How Star Wars was saved in the edit

In February 1977, George Lucas screened a rough cut of Star Wars for close friends like Steven Spielberg and Brian De Palma. The initial reaction was overwhelmingly negative, with De Palma reportedly exclaiming, "WHAT???!!! MAKES NO SENSE! NONSENSE!" While superficial issues like rough VFX, stock footage, and unfinished sound were present, the core problems were much deeper, impacting the story, character introductions, and pacing. The film, originally bloated and confusing, was on the verge of failure. However, a film is said to be written three times: in the screenplay, during production, and most critically, in the edit. The rigorous and inventive editorial process, led by Richard Chew, Paul Hirsch, and Lucas's then-wife Marcia Lucas, was instrumental in transforming the movie. They restructured scenes, cut extraneous material, and injected clarity, tension, and drama, essentially rebuilding the film from the ground up. This video delves into how these critical changes, comparing the rough and final cuts using script references, deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes interviews, reveal the immense power of editing as a storytelling tool and ultimately saved Star Wars from certain doom.

The Opening Crawl Transformation

The iconic opening crawl of Star Wars, a staple from its inception, underwent significant revisions. In earlier drafts, the text was excessively long and bombarded the audience with too much information, especially for first-time viewers. It included details about the Republic Galactica, Jedi Knights, Dark Lords of the Sith, and the Emperor, none of which were immediately relevant to the unfolding narrative. This informational overload was a major point of criticism, with Brian De Palma being particularly harsh. George Lucas then enlisted De Palma and Jay Cox to rewrite it. The result was the condensed and impactful crawl seen today, which efficiently introduces the essential conflict between the Rebellion and the Empire, the Death Star, and the stolen plans, setting the stage immediately for the epic space battle that follows.

Rethinking Luke Skywalker's Introduction

The initial introduction of Luke Skywalker in the rough cut was a significant point of concern. After the intense opening space battle, the film jarringly cut to Luke and his droids. This interruption in pacing severely undermined the epic momentum. In the first cut, there were three intercut scenes featuring Luke before he encountered the Jawas at the Jawa auction, which is where audiences now first meet him in the final film. These deleted scenes, featuring Luke running, meeting his friend Biggs, and engaging in exposition, were deemed boring and non-essential. Editor Paul Hirsch explained, "In the first five minutes we were hitting everybody with more information than they could handle; there were too many storylines to keep straight." By removing Luke's early appearances, the editors streamlined the narrative, allowing the audience to be introduced to him naturally when he becomes an integral part of the droids' story.

in the first five minutes We were hitting everybody with more information than they could handle there were too many storylines to keep straight the robots the Princess Vader Luke so we simplified it by taking Luke out, and you don't introduce Luke until he actually becomes a part of the story.

This decision also enhanced the mystery of Tatooine as an alien world, as the first characters encountered by the audience were the enigmatic Jawas, adding to the exotic ambiance.

Strategic Intercutting and Imperial Scenes

The editors also meticulously re-evaluated the use of intercutting, particularly concerning the Imperial scenes. In the initial cut, pivotal Imperial scenes such as the conference where Darth Vader chokes a guy, the "Look sir, droids" scene, Leia's interrogation, the "Set the course for Alderaan" scene, and the "Vader vamping" scene were scattered seemingly at random. For instance, the conference scene, which introduces the Force, appeared too early, before Obi-Wan had explained it. This created confusion and diluted the narrative flow. The final assembly strategically reordered these scenes to control the flow of information for the audience.

For example, after R2-D2 and C-3PO reunite, the film cuts to immediate danger rather than an expository conference. The conference scene was moved to after Luke meets Obi-Wan, establishing Vader's connection to the dark side of the Force and revealing R2's possession of the Death Star plans. Similarly, when Luke discovers his murdered family, the "Set the course for Alderaan" scene is replaced with a reinforcement of the danger facing the Princess and the Rebellion. The Jabba the Hutt and "Vader vamping" scenes were entirely cut from the final release because they redundantly conveyed information already known to the audience. The information from the Jabba scene was efficiently transferred to Greedo through dubbed alien dialogue and subtitles.

Nuanced Edits and Scene Refinements

Beyond the major structural alterations, the editing team made myriad subtle but crucial changes. For instance, the unconvincing rear-projection shots of the landspeeder were replaced with dubbed dialogue over wider shots. In the stormtroopers searching the town, the reveal of the droids behind the door was moved earlier in the scene for increased suspense by reversing a shot of the door opening and adding R2's line, "Lock the door, R2."

