'SPECIAL EDITION' CLASSIC IMAGE: ANOTHER NABOO CELEBRATION!

The Naboo civilisation, both human and Gungan, celebrates in epic style the death of the Emperor and the beginning of the end of the Galactic Empire, as they joyously teem in their masses within the streets and buildings of Theed City. A welcome over time additional closing scene fusing Prequel/Original Trilogies added by George Lucas and ILM to the DVD release of the 'Special Edition' of Return of the Jedi, back in 2004.

'SPECIAL EDITION' CLASSIC IMAGE: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE...

Deciding to slightly expand the lead-in to the demise of the alluring slave girl Oola to the fearsome Rancor deep in Jabba the Hutt's pit on Tatooine, George Lucas and Rick McCallum were luckily able to contact actress/dancer actress/dancer Femi Taylor, who'd return to her memorable if short-lived role for filming at ILM, and the new scene's eventual inclusion within the Return of the Jedi - Special Edition, which debuted twenty-five years ago today (March 7th, 1997) in the US.

'SPECIAL EDITION' CLASSIC IMAGE: RETURN OF THE WAMPA!

Celebrating today's Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back - Special Edition, here's a behind the scenes look at the biggest new scene/revision made to that film- an expanded version of Luke's capture and escape from his Wampa captor on Hoth. The scene would feature a new cave set build at ILM, with Harold 'Howie' Weed playing the creature (in a newly built suit/facial head based on early concepts art), and directed by George Lucas, who would excitedly make the film's original director, Irvin Kershner, aware of the upcoming cinematic changes.

The Wampa enjoys his first course. Storyboards by George Hull.

Planning the set, built at a reduced height to make the monster look bigger on screen.

Testing the in-progress new Wampa costume at ILM.

Howie Weed gets hungry as the old/new Wampa.

Don Bies and colleague Mark Siegel make a costume adjustment during filming at ILM.

Lucas confers with Bies and Howie Weed (who has oxygen being fed him his mouth).

Celebrating today's anniversary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_WdDXy4VS0

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: A FRIEND TO SAVE THE DAY!

Biggs might not be around to help Luke from escaping the diligent TIE fighter on his X-wing fighter's tail over the Death Star, but Wedge Antilles certainly is, making a surprise but no less welcome appearance to save the day, in this revamped effects shot for the STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE Special Edition. The entire 1997 20th Anniversary version of the Classic Trilogy returns to US cinema screens via the Alamo Drafthouse chain during August, and I'm sure it'll be a huge success.

More info here: 'Star Wars' original trilogy gets rare big-screen re-release | EW.com

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: ICON MARKETING!

They successfully put the STAR WARS franchise back at the top of the box office tree and won millions of new fans now joining in with the old guard waiting anxiously for the then Prequels. Yes, the STAR WARS TRILOGY SPECIAL EDITIONs were a big success (though fans at the time didn't expect them to replace the original versions of the films that had been so previously beloved in '77, '80 and '83). Certainly the goodwill and celebrations for the 20th Anniversary of STAR WARS carried over further into the VHS (yes, VHS!) release of this spruced up and CGI added trilogy, of which the above promotional piece (featuring all new character photography taken at Skywalker Ranch Archives) would be one most prized by collectors of the day.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: OUT OF THE TREETOPS!

The brief new sequence may not quite match with the existing John Williams 1977 music, but I nonetheless love this evocative shot from the EPISODE IV SPECIAL EDITION, where a Rebel sentry witnesses X-wing fighters lifting off from the Yavin IV jungle and heading towards the Death Star. It exemplifies the satisfying mixing of beauty, nature and technology often seen in the Classic Trilogy.

Interestingly, this visual idea for the shot was always present in the original script for STAR WARS-noticeable in the Revised Fourth Draft of 19th April 1976, depicting four fighters emerging from the mist enveloped foliage and heading skywards.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: FRONTIER TOWN!

