"Maclunkey"
I will try and keep this post as brief as possible because rants and tirades aren’t as funny as many writers think they are. Rather than “frothing at the mouth” I think a more accurate description of my feelings can be summed up just by a deep sigh and a shake of the head. So, where to begin? Well during the course of the day, several memes, humorous quips and oblique references appeared in my Twitter timeline featuring the phrase “Maclunkey”. As the joke didn’t immediately become apparent and I couldn’t reference the phrase (I initially thought it was about the band Mclusky) I took to Google to find out what this was all about. I like to keep abreast as to what are the current talking points online and I don’t want to be that old guy who doesn’t understand “the kids of today” or “that there interweb”. Fortunately, a brief internet search provided a clear answer. I shall now attempt to distil the relevant facts for the benefit of those who are still in the dark.
The Disney Plus streaming service has launched in the US, Canada and the Netherlands. It’s basically their version of Netflix with content from their back catalogue. Disney Plus broadcasts in 4K which means that Star Wars fans get to see the original trilogy and the various prequels and sequels in UHD format. Now despite the departure of George Lucas after the sale of the IP to Disney, it would appear that the current owners have taken a leaf out of the formers book and are still “tinkering” with (or fucking about with, depending upon your perspective) the original movies. It would appear that yet another change has been made to the iconic Han Solo shooting Greedo scene. Have they removed the awful change where Greedo draws his weapon, shoots first and misses? No. They’ve augmented the entire clusterfuck even further. According to Star Wars Visual Comparisons “Han and Greedo also now shoot each other at the same time”. And in this new version Greedo apparently says “Maclunkey” just before getting shot. Furthermore, according an article by Vanity Fair the "Maclunkey" change is the work of George Lucas, made before Lucasfilm was sold to Disney in 2012. The plot thickens.
Courtesy of Star Wars Visual Comparisons
For me Star Wars will always been an integral part of my youth. It was a cultural phenomenon and heralded a major shift in film making. However, despite its many merits, I do not put Star Wars on a pedestal. Like so many other movies that have connected with the wider public and become a part of the popular culture, there are many factors that have determined this. Time being one of them. The original movies maintained their mystique for so long because up until 1999, there were only three. Then the tinkering began. And the prequels and then the sequels. The reasons that diamonds are so sought after and desirable is because they are a rare commodity. If you flood the market with more diamonds then they become worthless. If you keep messing with a classic movie you eventually ruin it. Or become Ridley Scott. Disney is killing Star Wars, along with the fundamentalist fans. This entire “Maclunkey” debacle (because that’s what it’s becoming) will simply lead to more fundamentalist fanboy anger. It further tarnishes the franchise. And itt can potentially kill some fans interest in something they use to like. It’s a shame that George Lucas sold the franchise to Disney. Or perhaps we now see why he did. May be the Goose that lays golden eggs is in fact an Albatross.
