Why George Lucas' Original Star Wars Trilogy Looks So Different On Disney Plus

When George Lucas released "Star Wars" in 1977, he changed the face of cinema forever. The film doesn't fit perfectly within a single genre, as it stretches the boundaries of what is considered fantasy, science fiction, and Western. Most notably, the film's legendary visual effects were transformative for the industry, proving that random pieces of junk and found items could be made into everything from droids to beverage dispensers.

But while fans absolutely loved the "Star Wars" trilogy in its original analog format, Lucas cannot claim the same. The director has edited and tweaked his films ever since the technology improved enough to allow him to add realistic CGI to them. He famously released the "Star Wars" Special Edition trilogy in the 1990s, altering various scenes by incorporating digital elements that were impossible to create in the 1970s and '80s, and the digital version found on Disney+ looks different from both the Special Editions and theatrical releases, the former of which Lucas has barred from being rereleased for decades.

The primary reason the Original Trilogy appears so different on the Disney streamer is that the current versions were made using a new 4K digital conversion of the films, which Lucas shot on a Panavision PSR 35mm camera. In addition to the 4K format, the trilogy also features Dolby Vision HDR and Atmos support, which updates the films both visually and aurally. The conversion used the Special Editions of the movies, not the original 35mm film stock, so while the visual upgrades are noticeable, the end result is similar to the versions that were available previously.

Over the decades, whenever the trilogy was released in a new format, George Lucas couldn't help but make changes. He did so with television broadcasts, as well as Betamax, VHS, and LaserDisc editions. Still, the biggest changes came in 1997 with the release of the "Star Wars" Special Editions. These versions of the films added a significant amount of content, much of which was cosmetic.

When characters run through a hallway that previously didn't have windows, it suddenly does, with digital spaceships zooming by outside. The original Jabba the Hutt scene was restored for "A New Hope" (pictured), Lucas changed the song sung in Jabba's temple in "Return of the Jedi," and so much more. But the most egregious alteration, according to most "Star Wars" fans, involves Han and Greedo's famous cantina altercation.

While most fans will tell you that Han shot first, Lucas adamantly opposed this interpretation and "fixed" it in the Special Edition. He did this by adding a moment where Greedo inarguably fires his blaster first while Han's head moves (unnaturally) to avoid getting hit — neither of which happened in the original theatrical release. But regardless of which camp you fall into in the "Han shot first" debate, it's hard to argue that, overall, Lucas' improvements didn't make the movie better, at least in the audio and visual departments. Still, most fans believe that the best version of "Star Wars" is the unaltered original.

For years, streamers served up digital copies of the Special Edition releases; however, that changed in 2019 when Disney+ debuted along with the newly released 4K version of the trilogy. The conversion enhances the film's visuals by brightening it in some areas, making the colors richer, and making the overall image crisper. Disney's restoration also corrected much of the digital video noise reduction that was problematic in the Blu-ray and DVD releases. Additionally, the aspect ratio was adjusted from 2.35:1 to 2.39:1, a noticeable change.

The biggest alteration centers once again around Han and Greedo's disagreement in the cantina. The film now has them fire at exactly the same time after Greedo says "Ma klounkee" ("I'll end you") before taking a blaster bolt to the chest. Lucas made these changes during a previous edit he made before selling the franchise to Disney in 2012. One thing it inarguably fixed was the movement of Han's head, which now appears more natural than in the Special Edition.

While the 4K improvements and changes are mostly good for the film's visuals, longtime fans often still prefer the theatrical releases. There's a new intro and logo, but the 4K scan is the most obvious improvement and distinction. It addresses contrast issues, color balance, and picture quality, enhancing sharpness and detail that were previously lacking. While it's unlikely fans will get their hands on the theatrical releases anytime soon, Disney has clearly worked hard to improve the trilogy in the meantime.