To those who may not know by now, I am a huge "Star Wars" nerd. I love the original films and I love the lore surrounding its universe. With another film coming out soon in the form of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story", I felt that I should release a "Star Wars" related article at least once a month until December. To start this trend off let's talk about the "Special Editions".

The "Special Edition" Re-release of the Original "Star Wars" Trilogy in 1997, was negatively received by fan when it was released. The "Special Editions" added CGI effects and audio/visual changes that many saw as unnecessary or just plain bad. Since then, George Lucas has been adding or changing various aspects While I believe most fans do have a point (Han shot first!), I also feel that there were some positive changes added to the trilogy. The following are ten changes made to the "Star Wars" films that I feel either enhanced a certain quality of the film or were just harmless. I'm not saying that these changes made the films better overall, but these ten changes enhanced moments in the film. If you want to know what changes were added to these films throughout time, I recommend you watch Marcelo Zuniga's videos on YouTube. He points out all the changes that were added throughout these films. Now, let's get started.

10. The CGI Yoda added to 'The Phantom Menace' (2011 Blu-ray Release)

This change is very interesting because it was added to a film in the Prequel "Star Wars" Films. However it is a change that, I feel, was necessary. I am not a fan of CGI Yoda. I didn't like the way he jumped around like a frog in "Attack of the Clones"; I just thought the CGI model came across as stiff and convey less of the subtle emotion compared to the practical puppet used in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi". That being said, the CGI version is a massive improvement over the puppet used in "The Phantom Menace". Not only does the puppet in "The Phantom Menace" look almost nothing like Yoda, the puppet has such sudden, stiff, and robot-like movement that it destroys any possibility of conveying the illusion of Yoda being a real living being. He comes across as more of a cartoonish exaggerated Muppet. The CGI model, at least, looks like Yoda and conveys slightly less robotic movement. It's a minor improvement on a mediocre film.

9. The digital shots added to the Death Star battle in 'A New Hope' (1997 Release)

I might get anger from "Star Wars purists" for this one, but I feel that the digital shots added to the Battle of Yavin at the end of the film adds a dynamic and tense layer to the final battle. While I love the use of practical models in the Original "Star Wars" Trilogy, some of the shots used in "A New Hope" have not aged well. If you watch the original and 1997 re-release side-by-side you notice that some of the ships used in the final battle appear slow and have choppier movement. I am aware this was a limitation at the time, but it remains an aspect that hasn't aged well. The added digital ships move smoother and faster, making the sequence feel more exciting and tense. However, I am happy that they kept certain model shots that still hold up. It's the right mix of old and new.

8. Digitally added effects on Cloud City in 'The Empire Strikes Back' (1997 Release)

Similar to the Battle of Yavin, Cloud City was able to feel like a more dynamic place thanks to digital additions. The addition of windows in the hallways adds a more open feel and the inclusion of digital ships flying by them makes the city feel more like a lived in location with many citizens. There are also added shots of the exteriors of the buildings where hundreds of people are walking by. It makes Cloud City appear larger and gives the film's finally (where our heroes escape and the Empire takes over the city) more emotional weight. The original feels too closed off and less like a city. These shots give us a more beautiful and dynamic look at a grand city in the sky.

7. Improved Sandcrawler shot in 'A New Hope' (1997 Release)

This shot is only on screen for a while, but it is a massive improvement over the original shot from 1977. The original shot is too far away and looks like it was just shot in a random desert. It looks too much like a small model in the distance. The new shot gives us a closer look at the Sandcrawler and we can see all the little details that are used to convey scale in models. The camera is also close to the ground and pans up as the vehicle moves across the frame. This, along with the added mountains in the background and smaller rock ledge to climb over, gives us a better sense of the vehicles massive scale. It shows how effective model work couples with good cinematography can create the illusion of size.

