Featured Image Credit: Lucasfilm
Topics: Star Wars, Lucasfilm, Disney, TV And Film
One of the bigger Star Wars controversies lies in the various changes and retcons made in re-releases of the original trilogy.
The original Star Wars trilogy was released between 1977 and 1983, but several altered versions of the films came in subsequent re-releases for home video in the decades after.
Most famously, the 1997 Special Edition releases and the 2004 DVD releases made some changes to the original films that fans have regarded as being for the worse.
Considering you can’t actually see the original versions in an official capacity, it’s meant that younger Star Wars fans only have these as an official point of reference.
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I mean, I was three years old in 1997, so I didn’t actually see the originals until I sought them out much later in life.
Star Wars fans are currently debating over one big recast for a major character that appeared in the original trilogy, and it seems there isn’t a huge consensus.
Boba Fett’s role in The Empire Strikes Back has had several actors attributed to him over the years. English actor Jeremy Bulloch played the character in the suit, while his voice was provided by American Jason Wingreen.
In the 2004 re-release, Fett’s voice was redubbed with the voice of New Zealander Temuera Morrison, who played the character’s father Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones.
Since Boba Fett was retconned to be a clone of his father who was raised as a son, the voice creates more of a consistency between the original and prequel trilogies. However, some fans prefer Wingreen’s more stoic portrayal of the character.
“I think there’s also something to be said about the way Wingreen’s voice over is recorded,” reads one comment on Reddit. “There’s something cool about the blown out and distorted voice through the helmet.”
“It's the casualness with which he speaks that feels kinda terrifying,” reads another comment. “The character gained so many fans despite the short screen time because he just oozes the calm self-assurance of a career hitman. He's the only side character we see who isn't visibly afraid of Vader.”
That’s not to say that they hate Morrison’s voiceover, however. His kiwi accent stands out against the other characters’ voices, and it creates a sort-of uniqueness about the character.
“Temuera's would be better if they redid them tbh,” a comment says. “The intonation of the 2004 sentences doesn't really match the scenes.”
“I'm in the minority in this comment section, but I like Tem's voice way more,” reads another comment.
Who do you prefer—Wingreen or Morrison? Perhaps it all comes down to nostalgia, and which version of these scenes you remember most fondly.