George Lucas Removes Original Darth Vader.

Consider this opening sentence your “Grain of Salt” warning.

That said, what they are claiming to be an ‘Ain’t it Cool’ Exclusive, aintitcool.com has posted this rather disturbing picture from the upcoming “What-I-George-Lucas-Declares-to-be-the-Original” Star Wars DVD releases. (Click the picture or Here to see an enlargement) Apparently, he’s edited one of the final shots in Return of the Jedi by removing Sebastian Shaw (the guy who actually played Darth Vader) who can be seen Standing with Obi-Wan and Yoda, remember? – and replaced him with a young-looking Anakin. Why?? Who knows!! Yoda still looks old. Obi-Wan still looks old. But we’ve decided to throw in a budding new-character in exchange for the original Darth Vader – for no real reason whatso-fricking-ever.

Regardless of what people think about this change, it is a completely pointless edit that will only result in pissing off fans of the ACTUAL original films. Besides the fact with the unchanged ages of the other two, he’s editing IN a continuity error.

I’d love to say I’m buying these dvds. But I’m not.

**As a side note, I’d like to reiterate that if Robert Zemeckis released an altered version of Back to the Future with removed characters and obviously placed CGI characters and scenes, and then preceded to tell me that this *IS* the original version that I fell in love with when I was 10 years old, I’d be really REALLY pissed off.
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40 thoughts on “George Lucas Removes Original Darth Vader.

  1. yeh no affence, but i much preffer the new anakin better because he fits the part and looks like what i would say was darth vader and anyway my favourite character is Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader!!!!!!!

  2. Changing the original films was a bad idea on Lucas’ part. If he wanted to add in new things (cutting scenes, adding a younger Anakin, etc) he should have done it on a completely different set of the movies. But I don’t think you should get seriously worked up about it. Lucas created the films, and while he may be getting filthy rich off them and use them to make even more money, the fact remains that they are “his” films and he’s entitled to do whatever he wants with them, regardless of how mortified fans would be…

    I think he added a younger Anakin so people could link back to the previous movies, but still, it doesn’t quite make sense. If both Obi Wan and Yoda are ghosts at the age they died, then I think Anakin should be too, regardless of when he turned to the darkside, because he didn’t physically die. Anakin died psychologically, and then Darth Vader was “born”.

  3. First off, all I beleive George Lucas is greedy man who has grown fat on the money and support given to him by his fans. Instead of gratifying the pleasure centers of his fans (with who he could not be where he is now without)who still beleive he is the honest and caring man he was before. I personally, don’t like him and believe that he will burn in the fiery pits of hell when he dies.
    Second of all I beleive that what he has done was a mockier to the very esscence of Darth Vader and also to Master Yoda and Obi Wan. Not to speak of the other characters and fans. George Lucas this is a warning to you! Get overself man, return to your former glory or suffer the same fate as Anikan Skywalker, The killer of my favourite character: Mace Windu!

  4. “The point is that when Vader threw Palpatine over the edge to his death in ROTJ, he redeemed himself”

    Uh, so murdering millions of people is no biggie if he doesn’t dig the idea of his only son being killed?

    Please. Saving his son was a selfish act (though more “good-selfish” than “bad-selfish”) and he only did it because he liked having a son, not because he suddenly realized how evil the emporer was – he always knew.

    I call B.S. on the redemption crud.

    When it comes to replacing the old dude in that scene with Haydn, it makes sense. Anakin “died” in every way but physically when he lost his limbs and Padme died. There was no Anakin really, only a very bitter Vader.

    So when we see him again, he is as he was… as Anakin once more.

  5. Sabastian Shaw didn’t even play Darth Vader except for those two scenes in ROTJ (possibly 3 when you see only the back of his head). Personally, while I was shocked to see Christenson in that final scene when I watched the VI DVD tonight, I think GL knows a little more about the story he wrote, produced, and mostly directed than anyone else. It’s his, not ours.

  6. Basically I’m saying that–regardless of what the correct solution is–having Anakin appear as a healthy 78 year old man makes little sense since Anakin/Darth Vader did not live to anywhere near the age of 78.

