The Star Wars original trilogy may be classics, but some elements simply haven’t aged all that well. That isn’t meant as a criticism, of course; even George Lucas implicitly acknowledged the dated special effects when he kept trying to “improve” them with the Star Wars Special Editions. “When Michelangelo made the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he looked at it and said: I’m going to redo this part,” Lucas insisted when recently defending the Special Editions. As someone who grew up with the original, unaltered versions, I have to admit I rather wish he hadn’t made some of those changes.
Oddly enough, though, Lucas tinkered with a lot of things that I don’t really feel needed it. As hard as it is to admit, the elements that have aged badly include actual plot points and scenes, meaning they’re not really easy to “fix.” I wouldn’t want them to be “fixed,” either, because Star Wars is and always will be a product of its time. Society has moved on, and the franchise has too, with Lucas’ own pivots and course-corrections causing many of these issues. Here are the ten that stand out to me.
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9 The Force Powers Are So Weak
The true power of the Force is seldom seen
Viewed all these decades later, the Force powers displayed in the Star Wars original trilogy seem… pretty weak. There are good reasons for this, of course, ranging from the special effects of the ’70s and ’80s to the fact there’s been a strong sense of power creep since the OT. What’s more, the lack of “flashy” special effects throughout serves to underscore the one moment of true Force spectacle, when Palpatine unleashes Force Lightning – like nothing ever seen before.
The dark side just seems a tad underwhelming.
“The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force,” Darth Vader tells us in the first Star Wars movie (which Lucas later retitled ” A New Hope”). That kind of comment really sets you up to expect the showy, flashy Force powers we’ve seen in wider canon; it hints that the Death Star is nothing compared to the dark side. But, purely from watching the movies themselves, the dark side just seems a tad underwhelming.
8 Princess Leia’s Lack Of A Character Arc
More than just a priincess
Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia is rightly seen as an absolute icon. She’s introduced as a damsel in distress, but swiftly subverts that, taking charge of her own rescue. And yet, rewatching the Star Wars original trilogy, I can’t help but feel Lucas didn’t quite know what to do with her. The Empire Strikes Back turns the rebel leader into a love interest first and foremost, while in Return of the Jedi her focus is on rescuing Han. Leia could have (and should have) been so much more.
The problem becomes all the more obvious when you take a step back and realize what this character has actually gone through. By the end of A New Hope, Leia has lost everything she’s ever known – her homeworld, her family, her political position, everything. There’s no real sense of emotional reaction to all this, though, no hint of trauma or a character arc. Tie-ins have tried to fix this issue, but it’s striking nonetheless.
7 The Lightsaber Duel Between Darth Vader & Obi-Wan Kenobi
This one has become very, very dated
The lightsaber is the ultimate symbol of Star Wars, and we’ve had so many epic duels over the years. Unfortunately, the very first lightsaber duel – the clash between Darth Vader and Obii-Wan Kenobi on the Death Star – simply hasn’t dated well. There’s an obvious reason for this, of course; the technology was fresh and new, meaning it wasn’t possible to do the ind of epic duels we now take for granted. Just compare this to The Acolyte‘s incredible choreography, or Ahsoka, or the unforgettable “Duel of the Fates” in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
As I said earlier, this is something that really can’t be “fixed” without doing incredible damage to the movie. Sometimes, when you watch an older film, you simply have to accept that the people involved were dealing with limitations that don’t restrict modern movie-makers. This datedness is all a part of their charm.
6 The Computers & Targeting Mechanism In A New Hope
Yeah, they’re tremendous, but they are also really dated
It’s odd how some elements of popular culture haven’t aged well, and yet are somehow absolutely perfect. That’s definitely the case with the targeting systems in the Star Wars original trilogy, which were designed as a homage to arcade games and the like. Nowadays, these just look odd – and yet it’s impossible not to grin when you see them on the screen. This is one element of Star Wars that I really hope never changes (and I was delighted to see the targeting crosshair crop up again in The Acolyte).
In general, though, there’s something distinctly odd about technology in the original trilogy – especially when compared to the prequels, which look so much more sophisticated. The reason, of course, is that A New Hope was based on a 1977 idea of advanced technology, which hasn’t dated well. Canonically, there’s a convenient explanation in that social decline under the Empire was accompanied by technological decline.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope 
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The film that began the Star Wars franchise, Episode IV – A New Hope tells the story of wistful Force-sensitive Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who longs to leave his home planet of Tatooine to fight the evil Empire. After inheriting his Jedi father’s weapon, a lightsaber, Luke sets off under the tutelage of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) with smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to join the Rebellion and face the evil Darth Vader.
Director George Lucas Cast Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Alec Guinness , David Prowse , James Earl Jones , Frank Oz , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , Peter Mayhew , Peter Cushing
5 Luke & Leia’s Empire Strikes Back Kiss
All together now: Ew
George Lucas always loved to pretend he had the entire plot of Star Wars figured out from the start. If that were really the case, he certainly wouldn’t have ever put in the Luke-Leia kiss in The Empire Strikes Back, a moment that now feels distinctly cringeworthy. To be fair, Lucas wasn’t the only one who assumed Luke and Leia were another potential romance; even A New Hope‘s score was designed to give viewers that impression. Alan Dean Foster’s Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, written well before ESB, is rather eyebrow-raising after the sibling revelation.