6. R2-D2's panel color in 'The Empire Strikes Back' (2011 Blu-ray Release)

This is a simple one, but it fixes a slight continuity error. When R2-D2 is in Luke's X-Wing his blue panels appear to be black. This was most likely done because of the blue screen used for the background of the shot. Luckily, with modern digital technology, they were able to go back and make his panels blue again. This is a prime example of what digital clean-up in films can accomplish. Lucas should have focused more on aspects like this rather than adding obnoxious CGI aliens (we'll get to that one day).

5. Enhanced lightsaber effect in 'A New Hope' (2011 Blu-ray Release)

Like number six, this one fixes a continuity error. The lightsaber Luke is given in "A New Hope" has a blue blade. However, when we see Luke training with the lightsaber in the Millennium Falcon the blade is white. This was probably due to the limitation of the effects budget or they were just inconsistent with the effect. They attempted to fix this with the 2004 DVD release, but only made it worse. In the DVD release the blade appears green (how did that happen!). Luckily they noticed this mistake and fixed it for the Blu-ray release. It's ironic how it took Blu-ray to finally get a "blue ray" (yay, bad joke).

4. Digital soldiers at the Medal Ceremony in 'A New Hope' (1997 Release)

If there is one thing that has aged the most in "A New Hope" it was the matte painting used in Medal Ceremony at the end of the film. It's distracting and looks so fake that I feel like this was a sub-par effect even for the late 1970s. Even on low quality film, the faceless painted blobs that were meant to represent humans stand out too much. The digitally added human doubles blend in better and don't look as poor or distracting as the original.

3. New Emperor in 'The Empire Strikes Back' (2004 DVD Release)

I am a big fan of Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor from "Return of the Jedi". His evil sounding voice mixed with his obviously evil and memorable laugh stay with me today. Whenever he talked, I was mesmerized. Today, he is one of my favorite "Star Wars" characters. However, the Emperor was portrayed by a different person when we are first introduced to him in the original "The Empire Strikes Back". In the original featured a woman (Elaine Baker) wearing a chimp mask while being voiced by a different actor (Clive Revill). It's just so different from the Emperor that I know and love. I was clear that they didn't have an exact idea of what the Emperor would look and sound like. I like that the DVD release brought it in step with continuity.

2. More Stormtroopers on the Death Star in 'A New Hope' (1997 Release)

I honestly think I am the only one who likes this change. In the original "A New Hope" Han chases a group of Stormtroopers down a hall in the Death Star only to be surprised by a dead end. Han shoots a Stormtrooper and runs away as the other Stormtroopers chase him. That's pretty funny. In the new version, Han still gives chase but instead of a dead end there is a massive hangar of hundreds of added Stormtroopers. Han shoots one and runs away. That is freaking hilarious. People often criticize this change for being too ridiculous and unrealistic. My counter point to that goes as follows... that's what makes it funnier! Seeing Han's face after he realizes that he just turned the wrong corridor always gives me a hard laugh.

1. Changed ending in 'Return of the Jedi' (1997 Release)

Out of all the changes added to these films, one specific change still stays with me to this day. It is a change that left such an impact on me that I actually can't watch the original release without feeling like something is missing. The change to the ending in "Return of the Jedi" makes it feel like an epic saga has concluded. The original ending just showed the Rebels and Ewoks celebrating the defeat of the Empire on Endor while a simple Ewok song named "Yub Nub" played. It was an alright ending, weakened by the fact that I don't like "Yub Nub"... there, I said it! The 1997 version, however, blew this ending out of the water. This new ending showed Cloud City, Tatooine, and Coruscant. Three separate planets that all had thousands of people out in the street; dancing and throwing confetti to celebrate the end of Imperial tyranny. This shows the scale and the impact of the actions taken by our heroes. They have freed a galaxy of people from oppression. This addition is enhanced by the new score done by John Williams called "Victory Celebration". This is one of my favorite pieces of music out of all of these films. It's a triumphant orchestra mixed with the peaceful simplicity of flutes and a joyous choir. It gives you this emotional feeling of closure. It makes you think back on the grand journey our heroes have taken to reach this wonderful point.