  7. The difficulty is that neither actor is entirely appropriate for that shot. Hayden Christensen is 24 years old. Sebastian Shaw was 78 years old when RotJ was filmed. The character of Darth Vader was 44 years old when he died–much older than Christensen but much younger than Shaw. I presume that Lucas had an actor much older than Vader’s actual age play him because of his being a burn victim and generally medically infirm. The ideal appearance in the corporeal shot, I think, would be how Anakin would have looked at 44 had he stayed vigorous and on the side of the light. A lot of 44 year olds are quite vigorous and healthy looking and one would assume Anakin had the potential to look very good at age 44. But it would have required a third actor–a 44 year old in good shape–not Shaw or Christensen.

  8. Going by the theory of showing them as they dies, we would surely see Sebastian Shawn bald, and with scars over his face. Which we don’t. So the original wouldn’t have matched that theory anyway.

    I like to change – keeps the flow there.

  9. just some random guy: The point is that when Vader threw Palpatine over the edge to his death in ROTJ, he redeemed himself. That’s why he ended up as a ghost with Yoda and Obi-wan. It makes no sense for him to appear as a young Jedi/ghost .. do you follow?

  10. I have no opinion worth posting :P

    PS: Nerds should read the above statement before posting.

    Note: Really enjoyed the “not going to buy unless Greedo shoots first” post. LMAO

    Get on with your lives, they are just movies.

  11. i think that they showed obi-wan and yoda as old, and anakin as younger, because when vader killed obi-wan, thats how old kenobi was. when yoda died, he was pretty old too. but for anakin however, it is a totally different story. anakin was about that age when he turned into darth vader. so it actually makes sense if you think about it :)
    ps
    if you think im wrong, dont hesitate to email me.

  12. hey this is in response to the edit at the end of star wars where it shows the young anakin along with Yoda and Obi-Wan.
    some people slightly mentioned this but its what they were like before they died. and according to the last installment of the first (or second) trilogy its Hayden Christensen’s Anakin that turns to Vader. The Ghost in the original shows Shaw’s Anakin just before he became Vader. So i suppose it makes as much sense as the original, it just shows Hayden at the same state Shaw would’ve been anyway. i think it makes sense, or just as much at the least.

  13. Hey anyone seen Revenge Of The Sith i seen it and finished the game it fuckin rocks. GL put HC in to Ep 6 because it makes for a more emotional ending. the old fans know how it was but this really wasnt done for them it is done for new fans it is so a new generation will watch from 1 to 6 and feel a more emotional end and be grasped just like the old fans. I think if I had not seen 6 but watched from 1 – 6 with the new footage then seen the old footage i’d prefer the new GL has done good. There is one question though if you replace a DV with HC why not add Quigon to the mix if lucas wanted to piss people off he could easily put quigon behind yoda for a nice jedi death pic.

  14. GL does what ever he wants. I think he added HC to the scence just to say that old theory from “Bring Back The Force” was BS.
    Plus he changed the old emperor from EPISODE V to Ian McDiarmid from Clive Revill. Besides, I made the THX versions from 95 into dvd’s and I’ve got the movies from their original VHS release, hell Stars Wars was still just “STAR WARS” No episode 4 shit either.

  15. We only see young Anakin in his jedi robes. Lucas wanted to make episodes one thru three first but did not have the money to fund such a technological project. We never saw who was under the mask of vader until ROTJ. I think Lucas made a great decision in putting young anakin in instead of Shaw. It works better for the overall saga. Cannot go against the man that thought of it all. Lucas is right.

