The original Star Wars trilogy is constantly evolving and that's not necessarily a good
thing.
Now, with the arrival of Disney+, we've been given yet another version of Star Wars: A
New Hope, the very first film in the franchise.
And this version includes a head-scratching change to A New Hope's most controversial
scene: The moment when "Han shoots first" … or does he?
Now, technically, this new change wasn't Disney's doing.
Like all the other perplexing Star Wars changes that have been made since the "Special Editions"
were first released in 1997, this latest edit is the work of creator George Lucas.
He's still finding new, groundbreaking ways to rile up Star Wars fans, all these years
after selling the franchise.
This was confirmed in a statement that Disney gave to ComicBook.com:
"The change was made by George Lucas, prior to the Disney acquisition."
Meanwhile, in a Twitter exchange between Uproxx Senior Entertainment Editor Mike Ryan and
longtime Lucasfilm employee Pablo Hidalgo, Ryan tweeted:
"I just watched the new Greedo scene from the first Star Wars.
WHAT ON EARTH?!?!"
Hidalgo responded:
"Ah, I see D+ must have the 4K version.
[...] This would've been done a few years back, by Lucas.
A final 4K restoration in anticipation of a 3D re-release that never happened after
3D re-releases fizzled."
In the latest version of the scene, bounty hunter Greedo utters a perplexing word right
before his infamous shootout with Han Solo… and it's really quite the doozy.
"Maclunkey!"
Maclunkey?
Thanks for clearing that up!
There are no subtitles when Greedo shouts this strange word even though we're treated
to subtitles for the rest of Greedo's dialogue throughout the scene.
So what does it mean, exactly?
Well, Slate helpfully points out that
"'Ma klounkee' is a phrase used in The Phantom Menace [...] which is translated in the subtitles
as […] 'It will be the end of you.'"
"Next time we race, boy, it will be the end of you."
If we have our dates correct, Lucas made this change prior to selling Lucasfilm to Disney
in 2012, but after the film's last Blu-ray release in 2011.
That's a pretty small window.
In the original cut of the scene the one that played in theaters in 1977 there's absolutely
no question that Han shoots first.
That's why he's slyly pulling his blaster from its holster while chatting up Greedo.
Not only does Han shoot first, Han only shoots!
Greedo doesn’t even get off a shot.
Try putting that on a t-shirt…
It's a cold-blooded move but actually rather important for his character arc, since he
becomes a better man over the course of the film.
Well, for the film's 1997 Special Edition re-release, Lucas altered the scene so that
Greedo fires a shot at Han and misses, prompting Han to fire back in self defense.
This change absolves Han of any questionable behavior, but one could argue that it also
makes his character arc less compelling.
Still, George Lucas doesn't see it that way at all.
As he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012,
"[The re-edit] upset people because they wanted Solo to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually
isn't."
Where do you stand on this brouhaha?
"Sorry about the mess."
Following the release of next month's Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, the
immediate future of Star Wars hinges on Disney+.
Luckily for fans, the streaming service has big plans in store for the franchise, and
you can stream the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
Meanwhile, The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story will hit the streamer when current
distribution agreements expire.
Disney+ will also be streaming The Rise of Skywalker once the film leaves theaters.
Right now, you can also stream The Clone Wars on Disney+ both the film and the series.
Or go nuts and stream Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance, loads of Lego Star Wars content,
shorts, and documentaries and, of course, The Mandalorian , the new series created by
Jon Favreau that's raking in rave reviews.
There's also a live-action series in the works that will follow the adventures of Rogue One's
Cassian Andor, as well as the recently-announced and long-anticipated live-action Obi-Wan Kenobi
series.
That will star Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as the Jedi Master after portraying him
in the prequel films.
In other words, Disney+ is shaping up to be the go-to destination for fans to get their
Star Wars fix for the next few years.
Until then… may the force be with you.
Oh, and one more thing:
"Maclunkey!"
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