With plans underway to show more of the planet Tatooine and the new Mos Espa spaceport with the then upcoming Prequels, George Lucas would, as a taster of things to come, decide to revisit and expand the scene showing Luke and party's Landspeeder entrance into Mos Eisley for the STAR WARS: SPECIAL EDITION of 1997. I personally think that this is one of the more successful shots mixing models and CGI from that newly incorporated/extended sequence.

UK fans of the SPECIAL EDITIONS will be pleased to hear that the British Film Institute will be having a special STAR WARS day event screening of the trilogy on December 13th, 2014, along with special guests and the opportunity for fans to win prizes. BFI celebrates Star Wars day | BFI

STAR WARS sets the style and makes the grade: The best 80s sci-fi film posters | BFI

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: A JEDI FIGHTS BACK!

Another one of Jabba's weird and wonderful mercenary goons is about to hit the tentacled and awaitingly hungry Sarlaac Pit, as Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker continues to prove his worth, during the superb Sail Barge action scene from RETURN OF THE JEDI.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: IMPERIAL TAXI SERVICE!

His attempts to turn Luke over to the Dark Side seemingly failed (for the time being at least), Darth Vader (here played by then ILMer C. Andrew Nelson) and a small entourage make their way back to the Imperial Shuttle, in an extra love-it or hate-it scene added to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: SPECIAL EDITION in 1997 that was designed to show us more visual imagery of Cloud City. Certainly, the loss of James Earl Jones excellently delivered line of anger: "Bring my shuttle!" was a casualty of the re-jigged scene that fans particularly noticed.

Storyboard for new scene insertion.

Later HAN SOLO movie director Chris Miller played one of the required 5'11 escort Stormtroopers, after a ILM casting call of which he was briefly working for the company as a young intern.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: A CLEAR TRANSMISSION FOR EVIL

Darth Vader communicates with the Emperor, now in the revised form of Ian McDiarmid, over information concerning the identity of Luke Skywalker as the destroyer of the Death Star, and his emerging powers as a Jedi- a situation finally clear to the Imperial Overlord in this fan controversial changed scene from the 2004 DVD Special Edition upgrade.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: CHECKING THE WAMPA LAIR!

An ILM technician has a check of the specially constructed set portion of the Wampa lair on Hoth, and its bony remains nearby, for filming of additional scenes for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: SPECIAL EDITION, featuring the beast chomping on a meaty snack before turning its attentions to Luke Skywalker.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: SKYWALKER FIGHTS BACK!

Luke Skywalker's Rogue Flight soars into battle against Imperial firepower threatening the Rebel Alliance's existence, in this great image from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. All of the Snowspeeder model and cockpit scene elements filmed against blue screen and incorporating difficult white background optical overlays would receive welcome technical upgrades and fixes for the SPECIAL EDITION release, as well as the incorporation of a once deleted line from Mark Hamill...

Watch the recent Blu-ray release and you'll also see that, in the model shots of the speeders, Luke's vessel has a rank denoting grey stripe running done from the middle of the craft under the front canopy between the blaster weapons, whilst all the other craft bear orange markings.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: BESPIN PANORAMA

A lovely CGI/model/matte shot showing a bit more of the Bespin Cloud City in daytime, with a few twin-pod cloud cars, too, added to the STAR WARS SPECIAL EDITION version of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in 1997.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: RETURN TO THE EXECUTOR

His personal quest to bring his son Luke Skywalker over to the power of the Dark Side now failed-the boy seemingly having chosen the path of self-sacrifice instead- an angry Darth Vader returns to his Super Star Destroyer, the Executor, within his personal shuttle, and which quickly comes to land within one of its large docking bays. A scene from the THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: SPECIAL EDITION of 1997.

With thanks to Chris Baker for the image.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: ARTOO DETOO STANDING BY!

Its not just the brave Rebel fighter pilots going into battle against an armoured Imperial space station with enough firepower to destroy a planet, it's their loyal and efficient Astro Droids, too- all berthed in the various ships utility areas behind the cockpits, including a ready to help Artoo Detoo!