  16. wow!its amazing reading all these and trying to decide whether i like the theory that lucas was doing a “keeping the flow of 1,2 and 3” and making them tie into 4. or whther it was a money spinning scheme, because lets be honest he sorta has enough mnoey as it is and surely wouldnt benefit that greatly from doing this?could people please help me understand how he would be financially better off for it to be worth his while to change sebastians face with haydens, because he’s already worth many billions of pounds.it aint gonna make that much of a difference to his bank balance surely?! i am a huge SW fan and this isnt gonna stop me from seein Revenge of the Sith on the 19th. and i bet ALL of you will see the third one, many times over cos it will no doubt beat all box office ratings ever. so arent all the Lucas Haters bein slightly hypocritical? love and peace to you all
    x

  17. the point is retards that anakin’s former self BEFORE he turn to the vader mask WHEN HE “DIED”, but he returned. OBI AND YODA DIED WHEN THEY WERE

  18. I don’t know why the original Sny Snoodles scene was deleted from the reissue. That was one of th most classic scenes in the ROTJ. The flute, the keyboard; the man went out-of-his-mind. When did Skywalker Ranch cross with Neverland. Is there any hope that the ‘original’ episodes will go to DVD? Send me an email.

  19. George put Hayden in their to keep the flow going. Put this guy in their you only seen once and people wont relate it to anakin. Anakin turned from the Jedi to the Sith, so as obi-wan said, ” your father was seduced by the dark side of the force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happend the good man who was your father was destroyed….” So the Anakin Under the mask was not the good Anakin, it was not anakin at all, it was darth vader, and when darth vader died he died repenting of what he had done and the anakin that died when he became darth vader was the anakin that became one with the force. how do you remember a loved one that has died? as they where when they laid in the coffin or as they where when they where alive? maybe when you see things through the force the force uses images in you mind to bring that person as you knew them in life. Remeber, obi-wan didn’t look aged at all when luke saw him on degobah, he saw him as he was when he first was told of his father, so maybe luke had seen a hollow of him somtime? maybe when he went to ben’s hut to make his 2nd lightsaber he found a message from Anakin (Hayden) and remeberd anakin like he was then in the vision. maybe more will be clear when Ep. III comes out.

  20. I don’t mind the change, but here’s what Lucas should have done. When the spirits appear, show them as they originally appeared. (Sabastian Shaw, alec Guiness, Yoda,) then when luke looks back, he sees the spirits of some of the other jedi like Mace Windu, Kit fisto, Qui Gon Jin, then the original three morph into their younger selves. (Alec Guiness morphs into ewan Mcgregor and Sabastian Shaw into Hayden Christiansen.)

    I can understand you guys being upset, but my thing is that since this is Lucas’s baby, he can do whatever he wants. He’s the Artist. As long as it’s him making those decisions, I don’t have a problem with it. If say lucas died and some AH decides to make the changes, then that would be a problem because it wasn’t Lucas’ vision. (Look at the Gone with the Wind sequel “Scarlette.” and the Dracula sequel “Mina.”)

    Another thing Lucas should do just to appease the purists is to make the trillogy a two disc set. One disc would have the revised version, the other, the original cut.

    In the mean time, I suggest you purchase original versions of the VHS tapes off of ebay, (Get the THX edition, it’s cleaner) and burn them to DVD.

    BTW, any word on when Clone Wars will be out on DVD?

  21. I cant believe it. He has lost his old ways.

    He has betrayed us all I say. Can’t we wright somekind of massive world wide partician against this?

    I might as well spoil the secret about what species Yoda is, unless if everyone already knows.

  22. To Peter
    He looks the way he looks when he died, because HE AGED IN THE GODDAMN SUIT. If we follow your reasoning, then Sir Alec Guiness should be replaced with Ewan McGregor, and Yoda…well just replace him with that SHITTY Yoda in P.M. For God’s sake, people age, and when they age they get fat and grey. THAT’S why fans are pissed off. Lucas has made a mockery of the whole thing JUST SO HE COULD MAKE MONEY. Might as well get rid of Leiah’s face, and digitally superimpose Padme’s. He’s slapping our face, and only those who fell in love with the first three can see it.

  23. As a person who defended Star Wars despite its flaws on another post on this board, allow me to say this.

    There is nothing wrong with “us guys”

    Lucas changing this image to a young Hayden is only an offense because if you do recall, in Return of the Jedi, the precidence was set that you look the way you did when you died when becoming a force ghost.

    The problem is that he changed it to tie in the prequel trilogy, and it was a cheap stab.

