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Posted: **2004-09-22 04:58pm**

'Star Wars' secrets, revealed!
By Mike Snider, USA TODAY

Moviegoers exiting The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 were upset that they would have to wait three years to find out how the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Darth Vader played out.

What Star Wars fans didn't know at the time was that creator George Lucas had his own concerns about the cliffhanger ending.

But his worries were about how children would handle the dark events in the second installment of his Star Wars saga, including Han Solo being frozen in a block of carbonite and Darth Vader slashing off Luke Skywalker's hand, then revealing that he was Luke's father.

Before releasing the film, Lucas talked to psychologists about whether Vader's revelation might emotionally scar children, he reveals on the commentary for the new Empire Strikes Back DVD in the Star Wars Trilogy box set out today (suggested price is $70, but it's available for $45 or less).

"My concern (was) that this ending really wasn't an ending," he says. "It was the bad guys win and the good guys limp home wounded. The films are designed for young people ... but they are really designed to be emotionally healthy, even though they have a lot of violence in them."

The DVD set not only gives Star Wars fans their first opportunity to watch the three movies with improved video and sound, but each also has a commentary track with Lucas, actress Carrie Fisher (Leia), sound designer/supervising sound editor Ben Burtt, Industrial Arts & Magic visual-effects supervisor Dennis Muren and, on Empire, director Irvin Kershner.

These commentaries and the bonus material on a fourth disc deliver plenty of background about the making of the films.

Here are five other things you probably didn't know about the Star Wars trilogy but learn on the new DVDs:

•Kurt Russell was considered to play Han Solo. Harrison Ford was a carpenter on the set and had been reading other parts for screen tests when he won the role. William Katt (The Greatest American Hero) was up for the role of Luke, which went to Mark Hamill. And Cindy Williams (Laverne & Shirley, American Graffiti) and Terri Nunn of musical group Berlin were up to play Leia.

•When Lucas was a film student at the University of Southern California, one of his professors was Kershner (Eyes of Laura Mars, Never Say Never Again).

•John Ratzenberger of Cheers has a bit part as a Rebel Alliance officer in Empire. Another well-known extra was Treat Williams, who had two uncredited parts in the film as a trooper on the ice planet Hoth and on Cloud City.

•Another problem for Lucas in the Darth Vader-Luke Skywalker story line was his fear that moviegoers might not believe Vader and Luke were father and son. So in Return of the Jedi, Lucas added Yoda's affirmation of the truth to the Jedi master's deathbed scene.

•Lucas reconsidered going back and glamorizing the death of bounty hunter Boba Fett, a secondary character who became a cult favorite. He considered "having Boba Fett survive and crawl out of the" mouth of the sand creature in Jedi. "But that doesn't quite fit in the end." [bolded emphasis mine]

The Boba Fett escape from the Sarlacc is a one of those classic and pure EU amends to ROTJ, originating in Dark Empire.

But apart from money, the EU never enters GL's mind....right....right?

Posted: **2004-09-22 05:12pm**

that actually sounds more like the other way around.

Posted: **2004-09-22 05:21pm**

While I wholeheartedly agree that Darkstar should and can suck cock the second part is iffy because of the whole prequel trilogy. Lucas has let us into his creative processes in some of the doumentaries for the making of the prequels and there were instances where they asked him stuff on camera "George what color is Yoda's blood?" He thinks about it for a moment and says "Green." right off the top of his head. No one said "Wait, let's check our EU sources."

I think the major problem that many folks that are not so enamored with the EU is that GL can violate it at will. He gives it no second thought. It doesn't constrain him. Sure he may agree with it (as he does with Boba Fett's coming back) but he would never for a second think "I can't do this, the EU says otherwise."

Posted: **2004-09-22 05:22pm**

How do you figure; it doesn't fit in well with the pacing and whatnot of the films, so he decided against it.

Yet Lucas was seriously contemplating adding a completely new scene from scratch, something he did only with adding a brief clip of Naboo celebrating after the destruction of the second Death Star. This would have been the most radical change/addition since the SEs

For DipShit to be right, you'd imagine GL would never think of corrupting his SEPERATE universe with EU drivel, would you?

