George Lucas' Star Wars special edition changes have been criticized over the years, but eight changes in particular actually improved the original trilogy. Jon Favreau has indicated that he doesn't believe Disney will ever release the theatrical versions of the original films, and while this may be disappointing for fans, it's worth taking another look at the versions available on Disney+. Some of Lucas' changes did indeed enhance the original trilogy, as well as make the overall Star Wars saga feel more cohesive. Many of these changes have been integrated into other Star Wars media, making them an important part of the official canon.
The Star Wars special editions may be hated by some fans, and Disney should absolutely release the theatrical versions, but until then, there's still a lot to appreciate about Lucas' preferred version of the original trilogy. The original Star Wars film had an extremely troubled production, and even in the later films, Lucas felt that he was held back from making the movies exactly how he wanted them to be. Revisiting the Star Wars trilogy allowed Lucas to make technical enhancements that were limited when the films originally released, but have now become staples of the franchise.
8 "Episode IV - A New Hope"
One of Lucas' first changes to the original Star Wars film was adding the Episode IV - A New Hope subtitle for the 1981 re-release. This is one of the most logical changes, as it would've been weird for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi to have episode numbers and titles when the first movie didn't. It also makes the original film consistent with the entire saga, with all the opening crawls matching when viewed in order. Lucas originally wanted Star Wars to feel like a story viewers were coming into the middle of, so seeing Episode IV enhances that effect if newcomers start with the original trilogy.
7 The Enhanced Special Effects
Revisiting the Star Wars movies after twenty years meant that Lucas could clean up the original negatives and enhance the special effects in certain scenes. While some of the CGI additions are admittedly dated, others are welcome changes that make the trilogy look even better. Examples for A New Hope alone include corrected lightsaber colors, improved models for certain scenes on Tatooine, a more devastating Alderaan explosion, and new X-wing and TIE fighter shots during the Battle of Yavin. The other two movies benefited as well, from the windows that make Cloud City less claustrophobic to the blinking Ewoks that seem more lifelike.
6 Reinserting Lost Dialogue
Another problem with the original trilogy upon release was that dialogue was missing in certain scenes, especially for C-3PO. This includes a scene on the Jawa Sandcrawler where Threepio is meant to say "We've stopped" before waking up R2-D2, and a scene on the Death Star where he's supposed to explain how deactivating a power terminal will allow the Millennium Falcon to escape. Luke Skywalker suffered from this problem too, as on Hoth his lips read "This is it!" but no sound is made. Thanks to the special editions, all of these lost lines have been reinserted, removing awkward moments of silence and giving the characters even more to say.
5 Making Mos Eisley Feel Like An Actual Spaceport
Ben Kenobi called Mos Eisley a spaceport, but in the theatrical version, it was relatively small and not heavily populated. In the special edition, however, Mos Eisley is a lot bigger and has more people, with ships flying in and out. It actually feels like a real spaceport now, and the special edition for Return of the Jedi made Mos Eisley seem even bigger when its citizens celebrated the fall of the Empire. This change benefited later Star Wars projects as well, including Mos Espa in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Having more activity on Tatooine also explains why Din Djarin would keep coming back in The Mandalorian.
4 Giving Biggs Darklighter More Screen Time
Biggs Darklighter had additional scenes with Luke filmed for A New Hope, but most of them were cut from the final version. However, Lucas decided to reinsert Biggs reuniting with his old friend right before they man their X-wings, building off Luke's earlier line about Biggs having left Tatooine. Biggs even vouches for Luke when their commander asks if he can really handle an X-wing, adding some credibility to the Rebellion letting a newcomer fly so soon. Of course, the biggest benefit of this moment is seeing how close Luke and Biggs are before the trench run, making Biggs' death even more tragic when he sacrifices himself to shield Luke.
3 New Scenes That Enhanced Dangerous Moments
In addition to reinserting deleted scenes, Lucas filmed a few new moments that added tension to certain sequences. One of the biggest additions was showing the Twi'lek dancer, Oola, fall inside the rancor pit, with Femi Taylor returning to play the character. The original version only had Oola's cries of terror, but now the audience can see her reaction to what's coming, which builds the anticipation before Luke's confrontation with the rancor. Another addition involving Luke was in the ice cave on Hoth, where the wampa can now be seen eating a carcass before turning its attention to Luke, showing exactly what kind of monster is coming for him.
2 Replacing Certain Actors With Their Prequel Counterparts
Many of Lucas' changes were designed to maintain continuity with the prequel trilogy, which included inserting different actors. Emperor Palpatine looked and sounded very different in the original version of The Empire Strikes Back, but now Ian McDiarmid appears for a brief chat with Vader. This makes Palpatine consistent across the entire saga, as McDiarmid played the character in every other movie. Lucas also has Temuera Morrison dub Boba Fett's lines since he was revealed to be Jango Fett's clone in the prequels, and Hayden Christensen appears as Anakin Skywalker's Force ghost, since he's who most people will recognize.
1 The New Ending For Return Of The Jedi
Lucas saved one of his best changes for last, creating an entirely new ending for Return of the Jedi. The final celebration was originally confined to Endor, but now a montage shows several worlds celebrating the Empire's defeat. This includes Coruscant and Naboo from the prequels, as well as Tatooine and Bespin, showing the fate of worlds seen throughout the saga. John Williams also composed a new, more solemn theme for the final celebration, adding more weight to the end of the story. It proves that some of Lucas' Star Wars changes actually improved the original trilogy, and hopefully the special editions will receive more recognition for what they did right.