10 Star Wars Controversies That Divide Fans
6. The Changing Force Ghosts
The retrospective changes George Lucas made to his original trilogy have long been a topic of contention among fans. The theatrical cuts of A New Hope, Empire, and Return of the Jedi were all considerably different to the 1997 Special Editions. Previously cut scenes were added in, including Han's confrontation with Jabba in a New Hope - the original footage depicted Jabba as a human. Other additions included digitised backgrounds and characters.
Just prior to the release of Revenge of the Sith, Lucas made further changes for the 2004 DVD release of the original trilogy. The climax of the Return of the Jedi saw Luke share a touching moment with the Force ghosts of his former teachers and father. It was heartwarming stuff. Originally, Sebastian Shaw who played Darth Vader, appeared as the redeemed Jedi Anakin Skywalker, but after the DVD release Hayden Christensen was spliced in.
On the one hand this seemed like a clever way to tie the prequels and the originals together. On the other hand, it felt like a slight to the actor who portrayed Vader in his moment of redemption. Not only that, but if Anakin really did bring balance to the force, surely his Force ghost should represent him at the age at which it happened.