A few days ago, we revealed to you how the next series Obi-Wan Kenobi would finally fill this “lack” of the original trilogya series which will be released next month on Disney+ and which will mark the great return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in the franchise Star Wars. And precisely, while Christensen will resume his role as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalkersome fans remember this controversial edit brought by george lucas in Return of the Jedi.
a controversial change
Young Star Wars fans may not know this, but the original Star Wars trilogy has seen many changes over time.. And while some were subtle and made real corrections, others received a much more mixed reception. This was particularly the case when George Lucas controversially changed the end of the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) with Anakin’s ghost.
In early versions of Return of the Jedi, Anakin’s Force ghost appearing alongside Yoda and Obi-Wan was played by Sebastian Shaw. But when the original Star Wars trilogy was released on DVD in 2004, Lucas changed this sequence, so that Christensen replaces Shaw as Anakin’s ghost.
As reminded ScreenRantthis decision had then drawn the ire of fans, especially since the DVD box set was released at the height of the wave of reactions to the prequels and that Christensen’s performance in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) had been widely criticized. For many, this was an unnecessary change in Return of the Jedi. But the creator of Star Wars later exposed the reasons for this change.
In an old interview with Christensen, Lucas explained why he changed the appearance of Anakin’s Force ghost in Return of the Jedi. For him, it stemmed from the idea that Anakin died (metaphorically speaking) after turning to the dark side and becoming Darth Vader. So when Anakin redeemed himself by saving Luke in the 1983 film, his “inner person came back to where we left off.” Plus, Lucas thought this change would be a good way to tie the prequel trilogy together with the original.“closing the loop”.
the reasoning of george lucas
You could say that since Vader came back to light and defeated the Emperor in Return of the Jedi, Sebastian Shaw’s Force ghost should remain intact. But by then, in Lucas’ eyes, Anakin had already been consumed by the dark side and had committed many atrocities in the name of the Empire. Anakin’s Force ghost portrayed by Christensen is clearly modeled after the pre-transformation Skywalker, when he was still a heroic Jedi Knight..
Even though Anakin had already tapped into the dark side on some occasions, he hadn’t been fully corrupted before. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). So, by that logic, his Force ghost in Return of the Jedi would look like the person he was before Palpatine corrupted him.
Lucas’ reasoning also explains why Anakin’s ghost in Return of the Jedi is that of a young man, while Obi-Wan and Yoda are old. These last two were lifelong Jedi and never turned to the dark side, so they have no reason to “go back to the starting point” like Anakin. And when Christensen returned in a cameo as one of the Jedi Rey heard in Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), this confirmed that Lucas’ change from the Return of the Jedi is definitive.
While it’s understandable that Sebastian Shaw’s version will always hold a special place in the hearts of those who grew up with the original Star Wars trilogy, it’s still good. Hayden Christensen who is now synonymous with Anakin in the Star Wars cinematic universe.
And to continue in the same theme, discover the reaction of Harrison Ford who admits not knowing what a Force ghost isjust here.