Posted: **2004-09-22 05:28pm**

That's the thing, he was considering having Boba Fett survive, but he decided against it. It sounds like in George Lucas' gourd, Boba Fett did die in the Sarlacc.

Posted: **2004-09-22 05:33pm**

Stravo wrote:While I wholeheartedly agree that Darkstar should and can suck cock the second part is iffy because of the whole prequel trilogy. Lucas has let us into his creative processes in some of the doumentaries for the making of the prequels and there were instances where they asked him stuff on camera "George what color is Yoda's blood?" He thinks about it for a moment and says "Green." right off the top of his head. No one said "Wait, let's check our EU sources."

I think the major problem that many folks that are not so enamored with the EU is that GL can violate it at will. He gives it no second thought. It doesn't constrain him. Sure he may agree with it (as he does with Boba Fett's coming back) but he would never for a second think "I can't do this, the EU says otherwise."

That has nothing to do with what I'm saying.

DipShit and his like-minded-sheep's position is predicated on the assumption that GL cares nothing for the EU whatsoever and considers it totally seperated from his own personal universe. This makes that assumption unteniable.

With this, their interpretation of the alternate universe quote unravels.

Gil Hamilton wrote:That's the thing, he was considering having Boba Fett survive, but he decided against it. It sounds like in George Lucas' gourd, Boba Fett did die in the Sarlacc.

My impression from this and some other soruces is that the idea was discarted because it would break up the pacing of the film too much.

Posted: **2004-09-22 05:36pm**

Ok, now I'm confused, how does your bolded section affirm the EU? All GL is saying is that he was thinking of going back and changing it because of the character's popularity. Sort of the same thing he's been doing to the trilogy now for some time, constantly changing it.

Posted: **2004-09-22 06:36pm**

Because Boba Fett's survival is one of the first and most important EU inventions. Previously GL said that in his world, Boba Fett died in the Sarlacc.

The fact that he was willing even to reconsider and possibly make the DVDs' largest addition yet something which originated in the EU, even if he decided it wasn't workable, it not compatible with purists' assertions that GL has the EU solely as a money-maker and that he considers his universe completely clean of "that alternate universe."

If he was willing to consider this, clearly purists' claims about knowing the mind of GL are flawed.

Posted: **2004-09-22 07:33pm**

Gil Hamilton wrote:That's the thing, he was considering having Boba Fett survive, but he decided against it. It sounds like in George Lucas' gourd, Boba Fett did die in the Sarlacc.

No, he decided against SHOWING Boba Fett survive. Boba Fett never climbed out of the Sarlaac as he would have shown it- he blew the sarlaac open. It doesn't mean Fett is dead- it just means that Lucas isn't gonna add a scene showing him crawling out.

Posted: **2004-09-22 07:34pm**

I think you're making a leap in logic. You can read that statement absent the EU entirely. Fett's popularity with the fans of the films sparked that decision in his mind - that's it. No need for the EU in that statement at all. By shoe horning the EU's treament of Fett in that statement you're taking an extra step in his thought process that is not clear in the quote: He considered "having Boba Fett survive and crawl out of the" mouth of the sand creature in Jedi. "But that doesn't quite fit in the end."

Posted: **2004-09-22 07:42pm**

IP: Emm don't you just confuse a fan wish ('We want to see more of Fett and even cooler (preferably not just being eaten)') that led to an EU event with the EU event itself?
The quote does not state that he was thinking about it because Fett survived in the EU, actually the quote suggests he was thinking about it because Fett became a cult figure. (Likely the same reason he added him to ANH and allowed Fett to survive in the EU.)

I think it is far from being a clear example like the name Coruscant, it is vague, at best.

Posted: **2004-09-22 07:47pm**

I'm just hurt that his thread has gotten eleven replies while my humble thread only got one on the same subject. I guess being a big poster has some advantages in popularity.

Posted: **2004-09-22 07:54pm**

Praxis wrote:No, he decided against SHOWING Boba Fett survive. Boba Fett never climbed out of the Sarlaac as he would have shown it- he blew the sarlaac open. It doesn't mean Fett is dead- it just means that Lucas isn't gonna add a scene showing him crawling out.

