Quote Originally Posted by Retardking
I keep hearing how these little changes are "ruining" the trilogy for some. I can't believe that someone that likes the franchise cannot get enjoyment out of the new iterations. It makes me a little sad. The movies are still the same. There aren't any changes in plot. To me they make enough sense that, if you take two seconds to consider them, they really shouldn't bother you.
Okay, agreed, point made. They are, indeed, minor, and shouldn't affect my overall enjoyment of the film. And I also agree that I did like some of the background stuff that he stuck in, particularly in the city with all the extra animals and such. But...
For example: Greedo missing and Han shooting second. If Han shoots first, it makes him a callous, cold person which he isn't (as we find as the movie wears on) and totally neglects his "scoundrel luck." By Greedo missing and Han shooting second, it reinforces these two qualities of Solo and subtly gives some character depth. He doesn't need to shoot first for him to have redemption later in the movie. He gets that by leaving with the loot and then returning at the end of the battle with the Millenium Falcon.
No no no no no. I don't think you get it. Yes, we are nit-picking -- the criticism is minor, yet crucial. It's not that he is or isn't a scoundrel, it's that he starts as a scoundrel, and grows. Character growth -- it's essential.

Also, the problem is, the obviousness of the change. Greedo shouldn't miss from such close range, especially if he gets a shot off first. It's like seeing the director in front of the camera -- it's distracting, and ultimately ruinous (alright, maybe ruinous is too strong, but I'd rather it was not in there that way). It was obviously done purely for political correctness -- how can such a beloved hero be so cold-hearted? I don't have a problem with someone's history, I know that if you love someone, you can't hold their past against them.

OTOH -- we're giving him too much credit. He doesn't really stop being a scoundrel, he just changes his motivations. He starts as a cold-hearted mercenary (money -- which, we find out later, is to save his own skin), but has his heart melted by the princess (or, if you want to look at it more cold-hearted-ly, he's hoping to get laid). But it's still for her that he changes. Mostly. So, quite frankly, no big deal (that he's a scoundrel).
And now the end of Return of the Jedi, having a younger Anakin Skywalker. Why not?
I actually don't got as much of a problem with this, except that he changed it. I think my issue is just that he changed it (revisionism). It's like colorizing.
The only person that should complain is the actor that played Old Anakin, for being cut out of the end of the movie.
Good point.