    We know what he looked like when he turned to the dark side.. but he turned back to the light side before dying.. so why doesnt he look like that? Because of Lucas. Thats it.

  24. What the hell’s wrong with you guys?
    Seriously. It doesn’t take a brain to figure out that Anakin looks the age he does because that’s how he looked when he turned to the darkside! Yoda and Kenobi look old because that’s how they looked when they died/were killed!
    And why would you have another actors face appear in ROTJ when for the first three films, you’ve clearly seen that Haydn C. is the character who becomes Darth Vader?
    Why is none of this so obvious to yourselves?
    Trust me. I’m not defending Lucas in the slightest. After seeing the LOTR trilogy, I truly feel that the SW series is completely without emotion and depth.
    But hell, it was my “first love” and will always appeal on some level.

  25. Thus far I’ve been “ok” with the changes Lucas has made to the original trilogy (not that I loved all of them). The Sy Snoodles puppet and original song will always be better than the redone digital cut in the special edition. That said, removing Sebastian Shaw is going too far. Any news as to whether or not they replace Shaw’s face under the mask of vader too with some sort of “aged” Hayden shot? I hope not. In the end though, our opinion doesn’t matter. It’s Lucas’ creation, and he has the rite to do whatever he wants with it.

  26. The whole point of that moment is that it IS Darth Vader who chose to return to the light side. The original trilogy of films is 100% about the redemption of Darth Vader. Removing the original Vader guts the whole premise of those films.

  27. I think him adding young anakin’s face is a cool idea, because it links the two stories together and it also shows the anakin who was not part of the darkside of the force. If they show the original Darth Vader, then it’s like Darth Vader became peaceful and not anakin.

  28. To answer A.R. Yngve above, yes.

    Lucas is releasing a directors cut of THX 1138. Directors cut, not “special edition”

    I look forward to it.

    And I am all for Lucas making a million changes to the original trilogy. It just makes my Limited Edition Boxed set of the Letterbox trilogy that much more valuable. I plan on putting both my kids through college with it when I sell it in 15 years.

    Or perhaps I will create an underground secret society and charge money for public viewings. George will never know. He isnt invited.

  29. Lucas….hmmm…. I guess my general feeling about his treatment of Star Wars is that he’s gradually making changes until he can sneak replace the character of Howard the Duck for Han Solo.

    Would anyone else die for a Howard the Duck DVD?

  30. I have a theory about stuff like this and here it is; George is trying to alienate the fan base on purpose. I think he finds it annoying how people obsess over the films and pester him while he’s trying to find ripe cantalopes at his local market so he’s trying to put us all off of it.

    Or it could be that he’s just totally insane…

  31. Is that photo a hoax?

    You know what’s really sad? We immediately think, “It’s real. The fool’s going to do it.”

    So few of us are longer willing to give George Lucas the benefit of the doubt… we have come to EXPECT him to ruin his own work.

    For me the turning point was seeing the Episode IV Special Edition, the scene where Obi-Wan Kenobi says “You don’t need to see his identification”.
    The altered scene had been so cluttered with passing computer-generated street traffic, it had utterly destroyed a previously clean shot. (While at the SAME TIME the director had NOT cleaned up the blatant light-saber FX glitches from other scenes!)

    What next? Will Lucas start ruining his pre-STAR WARS movies too? How about a jazzed-up “Special Edition” of THX 1138 and AMERICAN GRAFFITI?

    “You know, I was never really happy with the police-droids in THX 1138… let’s edit them out, and add some real robots instead. And there’s too much white space in each shot. Change it to… blue instead. No wait. Red…”

    Madness… madness!
    :-/

    -A.R. Yngve
    http://yngve.bravehost.com

  32. Pissing me off doesn’t even scratch the surface.

    (If he was going to re-edit the film, he should have done something to improve it, like ripping apart those cute soul sucking marketing fur balls known as the Ewoks)

    I was going to buy these films, but this latest crap from Lucas is going to send me straight to ebay so I can get the original films on tape. No ENHANCEMENTS and no REVISIONIST VISION.

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