Why would anyone edit Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope?
The internet is on fire with repetitions of one word: Maclunkey. For diehard Star Wars fans, Maclunkey is a word that incites immediate anger and resentment, and it’s all George Lucas’ fault.
This week, in the wake of the big Disney+ launch, fans of Disney’s family of properties flocked to watch Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
Instantly, viewers noticed that the streaming service does not have the theatrical cut available, only the Special Edition.
Yet, there was still one big surprise left for fans to find. The film has one change in the biggest scene in the film, The Greedo confrontation in the Cantina on Mos Eisley.
George Lucas originally changed the scene when the Special Edition hit theaters. In the scene, Greedo shoots first, painting Han as morally justifiable in shooting and killing Greedo.
Han is a scoundrel, and would definitely shoot Greedo before he has a chance to pull a fast one. Fans hated this edit.
The film came to Blu-ray in 2011, along with another alteration to the scene. Unfortunately, the scene still didn’t look right.
Now, with the launch of Disney+, a forth edit to the scene shows its face. In the fourth version of the scene, Greedo proclaims, “Maclunkey!” before dying.
A recent Vanity Fair report claims that the scene edit comes courtesy of George Lucas himself, made years ago before Disney bought Star Wars.
The line traces its lineage back to Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The phrase is Huttese for “This’ll be the end of you.” Either way, it’s a strange edit, and just shows that sometimes things should be left alone.
