. Hosted and narrated by Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams.
Anatomy of a Dewback (1997, Color, Apx. 26 Minutes) – See how some of the special effects in Star Wars became even more special two decades later! George Lucas explains and demonstrates how his team transformed the original dewback creatures from immovable rubber puppets (in the original 1977 release) to seemingly living, breathing creatures for the Star Wars 1997 Special Edition update.
Star Wars Tech (2007, Color, Apx. 46 Minutes) – Exploring the technical aspects of Star Wars vehicles, weapons and gadgetry, Star Wars Tech consults leading scientists in the fields of physics, prosthetics, lasers, engineering and astronomy to examine the plausibility of Star Wars technology based on science as we know it today.
Star Wars: The Complete Sage is coming to Blu-ray 16 September 2011,can be pre-ordered through Amazon.
