The Star Wars the original trilogy may be a classic, but some elements haven't aged that well. This is certainly not meant as a criticism; even George Lucas implicitly acknowledged the outdated special effects while continuing to “improve” them with special effects. Star Wars Special Publications. “When Michelangelo made the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, looked at him and said: I'll do this part again,” Lucas insisted recently in his defense of the Special Editions. As someone who grew up with the original, unaltered versions, I have to admit that if he hadn't made some of those changes.
Strangely enough, Lucas has been taking care of a lot of things that I don't really feel like I need. As hard as it is to admit, outdated elements include actual plot points and scenes, meaning they aren't easy to “fix”. I also wouldn't want them to be “fixed” because Star Wars is a product of its time and always will be. Society has moved on and so has the franchise, Lucas' own twists and course corrections causing many of these problems. Here are ten that stood out to me.
9 The Force Powers Are Very Weak
The true power of the Force is rarely seen
After all these decades of watching, the powers of the Force have been demonstrated Star Wars the original trilogy seems… pretty weak. There are good reasons for this, of course, from the special effects of the 70s and 80s to the fact that there is a strong sense of power loss since the OT. Plus, the lack of “whacky” special effects all over the place serves to highlight a moment of true Force spectacle, when Palpatine unleashes Force Lightning – like never before.
The dark side seems a bit boring.
“The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force,“Darth Vader tells us first Star Wars film (which Lucas later titled A New Hope). This kind of interpretation sets you up to expect the grand, lavish Force powers we've seen in the wider canon; This suggests that the Death Star is nothing compared to the dark side. But from just watching movies, the dark side just seems a little boring.
8 Princess Leia's Lack of Character Arc
More than just a princess
Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia is rightfully seen as an absolute icon. She's introduced as a damsel in distress, but quickly subverts this by taking on her own rescue mission. And I still watch it again Star Wars original trilogy, I can't help but feel that Lucas didn't know what to do with it. The Empire Strikes Back while in it makes the rebel leader a love interest above all else Return of the Jedi his focus is to save Han. Leia could (and should) have been more.
The problem becomes even more apparent when you take a step back and realize what this character is actually going through. until the end New HopeLeia lost everything she had ever known – her home world, her family, her political position, everything. There is no real sense of emotional response to all of this, no trauma or character arc. Tie-ins have tried to solve this problem, but it's still surprising.
7 Lightsaber duel between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi
This is very, very outdated
The main symbol of the lightsaber Star Warsand we've had many epic duels over the years. Unfortunately, the first lightsaber duel—the one between Darth Vader and Obii-Wan Kenobi on the Death Star—simply doesn't have a good history. There is an obvious reason for this, of course; the technology was fresh and new, meaning the epic duels we now take for granted were impossible. Just compare that Acolyte's incredible choreography or Ahsokaor the unforgettable “Duel of the Fates” Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
As I said earlier, it's something that can't really be “fixed” without incredibly damaging the film. Sometimes when you watch an old movie, you just have to accept that the people involved were dealing with constraints that don't limit modern filmmakers. This wear and tear is part of their charm.
6 Computers and the Target Mechanism in A New Hope
Yes, they are huge, but they are really old
It's surprising how some elements of popular culture haven't aged well, but somehow they're absolutely perfect. This is certainly the case with targeting systems Star Wars original trilogy made as an homage to arcade games and more. These days, they just look weird – yet you can't help but smile when you see them on screen. This is one of the elements Star Wars I really hope it never changes (and I'm glad to see the aiming crosshair reappear Acolyte).
In general, there's something distinctly odd about the technology in the original trilogy – especially compared to the prequels, which seemed more complicated. The reason, of course, is that New Hope In 1977, it was based on an advanced technology idea that did not have a good history. Canonically, there is a convenient explanation for the fact that social decline was accompanied by technological decline during the Imperial period.
