8 Moments That Almost Killed Star Wars
5. The Special Edition
While Star Wars had incredible special effects at the time of its release in 1977, the artistry and technical wizardry that went into those effects weren't enough for George Lucas. As technology improved, Lucas' desire to go back and fix what wasn't broken grew, and thus came the Special Editions.
In 1997, Lucas released Special Edition versions of the original trilogy to movie theaters to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Star Wars. It wasn't long before people could own their favorite movies in another newer, flashier format on VHS and later DVD. While the tweaks "polished" the look, a lot of fans hated the new versions.
CGI creatures and numerous changes were made to make the movies appear grander than they did in the 1970s. The new version did this, but not in a great way. For example, the practical effects of the seventies still look amazing to this day, but the dated CGI from 1997 looks disturbing, cartoonish, and awful.
Add to that the ridiculous notion that Han Solo fired his blaster only after his head impossibly moved half a foot to the left, and the whole "Han shot first" controversy came to a head.
The Special Edition may not have killed Star Wars, but it certainly made it much harder for fans to be able to watch the original theatrical cuts.