Changes to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Differences in different media formats: Theatrical version, DVD version, and the BD version.

Okay, now we're on episode 3, so here come some more changes!

 

LucasFilm officially stated that there were absolutely no changes made to the theatrical version of the movie. Well, that's not entirely true because there's only 3 (possibly 4) changes in the entire movie.

 

The Screen Transition

 

 

This change (the most well known) happens when Obi-Wan Kenobi is leaving Mustafar aboard Padme's skiff with C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) after defeating Darth Vader. In the above picture you can see an optical wipe that takes us back to Mustafar where we get to see Vader clawing his way up the lava bank. This was in the original release.

 

 

For the DVD release, the wipe was replaced with a traditional cut.

 

 

For some strange reason, the optical wipe was reinserted into the BD version onwards. I'm not quite sure which is better, so I'll let you be the judge.

 

Darth Vader's No

 

 

Okay, I obviously don't have a recording of this change, so just bear with me. At first, I didn't believe  if this change was real or just a prank. But now that I've heard about it from more than one source, I now believe in its existence. If you're wondering why I had doubts about it, it's because I never got to see the theatrical version of it. Anyway, the change is shortening Darth Vader's "No" when he finds out about Padme's death. I heard that it was LAUGHED at by audiences all over the world! How embarrassing! But hey, at least it was cut down to a point where it isn't laughable. That means, the No you've been hearing for the past decade now, is only a small fraction of the FULL No from the theaters! Now THIS is a change we can ALL live with, right?

 

Yoda's Arrival on Dagobah?

 

 

Now, I'm pretty sure you all know what this is a shot of, right? Now, I heard that this WAS in the movie, but only in the UK release (something Rick McCallum would be SO happy about). Then it got removed all the same.

 

Now, let's move on to ANH!

Changes to The Walking Dead

Differences between different media formats: Pay-TV: FOX, USA version, European version (e.g. UK BD), UK DVD/BD version, FOX TV version, International BD version, US HD-TV, TV version, Extended version, and the BD version.

Which episodes in 3 seasons got these changes? Well, let's find out, shall we?

 

Basically, these episodes got lengthened to make them more fun to watch.

 

SEASON 1:

 

Episode 01. Days Gone Bye

 

Episode 02. Guts

 

Episode 03. Tell It to the Frogs

 

Episode 04. Vatos

 

Episode 05. Wildfire

 

SEASON 2:

 

Episode 11. Chupacabra

 

Episode 16. 18 Miles Out

 

SEASON 4:

 

Episode 44. After

 

Episode 49. The Grove

 

Episode 51. A

 

Even without these additions, the series is still terrifyingly terrific!

Changes to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the TV Series

Differences between different media formats: TV version, and the Director's Cut.

 

Yep, even the CGI TV series has undergone some changes, but which episodes got them? Well, let's take a look-see, shall we?

 

 

 Yes, it's only the first season, but only 7 episodes (because that's how many episodes got the "Director's Cut").

 

Film Size

 

Now, on the left is the original TV version, while on the right is the director's cut version. Now, the DC version actually shows more of the picture than the TV version does, as shown.

These episodes have slightly extended shots & scenes along with new scenes & audio changes; & the credits have either been slightly accelerated and/or almost completely cut out of the TV version! Boy, am I glad that the DC version has all of them in there!

 

Episode 02. Rising Malevolence

 

Episode 03. Shadow of Malevolence

 

Episode 05. Rookies

 

Episode 10. The Lair of General Grievous

 

Episode 19. Storm Over Ryloth

 

Episode 20. Innocents of Ryloth

 

Episode 21. Liberty on Ryloth

 

Okay now, on to ROTS!

Changes to Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Differences between different media formats: VHS, DVD, German DVD, BBFC PG, and BD.

Okay, here we are on the 2nd movie, so get ready to see some more changes.

 

Chasing Zam

What you're seeing here is a slightly different version of one scene in the chase sequence. The pictures you see are from both the DVD version (left) & the BD version (right); so what's the difference between them? Well, the two middle pictures have switched positions. The BD is better because before, it looked like they were going through multiple power couplings.

 

Where Are the Speeders?

This is another part of the chase-sequence in which Anakin (Hayden Christensen) loses his lightsaber while trying to apprehend Zam Wesell (Leeanna Walsman), & thanks to Obi-Wan Kenobi he plucks it out of the air. Yay! But actually it's the speeders that I'm going to explain. This is another "blink and you'll miss it" moment. Do you see the long white light above Obi-Wan's head in the left picture? That's a speeder; one of the many in the shot. Look at the picture on the right, the speeders are gone! Why are they gone? It's probably because the very quick movement of the speeders drew focus away from the falling lightsaber.

 

Anakin's Nightmare

 

 

Now, this is the ONLY DVD/BD audio change in the whole movie. When Anakin sees his mother in danger, he only talks in his sleep in the original release as heard here. When the BD version came along, the sound of his mother calling out for him can now be heard. I don't really have an audio recording of it, so just believe me. One more thing about this change is the fact that Anakin just talking in his sleep wasn't all that great.

  

Jango Fett Head-butts Obi-Wan

 

This is so far the ONLY BBFC cut in the entire Star Wars saga. You see, the UK really had this thing against head-butts because they're an imitable technique as they call it. A 2 second long shot of Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) head-butting Obi-Wan during their duel on Kamino was excised.

 

 

The bottom picture WAS included in UK release of the movie. Now this is where it gets really funny! As you can see, Obi-Wan seems to fly backwards FOR NO APPARENT REASON! LOL! At least the head-butt was reinstated for the BD release.

 

 

Anakin's Confession

 

 

When the original release of the movie was shown, the dialogue for Anakin's confession of the slaughter of the Tusken Raider tribe to Padme sounded like this. The dialogue was briefly extended so that it now sounds like this. I actually like this version, because now Padme forgives Anakin's crime.

 

Jango's Malfunctioning Jet Pack

 

 

I've heard that for the DVD release of the movie additional sparks & smoke have been added to Jango Fett's jet pack just shortly before his death to better present its malfunction. It IS hard to tell, isn't it?

 

Padme's Reply

 

 

If you think that this is a most welcoming change, YOU ARE SO RIGHT! In the original release of the film, when the clone trooper asks Padme "Are you alright?" she says yes. You'd be right in thinking that when Padme says yes, she sounds like she wasn't hurt all that badly even though she fell 70 feet or so. When the DVD version came along, it was changed to a much more convincing pained expression of uh-huh.

 

Count Dooku's Escape

 

This is yet another switcheroo done by the BD that shows Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) escaping. Although, I do have to admit that the DVD version (left) is much better than the BD version (right) because with the BD, Yoda just stands by while Dooku flees. The first 3 pictures are the beginning for both the DVD & BD versions. Pictures 4 through 7 come after pictures 8 through 10 in the BD version, then pictures 1-5 come next. The last 2 pictures are the ending for both the DVD & BD.

 

 

Hand in Marriage

 

In the original release of the movie, just before the camera pans upward, there's a shot of Anakin's mechanical hand during his & Padme's wedding. Now, despite a few ticks and twitches, it remained relatively still. For the DVD release onwards, Anakin's hand now takes Padme's. Also note that this version of Anakin's mechanical hand is more animated.

 

Now, let's make a quick pit stop to the CGI TV series before we go to ROTS.