This is the problem with franchises that are always growing and changing; individual scenes wind up in whole new contexts, and in this case they’re turned upside-down. The most amusing thing to consider, of course, is just what Artoo-Detoo thinks of the sparks between Luke and Leia. He’s the only one who knows they’re brother and sister at this point in the Star Wars timeline, and he chooses to keep quiet.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back 5.0 3
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1980 saw the continuation of the Skywalker Saga with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Although this was the second film in the Star Wars series itself, it would end up being the fifth film chronologically in the Skywalker Saga itself. Created by George Lucas and directed by Irvin Kershner, this sequel sees Darth Vader attempting to locate the Rebel Alliance after they destroyed the Death Star.
4 Return of the Jedi’s Slave Leia
Carrie Fisher hated this
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Princess Leia’s rescue attempt goes wrong in Return of the Jedi, leading to a scene that pretty much symbolizes every problem Star Wars has with female characters. I’ve already pointed out that the fierce and independent rebel leader lacks a prominent character arc beyond love interest. But Return of the Jedi then literally strips Leia down into a sexy slave outfit (which Carrie Fisher hated). Recognizing the problematic nature of this scene, Disney has resolved never to release any Slave Leia merch.
Disney has, however, attempted to fix this. Princess Leia is now the Huttslayer, having earned fame and notoriety because she is the slave who overthrew a Hutt. Modern Star Wars canon has retconned her as an inspiration for slaves seeking emancipation across the galaxy, although of course the Hutts weren’t so happy about this. It’s a smart fix, but it doesn’t make the movie iitself any easier to watch at this point.
3 Boba Fett’s Fate In The Sarlacc Pit
He deserved so much more
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The (apparent) death of Boba Fett in Return of the Jedi is one of the most disappointing scenes in the entire movie. It’s important to remember that Lucas had encouraged an enormous amount of hype around Boba Fett, planning him to have a major role, but had course-corrected when he decided to abandon his original sequel plans. The result is that Boba is treated like a big deal, only to be hastily killed off in an utterly uninspiring manner. A franchise that excels at “cool moments” totally fails with Boba’s death.
The old Star Wars Expanded Universe swiftly brought Boba Fett back. Canon has done the same, but the results have been just as disappointing; The Book of Boba Fett is generally considered one of the worst productions in the Disney era. All that means Boba Fett feels like a story of wasted potential, and Return of the Jedi is where that story begins.
2 Obi-Wan’s Explanation For Lying To Luke
“From A Certain Point Of View”
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Why did Obi-Wan Kenobi tell Luke Skywalker so many lies? In reality, of course, the answer is simple; he didn’t, Lucas simply changed his mind on the backstory. The famous “I am your father” moment is entirely absent from Leigh Brackett’s first draft of The Empire Strikes Back, only occurring to Lucas after Brackett’s sad death. That was a retcon, and it unfortunately turned Obi-Wan into a liar.
Obi-Wan insists he told the truth “from a certain point of view,” which is a rather eyebrow-raising statement in which he basically shrugs off his duplicity. It means viewers are left with a version of Obi-Wan who is sly and manipulative, deceiving Luke to shape him into becoming a Jedi. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s the first hint the nostalgic rose-tinted-glasses view of the Jedi is false – it’s just a shame it feels damaging to Obi-Wan’s character along the way.
1 The Return Of The Death Star
Here we go again…
Looking back, the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi feels as though it represents all the worst impulses of Star Wars writers. It’s basically a rinse-and-repeat of an earlier plot point, but amped-up because this new Death Star is of course a bigger and even better superweapon. It spawned an odd obsession with superweapons in Star Wars, one that continues to this day. In Legends, you have Sun Crushers and World Devastators, in canon you have Starkiller Base and Xyston-class Star Destroyers. Each superweapon must be reminiscent of what has gone before, while also being bigger and better.
George Lucas launched Star Wars, creating a great franchise. But he also kick-started all Star Wars‘ worst nostalgic impulses, establishing patterns that continue to this day. For me, this is the one story detail in the original trilogy that really hasn’t aged well – because I know what stories and stumbles it inspired.
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi 4.5 6
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The third film released and the sixth film chronologically in the Star Wars Saga, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi is a sci-fi epic adventure film that continues the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, and friends as they battle against the Empire. After a narrow escape but crushing defeat at the hands of the empire, the rebel alliance learns that a new Death Star has been constructed above the moon of Endor. With the war reaching its conclusion, the heroes will team with the forest planet’s inhabitants and prepare themselves for one final showdown with Darth Vander and the Galactic Empire.
Director Richard Marquand Cast Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , Harrison Ford , James Earl Jones , Billy Dee Williams , Ian McDiarmid , Peter Mayhew , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , David Prowse , Frank Oz , Sebastian Shaw , Alec Guinness