Earlier this week, I rewatched the first three Star Wars films — A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi — and live-tweeted some reactions. (See also my live-tweet of a rewatch of the prequel trilogy.) Here’s how it went down on Twitter:
Rewatching orig #StarWars in prep for 3rd viewing of #ForceAwakens. Nearly 40 yrs old & doesn’t look dated at all.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 5, 2016
@maryannjohanson Ok the legality of the thing is somewhat questionable but, have you tried getting the "Despecialized Edition" of the films?
— Deacon Blues (@runveiler) January 5, 2016
@maryannjohanson a guy took a huge amount of different sources to reconstruct a HD version of the first three SW and it's basically perfect
— Deacon Blues (@runveiler) January 5, 2016
@runveiler I’ve heard of them but I’m going w/ what’s availability legitimately today. Maybe someday we’ll get the original originals again.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 5, 2016
@maryannjohanson I completely understand. They did a wonderful job still, it's almost worth it for the color correction alone.
— Deacon Blues (@runveiler) January 5, 2016
“I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father.” I STILL want this… #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 5, 2016
I can only see Han shooting first. Always. #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 5, 2016
Do kids today realize their mothers & aunties’ sexual awakenings came courtesy of Han Solo? Still swooning decades on… #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 5, 2016
Leis is the original sci-fi badass chick. Predates Ripley by two years. #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
(Fucking autocorrect. “Leis” for “Leia”? Argh.) #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson I typed in Han Shit First and it changed it to Shot so I think we're good.
— Bon G. Water (@MisterBongwater) January 6, 2016
@MisterBongwater Regular bathroom habits are essential when your traveling interplanetarily. Good to stay regular.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Love how easily Threepio lies (to stormtrooper on Death Star) and gets away with it. Don’t people know droids can lie? #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Oh dear. Luke crushing on his sister is the saddest thing ever. #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Oh dear. Luke crushing on his sister is the saddest thing ever. #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson Basically they’re ROUSes.
— Jandy Hardesty (@faithx5) January 6, 2016
@faithx5 I suppose there’s a Fire Swamp on Tattoine too. I mean, that would be just typical.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson I don’t know if there’s enough water on Tattooine to support a swamp, though. I’m sure Dagobah or Endor has one, though.
— Jandy Hardesty (@faithx5) January 6, 2016
@faithx5 It’s a sand swamp, obvs :-)
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Wedge! #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson Luke's friend Biggs (from the deleted scenes) buys it too. But, Luke is never shown mourning or anything. Sad really.
— Jean-Luc's Owner (@PatrickDodds3) January 6, 2016
@PatrickDodds3 True. Sad.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Don’t use the targeting computer, dumbass. Use the Force. #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
I always knew there was more to Han Solo than money. Like always shooting first. #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
I like to think Chewie turned down a medal b/c he sees no need for displays of personal adornment hairless apes engage in. #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
On to The Empire Strikes Back… #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed…
— Angry Moderate 2020 (@PaulWartenberg) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson by far the best of the lot!!!
— John A. Nesbit (@moviegeekjn) January 6, 2016
@moviegeekjn Agreed! The Force is strong with this one.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
If Han needs any help staying warm on Hoth, I volunteer. I mean, for the Rebellion. #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
I bet Han Solo smells *great* on the outside. Like Alderaanian whisky (which is now quite rare, of course). #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Thanks to Han Solo, my sexual orientation is basically thigh-holster. #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson I have to go, but do you like Lando too? I think he's pretty awesome.
— Jean-Luc's Owner (@PatrickDodds3) January 6, 2016
@PatrickDodds3 Lando is the real scoundrel.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson If Han Solo was on Alderaan, he would have taken some Alderaanian whisky and hidden in an Alderaanian fridge #ESB
— Timothy Byrne (@TByrne75) January 6, 2016
@TByrne75 I’m sure he was and did!
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Imperial walkers. I hate these guys. #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Wedge! #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
“Imperial March” is so definitively #StarWars it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t introduced until #EmpireStrikesBack. #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
“Oh, I met him in a swamp/Down on Dagobah/Where it bubbles all the time/Like a giant carbonated soda/S-O-D-A soda” #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Ugh, that first glimpse of the back of Vader’s scarred head. #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Mark Hamill spends most of this movie acting against a muppet & a robot, and totally sells it. Underappreciated perf. #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Luke’s face in Vader mask in Dark Side tree. The roots of Flick Filosopher might be in 11-year-old me going “Whoa.” #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Love that Vader has guys who just stand around waiting for bodies to clear away. #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Han and Leia totally did it on Bespin. #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson I think they did it on the Falcon on the way to Bespin.
— Mark Cogan (@marqcogan) January 6, 2016
@marqcogan An argument could be made for that, too :-)
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson I figure Luke spent months on Degobah, so the trip to Bespin was that long, with plenty of time for things to … develop.
— Mark Cogan (@marqcogan) January 6, 2016
@marqcogan Could be. We don’t get a good sense of time passing in any of the movies.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
So it’s to be torture, then… #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
“I am your father.” Still has so much power. #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Do we know for sure that when Yoda says “There is another” that he means Leia? Could there be another another? #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson Obi-Wan confirms it, and Leia seems to realize it.
