What would a new Star Wars release be without a few more tinkerings and adjustments here and there? It had been long rumoured that Lucas was going to be making a few changes to the films -- some we're just going to have to discover for ourselves once we sit down for our respective Star Wars Blu-ray marathons, but here are the ones we know of so far...
"Nooooo!"
We're not quoting Darth Vader at the end of Revenge of the Sith. We're quoting Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi. Yeah, apparently it isn't enough that Vader just silently picks up the Emperor and throws him into the abyss, thus completing his epic redemption arc -- he's got to also verbally protest about his master blasting his son with Force lightning. Watch as Vader concentrates on the negative.
"Oooooo-whooo-owwwwwww!"
You hear that? That's the cry of the Krayt Dragon! We actually see this horrible Tatooine beast in the prequel trilogy, and its horrible screech is apparently what Obi-Wan Kenobi is imitating to scare off the Tusken Raiders in A New Hope. The problem is, the Krayt Dragon in the prequels sounds nothing like the noise Alec Guinness (or whoever) made back in 1977, so it's time to make the two sounds match -- it's a continuity issue, after all. Anyway, tremble in fear at Obi-Wan's mighty bellowing.
Ewoks Have Eyelids
This is a more subtle change that we probably wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been pointed out. Apparently, Lucas couldn't stand the fact that the Ewoks didn't blink in Return of the Jedi, but now, thanks to the magic of CGI, they can instinctively protect their eyes from dust and wind and all that other stuff you're doing when you blink. Take a look at Wicket's newfound ability -- don't blink, or you might miss it.
Death to the Yoda Puppet
We saw this one coming, and it's probably one of the main reasons that The Phantom Menace got a brand-new HD transfer for the Blu-ray release and the other movies didn't. If you remember, Yoda was still a puppet in the first prequel film -- he wouldn't be an all-CGI creation until Attack of the Clones. Well, that puppet is now gone and been replaced by a completely digital Yoda -- which, we have to admit, actually looks a lot better than the "analog" version, which just seemed weirdly off as they tried to make him look slightly younger than he was in the original trilogy. If nothing else, there's now more of a visual coherency to the Jedi Master in the prequel trilogy.
