A while back, I read an article about that episode. According the piece, Spielberg was going to do some digital work to the Indiana Jones trilogy, similar to what he had done on E.T.'s re-release. However, Spielberg supposedly heard about and/or saw that South Park episode, thus changing his mind.
Keep in mind that the whole "South Park changed Spielberg's mind" story is merely speculation. Nonetheless, it's still a very interesting belief - and one that could be true.
Here's a little bit from the Empire Strikes Back Episode V abridged script--kinda funny.
By Rod Hilton, the Editing Room
Also from A New Hope.
Imperial fighters come in. There is a battle between the rebels and the empire. MARK wears goggles that look as though they'd make it very hard to see clearly.
MARK HAMILL
The Imperial Walker armor is too strong for blasters! Tie their shoelaces together!
The Imperial Walkers fall. Once they do, the rebels shoot them with the exact same blasters they used before that were ineffective. The Walkers explode this time, though. The battle ends, MARK and R2D2 go to see Yoda and the other PRIMARY CHARACTERS go elsewhere.
They try to go into hyperdrive. They FAIL.
EXT. DEGOBAH
YODA
Teach you I can. Make you do stunts and look like idiot I will. Face Vader you must not.
MARK HAMILL
I have to face Vader?
YODA
No! Face Vader you must not!
MARK HAMILL
What? Speak clearly! So I should face Vader?
YODA
Er..
MARK HAMILL
Alright, away I go!
Meanwhile, HARRISON and everyone try to go into hyperdrive and FAIL again.
EXT. CLOUD CITY
CARRIE, HARRISON, CHEWIE, and C3PO all greet THE ONLY BLACK MAN IN THE GALAXY.
BILLY DEE WILLIAMS
I hate you. Just kidding. But seriously, I'm screwing you royally here.
DARTH VADER
Muahaha! Here I am! Aren't I just generally intimidating as hell?
C3PO
If you all don't mind, I'll go get myself blown up repeatedly and make a major pain in the a** out of myself.
MARK HAMILL
I'm here! Now I can just barely not get everyone killed!
GUY WITH WEIRD ROBOTIC EARPHONES
So is this thing like a helmet or is it wired into my head? And what's it do, anyway?
HARRISON FORD
I'm now going to be turned into a carbonite block that doesn't really look a helluva lot like me.
BILLY DEE WILLIAMS
Ok everyone, trust me now.
CARRIE FISHER
No.
(pause)
Okay.
HARRISON FORD, FROZEN IN CARBONITE
God this thing makes my lips look huge.
BILLY DEE WILLIAMS
Alright, let's barely escape!
IMPERIAL GUARD
There are no life forms, leave it alone. I'm quite a moron, aren't I?
CARRIE FISHER
Now I will shoot exactly one stormtrooper.
STORMTROOPER
There she is. Set for stun. She'll be alright. Who the hell am I saying this to, don't my colleagues know she'll be alright?
DARTH VADER
Give me the plans to our DEATH STAR, which is always written in capital letters and is actually quite a stupid name if you stop to think about it.
CARRIE FISHER
Why do you need them? Didn't you finish building it? Ha ha!
DARTH VADER
That's not funny. Remember hun, Daddy doesn't like it when you make fun of him. Oops, I mean..er..uh..
CARRIE FISHER
Besides, why do you assume we only have one copy? If they were 'beamed' aboard here, couldn't we just as easily beam them elsewhere or make copies and send them all over the place?
DARTH VADER
Take her away!
MARK HAMILL
..right. Uncle, this one'll do. And let's also get that other one.
UNCLE
Wow, it's a good thing you two droids both happened to meet up again. And it's pretty lucky that other droid broke. And it's really damn lucky you've been bought by someone who knows Alec Guiness.
C3PO
And what an amazing coincidence I was actually built by Darth Vader.
DIRECTOR GEORGE LUCAS
Uh.. that's not luck or coincidence. It's the Force. Anything that seems stupid is not stupid because of the Force, understand?
UNCLE
How do you explain the fact that I don't remember either of them, even though they've both been here before and I ACTUALLY OWNED C3P0 FOR A LONG TIME.
DIRECTOR GEORGE LUCAS
They did? Oh, right! Eh, whatever.
Last edited by ShyViolet on January 13th, 2007, 1:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!
(snigger) Those were hilarious, Vi. Where did you get those?
My dad and sister (and myself) were absolutely ecstatic when the original episodes came out on dvd, unaltered. We'd only been waiting for Mr. Lucas to release something like this for over twenty years.
Ben - It's still better than nothing. I would rather have a scratchy disc of the original, unaltered version of Star Wars than a crisp, newer version of the same trilogy with Hayden Christiansen as "spirit" Vader at the end of "Jedi". Nothing against the guy, but that was plain wrong to put him in there in the altered version...on Lucas' part.