The quote says that he decided against Boba Fett surviving, not that he always considered him surviving and decided not to show it. That's the quote; Boba Fett surviving Return of the Jedi didn't fit with the story.

Illuminatus Primus wrote:My impression from this and some other soruces is that the idea was discarted because it would break up the pacing of the film too much.

Where does GL mention pacing? All the quote is saying is that having Boba Fett survive didn't quite fit with what he had in mind, even though he considered going back and having him climb out of the Pit.

Posted: **2004-09-22 07:54pm**

It didn't hurt that he threw in a gratuitous reference to oral sex in the title.

Thread browser: "Cock sucking? Hmm.. Yes, please." *clicks on thread*

Posted: **2004-09-22 08:57pm**

I'm watching ROTJ commentary and it came to the quote, Lucas goes on to say: "Alot of people don't believe that he's dead." Uh....I guess the EU is NOT figuring into his thoughts on this. He also goes on to state that he would have written a more approporiate death scene for him that would have harkened back to Jango's death. Someone's not reading his EU. Bad George, BAD.

Posted: **2004-09-22 09:12pm**

Edited thread title- I don't need that name messing up my pretty forum, mmmmmkay?

Posted: **2004-09-25 03:26am**

Lucas also talks about how he now wishes that he had known Boba Fett was going to be such a popular character or he would have given him a more spectacular death.

Posted: **2004-09-25 03:28am**

Watch as in a few years time he will reedit Boba Fett's death scene to be more spectacular for the Director's Cut Mk. 2 and claim it was what he always intended.

Posted: **2004-09-25 12:07pm**

My idea for a better death for Bobba Fett is to have the Sarlack spit him out onto the sand. Then, when Jabba's skiff explodes, the flaming carcass of Jabba the Hutt will land on top of Bobba and they'll both go tumbling back into the Sarlac. The Sarlac won't be able to spit out Bobba Fett again because he'll be mushed into the gooey center of the lightly roasted Jabba the Hut. It'll be sort of like the Star Wars equivalent of a smore.

Posted: **2004-09-25 10:03pm**

Or how about he crawls out of the Sarlacc.. and he's like "I-I survived! Wow, I think I'm going to turn over a new leaf and give up bounty hunting and work at a children's hospital..." then suddenly a flying piece of wreckage from the explosion of Jabba's barge decapitates him.

Then there's a shot of some Jawas scavenging the wreckage later on (after one of those famous pan wipes) and a Jawa picks up his helmet and looks at it... just like the scene of Boba with his father's helmet in AOTC!

Posted: **2004-09-25 10:08pm**

Kurgan wrote:Or how about he crawls out of the Sarlacc.. and he's like "I-I survived! Wow, I think I'm going to turn over a new leaf and give up bounty hunting and work at a children's hospital..." then suddenly a flying piece of wreckage from the explosion of Jabba's barge decapitates him.

Then there's a shot of some Jawas scavenging the wreckage later on (after one of those famous pan wipes) and a Jawa picks up his helmet and looks at it... just like the scene of Boba with his father's helmet in AOTC!

Coooooool. The origin of Jawa Fett the next great bounty hunter.

Posted: **2004-09-25 10:54pm**

Illuminatus Primus wrote:The Boba Fett escape from the Sarlacc is a one of those classic and pure EU amends to ROTJ, originating in Dark Empire.

Actually, I think that particular brainfart originated in issue #81 of the Marvel Comics Star Wars series back in 1984...

Jawas of Doom

Illuminatus Primus wrote:But apart from money, the EU never enters GL's mind....right....right?

From Coruscant to Aayla Secura, it's obvious that he co-opts material from the EU at will, but I bet he'd be damned if he's going to let it constrain him in any way.

Posted: **2004-09-26 01:30am**

Fett mistaken for a droid? Leia mistaken for a prostitute?

And wtf, Fett with amnesia helping the good guys? What is this the Holiday Special?

LoL...! ; )

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