A classic moment from the 1997 SPECIAL EDITION of STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: BEN'S HOME

We continue our series of 1997 SPECIAL EDITION fixes that actually work and enhance the Classic Trilogy films with this great ILM matte painting/ model combo of "old hermit" Ben Kenobi's home out in the dangerous climes of the Dune Sea on Tatooine. I love the original close-in 1976/77 shot of the small real-life fisherman's hut representing it in Djerba, Tunisia (with the Landspeeder parked outside) but this new addition, with the accompanying lone moisture vaporator, works well, I think.

Filming the model at ILM, and with the final matte background composite.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: THE "CAPTURED FREIGHTER"

Here's another SPECIAL EDITION image from George Lucas' revised universe of 1997 that I think works very well-a shot of the captured Millennium Falcon in one of the Death Star hangar bays. The expanse of the hangar bay is better realized, the Falcon, though a little longer at its front end, is more detailed, the floor pattern tilings match better from left to right and the bay's right side wall has continuity to Imperial design from later films in comparison to the one originally created in 1977 by effects legend Harrison Ellenshaw. No disrespect intended to the brilliant Ellenshaw though, as, at the time his painting was originally done, no real design continuity for the saga had yet been mapped out.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: CLOUD CITY LANDING

Another lovely ILM image to enjoy from the 1997 SPECIAL EDITION's, this time from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, expanding the locations and beauty of the universe that is the STAR WARS saga, and showing the Millennium Falcon confidently making its way towards one of Bespin's numerous outdoor landing platforms. Not enough was seen of Cloud City's exterior in the final quarter of EMPIRE and this moment/extension is one of several additions that opens things up a bit more.

Could a few more picturesque sequences like this be appearing on the upcoming Blu-ray disc/special features for the film?

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: BANTHA TREK!

Our celebration of great scenes/imagery from THE SPECIAL EDITIONs continues with this fun shot from RETURN OF THE JEDI showing a Bantha herd in its natural habitat within the Dune Sea prior to Jabba's Sail Barge being seen heading to the Pit of Carkoon. It's a lovely little moment/add on to the film which shows us a bit more of these intriguing creatures, often used for transport by Sandpeople, as well as adding another bit of evocative mystery and beauty to the landscape of Tatooine.

SPECIAL EDITION CLASSIC IMAGE: DEATH STAR APPROACH!

Before the onslaught of the love them or hate them Prequels, I recall that wonderful and nostalgic brief period in 1996-1997 when the world received the return of the STAR WARS Original Trilogy, restored and souped up with CG and other then digital trickery as THE SPECIAL EDITIONS, with bated breath and a great euphoria of excitement and joy that, after twenty years, it was finally coming back to the cinemas. STAR WARS destiny had come full circle, returning to the big screen where it rightfully belonged, and it looked like it was now never going to go away into limbo ever again, and we were all happy for that. Since the original releases, however, and going into the 2000's, there has been an upsurge in fan grumblings and moans about the changes made to Lucas's new visions of the film (some opinions I fully agree with: I always consider that Han shot first! It's in the original scripts!), as well as anger and frustration at the lack of Anamorphic versions of the original unaltered, pre-SPECIAL EDITIONS, being being released on DVD and, so far, Blu-ray, and a general mild but growing dissent, criticism and hatred of the SPECIAL EDITIONs in all forms, especially with the further changes made to them with the first DVD releases of the Trilogy in 2004. It seems that Lucas, considering the most recent versions of the Original Trilogy to be definitive in his eyes (surely until the Blu-rays in September!), can't win any artistic respect these days with a lot of the fans whatever he does linked to the originals.

With next year being the fifteenth anniversary of THE SPECIAL EDITIONS, I thought it might be nice, instead of talking about the things that don't work (as everyone else seems to do online), for AFICIONADO to do an occasional series on the moments, large or small, considered improvements by Lucas to the films, that do actually work and which should be applauded and appreciated, starting off with this terrific image of the Rebel X and Y-wing fighters in space heading towards the Death Star. This new shot is great (I love the original 1977 scenes, too) and I particularly liked the faster movements of the ships and the camera panning with them, adding to the excitement of the film's final decisive conflict.

Look for more great SPECIAL EDITION shots in the not too distant future...

10 Star Wars Changes That Were Completely Justified - YouTube