‘Star Wars: Episode 7’ Trailer Gets the George Lucas “Special Edition” Treatment

‘Star Wars’ fans have been very busy over the weekend. The trailer for ‘The Force Awakens’ was just released on Friday, and already we’ve seen fan versions hitting the Internet, including a shot-for-shot recreation made entirely out of LEGOs, which is pretty impressive. But this one is a bit different, as it imagines what would happen if George Lucas gave the new ‘Star Wars’ movie the ol’ “Special Edition” treatment, adding in a bunch of extra and unnecessary CG characters. It’s so crowded!

As fans of the franchise will undoubtedly recall, George Lucas re-released special editions of the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy with additional CG effects added in—stuff that he couldn’t integrate way back in the day. The effects looked out of place and wonky, and didn’t really enhance the existing films at all. One of the most notorious additions was that of a ghost Hayden Christensen at the end of ‘Return of the Jedi,’ replacing the older version of Anakin Skywalker.

And now, thanks to a fan, we can see what would happen if ‘The Force Awakens’ received George Lucas’ “Special Edition” treatment. There’s all sorts of added creatures, including that hideous, singing alien. Daisy Ridley cruises past Jabba the Hutt. And the final shot of the mysterious villain character features young ghost Anakin, with the cruciform lightsaber transforming into a dual lightsaber. Even the logo is changed at the very end.

OK, sure, this trailer is taking a jab at George Lucas, but it is pretty accurate. In one video, we’re able to see an immediate contrast—here’s a ‘Star Wars’ film that looks great and might be pretty awesome, and here’s a ‘Star Wars’ that’s … not so great. We look forward to seeing what J.J. Abrams delivers on December 18, 2015.