On Tuesday, Star Wars fans became outraged upon learning that George Lucas had apparently digitally inserted a Darth Vader scream in the Blu-ray version of Return of the Jedi, available as part of the remastered HD trilogy out in September. It's a possible change which raises the question: Is a two-second "Noooo" really worth getting that worked up over?
[The above video combines audio received by io9.com with the original Star Wars video.]
[UPDATE: Lucasfilm has confirmed the changes.]
Admittedly, I don't have much invested in the Star Wars franchise (especially post-Jar Jar Binks) which is why I want to understand how a single scream is such a hurtful edit for fans. Especially since that scream takes up two seconds out of 600+ minutes of trilogy running time. I realize that George Lucas has been making subtle changes to his classic trilogy for the past two decades, including apparent additional alterations this go-around with more realistic Ewok eyes and a different Obi-Wan "Krayyt Dragon" call. But a scream? Is this just the fan breaking point?
George Lucas did not direct Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi and some may say that it is not his territory to re-edit the work of Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand. Still, though, Lucas created the intergalactic franchise; if he doesn't have the rights to add a sound effect, who does? Would you have preferred that the producer/director post an online poll asking fans for permission since Star Wars is such a beloved entity?
If this turns out to be official, it's not like Lucas plugged in that controversial "Noooo" and all prior Return of the Jedi editions self-destructed inside millions of homes instantaneously. Those old Return of the Jedi copies are still floating around in a galaxy not so far away.
ยท Darth Vader will lose a little more of his dignity in Star Wars original trilogy Blu-rays. Listen for yourself! [io9]