This Deleted Star Wars Scene Proves George Lucas Was Planning the Special Editions in the ’70s

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The Special Editions of the original Star Wars trilogy remain a contentious issue among Star Wars enthusiasts, and one aspect of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope reveals that George Lucas had been contemplating or planning these changes for some time. In 1997, during the re-release of A New Hope to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Lucasfilm made enhancements to the visual effects of all three films – A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, as well as reintroducing deleted scenes and other previously discarded elements. Initially, this decision was met with excitement by Star Wars fans worldwide, but later, the Special Editions sparked significant criticism from the fanbase. This marked the beginning of a strained relationship between Star Wars and its most dedicated followers (as depicted in the documentary The People vs. George Lucas).

As a devoted Star Wars enthusiast, I can’t help but acknowledge that George Lucas has earned a certain reputation as an artist who never stops refining and enhancing his work even years after its initial release, thanks to the changes made in the Special Editions. Interestingly enough, some scenes from the Special Edition of A New Hope, particularly those that replaced the original versions, seem to suggest that Lucas had been contemplating these alterations since the very conception of Star Wars.

The Deleted Jabba the Hutt Scene From A New Hope Shows Jabba as a Human Character

Initially, the character of Jabba the Hutt wasn’t featured in the 1977 movie originally titled “Star Wars” (later renamed “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”), but Han Solo, the Millennium Falcon’s pilot, frequently mentioned him as a notorious gangster that he owed money to. Interestingly, Jabba was initially intended to be part of “A New Hope”, with a scene showing Han meeting Jabba to discuss his debts filmed, featuring Thomas Declan Mulholland in the role. However, this scene was cut from the final movie. Later on, it was re-introduced in the 1997 special edition of “A New Hope”, using CGI to depict Jabba in a form similar to his appearance in “Return of the Jedi”.

In fact, when filming Star Wars: A New Hope, George Lucas had a clear image of Jabba the Hutt in his mind. As depicted in the original script, Jabba was portrayed as a mafia-like alien with slug-like characteristics. However, Lucas used an actor named Mulholland as a human stand-in, intending to replace him with the eventual alien design of Jabba. Unfortunately, Lucas wasn’t able to fully realize his vision of Jabba until Return of the Jedi. Nevertheless, having Jabba already scripted with a detailed design shows the expansive imagination of George Lucas as the mastermind behind Star Wars.

Jabba’s Appearance in Return of the Jedi Shows George Lucas Always Wanted To Go Back and Adjust Star Wars

The early planning Lucas did for Jabba the Hutt’s appearance in A New Hope, even though it was only a placeholder scene, indicates that ideas for the enhanced versions (Special Editions) of Star Wars were germinating in George Lucas’ mind since the very beginning of the franchise. It’s fascinating to recall that, despite being a groundbreaking movie in visual effects and sci-fi world-building, A New Hope had a relatively small budget ($11 million) and limited special effects for its time. These aspects were greatly developed in the sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. This expansion is typical of sequels to blockbuster films. However, it’s worth noting that there were many ideas Lucas had for Star Wars during the ’70s and ’80s that he couldn’t execute due to the limitations of visual effects technology at the time.

The introduction of the Star Wars prequels significantly transformed things, as Lucas was now able to realize his initial concepts for Star Wars thanks to advancements in visual effects, particularly CGI. This allowed him to create increasingly complex sci-fi worlds and characters. However, at that time, he lacked the necessary elements for Jabba the Hutt, a character whose original scene from A New Hope was deleted but serves as a sort of marker for something Lucas later decided to reintroduce into the film according to his original vision. This change, however, has not been universally welcomed by Star Wars fans.

Why the Star Wars Special Editions Are So Controversial Among Fans

Although Lucas incorporated numerous additional scenes and enhancements into the Special Editions of “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” and “Return of the Jedi,” many devoted Star Wars fans have expressed disapproval over the revisions made by George Lucas, as they feel these modifications significantly altered the authenticity that contributed to the original trilogy’s success as a groundbreaking sci-fi space opera. The controversial “Han Shot First” debate stemmed from Lucas changing the scene where Han Solo shoots Greedo, making it appear as though the bounty hunter had initially taken a shot at Han, which fans contend diminishes Han’s anti-hero persona and questions Greedo’s marksmanship. Other alterations like introducing Hayden Christiansen’s Anakin Skywalker in Luke’s final scene with the Force Ghosts of Anakin, Yoda, and Obi-Wan have also sparked controversy among fans. By revisiting Star Wars to incorporate many of his original, yet unrealized ideas, George Lucas unwittingly ignited a significant wave of dissent within the Star Wars fan community.

Numerous enthusiasts of the “Star Wars” series persistently request Lucasfilm to reissue the original versions of the initial “Star Wars” trilogy on home video and streaming platforms, due to this desire. In the long run, while Lucas succeeded in making Jabba the Hutt as he had imagined for “Return of the Jedi”, the cut Jabba scene from “A New Hope” underscores that a retrospective alteration of the original “Star Wars” trilogy, similar to the Special Editions, was destined. As is often the case in the “Star Wars” universe, Lucas had to wait for technology to advance enough to achieve what he envisioned, and his self-introduced modifications to the “Star Wars” series, known as retcons, ultimately disappointed the very “Star Wars” devotees that the Special Editions were created for.

All the Star Wars movies are available to stream on Disney+.

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2025-05-24 00:16