George Lucas had no idea how big of a hit his film would be when he released Star Wars to the world back in 1977. People flocked to their local movie theatre that year to see the sci-fi epic, and, determined to cash in on his franchise, Lucas then renamed it A New Hope and released two sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Given it was the biggest box office hit of that time period, that's certainly no surprise.
At two hours and five minutes, it's pretty long. However, it would have been even lengthier had the deleted scenes shown on the DVD and Blu-ray edition of the movie been included. So, we'll take a look at all of them and list the chronologically based on when they would have appeared in the film.
Aunt Beru And Blue Milk
In The Last Jedi, there's a scene where Luke Skywalker drinks green milk. This, normally, would be perfectly fine. However, many fans had an issue with the clip because of how utterly bizarre it is. The iconic Luke Skywalker, powerful Jedi Luke Skywalker, obtaining it from the teet of an ugly-looking creature is certainly odd to see. Many years previously, however, blue appeared to be the color.
In a moment omitted from A New Hope, Aunt Beru prepares some blue milk from within her kitchen. She doesn't need to milk any creatures for it, fortunately, and looks happy enough with the end result, even if we think it looks pretty sludgy. Ultimately, it seems this scene was left out because it added nothing to the movie from a plot perspective. But, blue milk has become synonymous with Star Wars in the years since, meaning that its omission may have done the product more good than bad.
Tosche Station
Early on in the fourth movie of the series, Luke mentions Tosche Station and his need to pick up some power converters. He's unhappy when his Uncle Owen stops him from going and it's never mentioned again. However, it would have been seen on the big screen had a deleted scene included on the 2011's Blu-ray edition of the movie been included in the final cut.
Luke goes to Tosche Station and is reunited with close friend Biggs Darklighter, as well as several other pals. They share a couple of jokes, and Luke is clearly in awe of his friend, who appears to have been away from the sandy shores of Tatooine for some time. They shed some light on how the planet is viewed by the rest of the galaxy, with Biggs' friend expressing a belief the Emperor wouldn't act if it was in trouble.
This, of course, is long before we've even been introduced to the character of Palpatine, and we enjoy the foreshadowing involved. The Sith Lord later makes his first appearance in The Empire Strikes Back before returning in Return of the Jedi, all three of the prequels, and 2019's The Rise of Skywalker.
Luke And Biggs Catch Up
There's more when it comes to the relationship of Luke and Biggs, stuff we really wish had been included given that it delves deeper into the Tatooine farmboy's state of mind. They both have a catch up outside of Tosche Station, walking around with drinks in their hands and both coming across as very relaxed. However, their conversation takes a twist when Biggs reveals to his friend that their current conversation could be their last.
Luke, understandably, is shocked by this claim and grills his friend to find out why he'd say such a thing. Biggs then explains that, due to his time in the piloting academy, he's been introduced to some pretty powerful friends who have links to the Rebel Alliance. Luke wants in, but Biggs insists he'll get another chance to prove himself. Little does he know he's talking to the very person who will end the Empire's cruel rule and will go on to become an iconic figure within the galaxy. This, perhaps, would have been worth including, especially as they refer to just how bad the Empire is, giving more insight into their way of operating in the process.
Searching For R2-D2
Early on in A New Hope, R2-D2 goes missing. We know what happens next, of course, with the droid rescued by Luke Skywalker with a little help from Ben Kenobi. On the DVD and Blu-ray, there's an extended sequence that shows the Tatooine farmboy and C3-Po racing to the rescue.
It's hilarious to see C3-PO driving the speeder, but, that aside, it doesn't add much to the movie, which may explain why it was left out. There are Tusken Raiders who are about to take the speeder out from high up above but they seem to think better of it. Thanks to The Mandalorian series, we know now that the Tuskens aren't necessarily bad people despite their previous acts of brutality, and this could easily have been hinted at many years previously had this moment been shown on the big screen.
Looking For The Droids
Stormtroopers search the area while an assortment of different life forms walk around. The variety of creatures help to flesh out George Lucas' world, but, once again, it's something that doesn't add a lot to the plot.
It does, however, shed yet more light on how useless stormtroopers are. They look everywhere but never find the droid they're looking for, and it's no surprise when R2-D2 and C3-Po, with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Ben Kenobi in toe, are all able to get away. It seems like the troopers reported their findings, or lack of them, to Darth Vader, as it corresponds to yet another deleted scene.
Darth Vader Orders The Search To Be Widened
Darth Vader isn't the easiest guy in the galaxy to understand due to his heavy breathing. Fortunately, the excellent voice work of James Earl Jones makes up for that shortcoming. However, there's a cut scene on the 2011 Blu-ray that shows Vader ordering for the search to be widened. Because it didn't make it into the final edition, that means the villain not having his voice dubbed over.
Vader orders for the search for the droids to be widened, and we only know that because of the beauty of subtitles. Otherwise, due to the way his voice is muffled, we'd have absolutely no idea. We like that he says things with authority, with his imperial officers looking uncomfortable in his presence. And, given his fondness for killing anybody who lets him down, we can't say we blame them. We would also want as little dealings with the Sith Lord as possible.
Another Luke And Biggs Reunion
We've already covered the conversation between Luke and Biggs on Tatooine, but they were also primed to meet again on Yavin IV later on in the movie. The pair both embrace while getting into their X-wings shortly before their attack on the first Death Star and another officer is present. He tells Luke that he knew his father, hailing the flying skills of Anakin Skywalker, though he doesn't refer to him by name.
The prequels show just how gifted Anakin was, so it's nice seeing this scene and knowing that, while it was left out, including it would still have kept the main story intact. Anakin's piloting skills make for some of the prequel trilogy's best moments, from pod racing on Tatooine to fighting above the skies of Coruscant. Of course, like everybody else, this Rebel trooper thought Anakin to have died in the great Jedi purge. He has no idea that Anakin actually became Darth Vader, the one responsible for much of the bloodshed that happened during Order 66. Chilling stuff...