The scene in Obi-Wan's house was re-ordered to prevent it from appearing heartless. Originally, Luke and Obi-Wan would watch Leia's message, then play with lightsabers, and finally consider helping her, creating a lag between her plea and their decision. The re-edited version starts with discussions about Luke's father and the Force, leading into the hologram and then their decision, making their response more immediate and compassionate. The sound design by Ben Burtt for R2-D2 also influenced the editing, as reactive shots of the droid were strategically inserted to enhance character interactions. A shot of the heroes buckling their seatbelts, initially placed right before the Falcon jumps to lightspeed, was moved earlier to amplify the intensity of the chase sequence.

On the Death Star, an important piece of exposition was added using inserts and voiceover to clarify that Obi-Wan was disabling the tractor beam for their escape: "The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave." These subtle yet impactful changes collectively refined the film's rhythm, clarity, and emotional impact.

The Climactic Finale and Marcia Lucas's Masterstroke

The most substantial structural change occurred in the finale, specifically the Battle of Yavin. As originally written and cut, the Death Star was not an immediate threat to the Rebel base; it was simply waiting to be destroyed. This lack of urgency significantly diminished the stakes and the triumph of the victory. Marcia Lucas was instrumental in re-cutting the trench run from the ground up, notably by removing Luke's initial unsuccessful run and, crucially, by incorporating the notion that the Death Star was moments away from incinerating the Rebel base. This critical element of impending doom was "editorially manufactured," achieved through off-screen dialogue over inserts and the clever reuse of existing footage, such as a shot from the Alderaan arrival repurposed to show the Death Star's proximity. This added stakes transformed the battle into a desperate fight for survival, making the eventual victory far more thrilling and meaningful.

You may fire when ready if there's no threat to the rebels then there's no joy in the victory Essentially they just went and killed a bunch of people Which they did but now it's a fight for their own survival So there you have it huh Okay The intent of this video was never to dwell on the fact that George Lucas went back and made changes to the original trilogy because Star Wars fans are so hardcore that they've restored the theatrical versions themselves and It was this version of the film that received the Academy Award for Best editing the winners are Paul Hirsch Marshall Lucas and Richard Childress Star Wars along with Ben Burtt for his amazing sound design ILM for their groundbreaking visual effects and John Williams for his incredible original score Every step of post-production on Star Wars reflected a revolutionary commitment to the craft every frame every Sound efficient every piece of dial Yosh the Foss lope was given an intense level of consideration Looking at how they refine the film through alumnus craftsmanship should be a lesson to us all Do I think George Lucas made tons of unnecessary changes Yes, I do But for whatever reason he's continued to go back and re-edit these films. He said quote. I really enjoy editing the most It's the part. I have the most control over. It's the part. I can deal with the easiest it's the part I can rely on the most to save things for better, or worse Everyone has their ace in the hole mine's editing end quote And so for better or worse Star Wars was saved in the Edit however I think George is ace in the hole was that he surrounded himself with an incredible team of people to work with and for listening and Collaborating with them to help refine his incredible vision Now I'd like to take the time to give a very special Thanks to Garret Gilchrist This essay owes its entire existence to Gerrits research and his monumental opus Star Wars. Deleted magic revisited I highly encourage you to check it out another huge. Debt is owed to JW Rinzler for his book the making of Star Wars and for more on this topic. We'll provide links below Thanks for watching and may the force be with you always Hey, Joey schoo Mihir if you're still here that means you either love Star Wars or filmmaking or both? Be sure to check out our film school channel right over here for more filmmaking tutorials. We'll see you next time. Okay. Bye You can turn off closed captions by clicking on the CC button below

Takeaways

The Power of Editing: The success of Star Wars was not a given; it was fundamentally shaped and salvaged during the extensive and transformative editing process, demonstrating editing's crucial role as a storytelling tool.
Streamlining the Opening: The initial long and information-dense opening crawl was condensed for clarity and conciseness, immediately focusing the audience on the core conflict.
Delayed Protagonist Introduction: Luke Skywalker's introduction was intentionally delayed to align with his direct involvement in the main plot, preventing narrative interruptions and enhancing the mystery of Tatooine.
Strategic Scene Reordering: Imperial scenes were meticulously reordered to control information flow, introduce concepts like the Force logically, and maintain narrative tension, leading to immediate payoffs.
Eliminating Redundancy: Unnecessary scenes, like the Jabba the Hutt and Vader "vamping" sequences, were cut to avoid repeating information the audience already knew, relying on more concise methods like dialogue and subtitles.
Subtle Refinements and Problem Solving: Numerous nuanced edits, from improving visual effects to re-sequencing character interactions and adding expository dialogue, finely tuned the film's pacing, suspense, and emotional impact.
Creating Stakes in the Finale: Marcia Lucas's critical decision to introduce the imminent destruction of the Rebel base transformed the Battle of Yavin from a simple mission into a desperate fight for survival, significantly elevating the stakes and joy of victory.
Collaboration and Vision: While George Lucas emphasized editing as his "ace in the hole," the video highlights that his true strength lay in surrounding himself with an incredible team of editors and collaborating with them to refine his vision.