10 More Star Wars Changes George Lucas Made That Were Completely Justified

5. The CGI Ships Taking Off From Yavin IV - A New Hope

Star Wars Return Of The Jedi Vader
Lucasfilm

The best Star Wars changes are those which Lucas simply couldn't technically achieve upon original release - at least not how he wanted with time and budget constraints being what they were.

And so, the new CGI shots of X-wings and Y-wings taking off from Yavin IV and assembling in front of the Death Star during A New Hope's climax are tough to argue with.

In the original version of the film, the ships were simply shown as tiny white blips in the distance, but for the 1997 Special Edition they were gorgeously realised with impressively detailed, up-close VFX, which nevertheless still managed to feel consistent with the sequence's overall aesthetic from decades prior.

It's the sort of change that's good enough to make you forget it wasn't there all along, which is really the ultimate compliment it can be given.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.