— Resistance is not futile (@pestoquiche80s) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson – friends who watched #ESB at cinema all thought it was Han
— Becky M (@becky_monster) January 6, 2016
So, can Star Destoyers actually destroy stars, or is that just militaristic bravado or propaganda? #StarWarsRewatch #ESB
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
And it’s on to #ReturnOfTheJedi. I shall use the Force to stay awake. #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson Luke Skywalker has returned to his home planet of Tatooine in an attempt to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of
— Angry Moderate 2020 (@PaulWartenberg) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt
— Angry Moderate 2020 (@PaulWartenberg) January 6, 2016
The Droid Chamber of Horrors beneath Jabba’s palace… #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson I loved a passage from the novelization. Jabba: I was killing your kind when being a Jedi meant something.
— Angry Moderate 2020 (@PaulWartenberg) January 6, 2016
@PaulWartenberg Brilliant!
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Han speaks a lot of languages! Chewie’s, Jabba’s… I wonder if he can understand Artoo as well… #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson ah but does he speak them or merely understand them?
— Nathaniel Rogers (@nathanielr) January 6, 2016
@nathanielr True, maybe he only understands. It’s still impressive.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson I thought Jabba spoke Han's in SW (aka NH)
— AppliedNewtonian (@refunfunyadora) January 6, 2016
@refunfunyadora Nope. Han speaks English to Jabba… which Jabba understands without a translator! (Maybe he doesn’t really need one?)
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson I've got to rewatch
…thought in dock when Millennium Falcon needs to leave w/ ObiWan and Luke…— AppliedNewtonian (@refunfunyadora) January 6, 2016
@refunfunyadora Yup, that’s the scene I’m referring to. Han speaks English, Jabba speaks his language, and they understand each other fine.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Ugh, the metal bikini. There was never a chance that Lucas would fix that with new CGI, I suppose… #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson BUT she did kill the guy that made her put it on… oh wait that was Lucas.
— Bon G. Water (@MisterBongwater) January 6, 2016
@MisterBongwater Watching her kill Jabba is satisfying, though.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson It was actually plastic as I understand it.
— John Scalzi (@scalzi) January 6, 2016
@scalzi Plastic is slightly more comfortable, perhaps.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Funny how “You will bring Captain Solo to me” never works when I try it… #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
I love how priestly Luke is in his new black getup. #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Aww, the rancor keeper who is sad his pet died. #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Do you think bantha tipping is a thing bored kids do on Tatooine? #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
The new CGI sarlaac looks like Audrey II! #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Who died and made this guy emperor, anyway? Is there a dynasty? Are there other members of a royal family? #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson you've mentally retconned the prequels, eh?
— Ide Cyan (@ide_cyan) January 6, 2016
@ide_cyan Have I? I haven’t seen them in ages and don’t recall many details.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson the rise to power of the emperor is pretty central to the prequels' story.
— Ide Cyan (@ide_cyan) January 6, 2016
@ide_cyan I’m gonna rewatch those tomorrow!
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Secret sister? Well, of course it’s Leia. There are no other women in the galaxy! #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson She's not impressed now. pic.twitter.com/XOLG8s5vDm
— Timothy Byrne (@TByrne75) January 6, 2016
@TByrne75 Sure, *now* there’s a second woman in the galaxy!
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Wedge! #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
When someone asks if you’re a god, Threepio, you say yes. #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Luke gets so close to the Dark Side. He’s already part machine, he’s started wearing black… #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson If he does not turn to the "Dark Side" then perhaps she will
— Simon Waite (@thecinemascene) January 6, 2016
@thecinemascene She’s not trained in the Force even a little. She’s vulnerable!
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Those poor grunts who gotta stand right near the beam when the Death Star fires. Gotta be a cancer risk there… #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
.@maryannjohanson They DREAM of living long enough to die from cancer, they’d be ecstatic for a railing to keep from falling into the beam
— Brian Gonigal (@xFlaregun) January 6, 2016
@xFlaregun The Empire *does* have an appalling record on Health & Safety…
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
That shield generator blowed up real good. #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
And then the flap of Luke’s tunic hangs open, showing a little bit of gray. #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
Luke touched the Dark Side and was a little sullied by it, but he’s back. #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
How come Anakin gets to be young as a Jedi ghost but Ben doesn’t? Doesn’t seem fair… #StarWarsRewatch #ROJ
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson This is by far the worst change in the latest editions.
— Daniel Walters (@danieltwalters) January 6, 2016
@danieltwalters It ain’t good, that’s for sure.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson The entire point of Old Anakin Ghost was too show he'd become a good guy!
— Daniel Walters (@danieltwalters) January 6, 2016
@danieltwalters But Luke saved Anakin! He turned back to the light side before he died.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson Especially as old-man Anakin 'returned' to himself at the end of ROJ, so they can't say he 'died' when he went Dark.
— thegreenrat (@thegreenrat) January 6, 2016
@thegreenrat Exactly.
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
And that’s it! Time to sleep. Prequels tomorrow night. #StarWarsRewatch
— MaryAnn Johanson (@maryannjohanson) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson when you said time to sleep I thought you were about to watch Phantom Menace HEYOOO Hi5!
— Bon G. Water (@MisterBongwater) January 6, 2016
@maryannjohanson Good luck–you're going to need it!
— Jean-Luc's Owner (@PatrickDodds3) January 6, 2016
Every time you said, “Wedge!”, I went “yay!” Very annoying to my cat, who’s here next to me. But Wedge is so great for such an itty-bitty part.
That was so much fun – loved rewatching it through your eyes (and the other batch too, although we still have to do that ourselves.)