5 Luke and Leia's Empire Strikes Back Kiss
Now all together: Ew
George Lucas always liked to pretend he had the whole plot Star Wars understood from the beginning. If that was really the case, he certainly would never have gotten into the Luke-Leia kiss. The Empire Strikes Backa moment that now feels distinctly eerie. To be fair, Lucas wasn't the only one who thought Luke and Leia were another potential romance; even New Hope's account is designed to give viewers this impression. Alan Dean Foster Piece of the Mind's Eyewell written before ESBthe brother is quite scowling after his revelation.
That's the problem with a franchise that's always growing and changing; individual scenes appear in entirely new contexts, and in this case they are subverted. The most fun thing to consider, of course, is this What does Artoo-Detoo think about the sparks between Luke and Leia?. He's the only one who knows they're brother and sister at this point Star Wars timeline and he chooses to remain silent.
4 Return of the Jedi Slave Leia
Carrie Fisher hated it
Princess Leia's rescue attempt fails Return of the Jedileads to a scene that symbolizes almost every problem Star Wars has female characters. I've already mentioned that the fierce and independent rebel leader doesn't have a prominent character arc outside of his love interest. But Return of the Jedi then literally strips Leia down to a sexy slave outfit (which Carrie Fisher hates). Recognizing the problematic nature of this scene, Disney decided to never release a Slave Leia product.
But Disney tried to fix it. Princess Leia is now the Huttslayer, gaining fame and notoriety for being the slave who brought down the Hutt. Modern Star Wars Canon retconned him as an inspiration for slaves seeking freedom in the galaxy, though the Hutts weren't too happy about it. It's a smart tweak, but it doesn't make the movie any easier to watch at this point.
3 Boba Fett's fate in the Sarlacc Pit
He deserved more
The (apparent) death of Boba Fett Return of the Jedi is one of the most disappointing scenes of the entire film. It's worth remembering that Lucas built up a lot of hype around Boba Fett, planning to have him in a major role, but he reversed course when he decided to abandon the original sequel plans. The result is that Bob is treated like a big deal, only to be killed in a hurry in a completely uninspired way. With Boba's death, a franchise that excelled in “cool moments” is a complete failure.
old Star Wars The Expanded Universe quickly brought back Boba Fett. Canon did the same, but the results were equally disappointing; Boba Fett Book generally considered one of the worst productions of the Disney era. All of this is to say that Boba Fett feels like a story of wasted potential and Return of the Jedi is where the story begins.
2 Explaining Obi-Wan's Lying to Luke
“From a Certain Angle”
Why did Obi-Wan Kenobi lie to Luke Skywalker so much? In reality, of course, the answer is simple; he didn't, Lucas just changed his mind in the background. The famous “I am your father” moment is completely absent from Leigh Brackett's first project The empire strikes backit only occurred to Lucas after Brackett's sad death. It was a retcon and unfortunately made Obi-Wan a liar.
Obi-Wan insists he's telling the truth.”in some respects,“It's a pretty eyebrow-raising statement based on his hypocrisy. It means that viewers are left with a sly and manipulative version of Obi-Wan, tricking Luke into becoming a Jedi. is the first clue that appearances are false – It's just a shame because it feels like it hurts Obi-Wan's character along the way.
1 Return of the Death Star
Here we go again…
The second Death Star in retrospect Return of the Jedi as if it represents all the worst impulses Star Wars writers. It's basically a catch and repeat of the previous plot point, but amped up because this new Death Star is, of course, a bigger and better superweapon. This created a strange obsession with superweapons Star Warsone that continues to this day. Legends have Sunbreakers and World Destroyers, while canon has Starkiller Base and Xyston-class Star Destroyers. Each superweapon should resemble the previous one, while being bigger and better.
George Lucas launched Star Warsto create a great franchise. But he also started everything Star Wars' the worst nostalgic impulses, establishing patterns that continue to this day. To me, it's a story detail that didn't really age well in the original trilogy – because I know what stories and stumbles it inspired.