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22 years ago, the 2004 physical release of the Star Wars Special Editions made a change to Return of the Jedi which, even decades later, is still spurring debate.
Originally, the last words heard in the original Star Wars trilogy were "he's my brother," when Leia tells Han that her and Luke are actually siblings. Since 2004, though, it's been a Gungan on Naboo shouting "wesa free!" as part of the celebrations around the second Death Star's destruction and the Emperor's (apparent) death. You might think this Gungan is Jar Jar Binks, but, actually, it's another, unnamed Gungan.
One fan pointed this out on Twitter, and Star Wars fans began sharing their reaction to the change.
Originally, the last audible spoken words Return of the Jedi, and the original trilogy as a whole, were “He’s my brother,” spoken by Leia. Since 2004, the last audible words in Return of the Jedi are “Weesa free!” pic.twitter.com/pttCbgO2BNMarch 4, 2026
While you might expect fans to be unhappy with the change, surprisingly, most of the reactions online are pretty positive. Scrolling through the quote tweets and replies will show you a few unhappy fans, but on the whole, people seem to be in favor of wesa free.
"Not gonna lie, I kinda like the new version. Especially considering George [Lucas] has always said you should watch them chronologically, going from episode 1 having Gugans be the most annoying thing, to episode 6 them having the final line, and the line being about being free feels good," says one person.
"I actually enjoyed that. It gives me prequel connections. Also, I like this because it feels important for the whole galaxy to know that they are free at last and they all celebrate," says someone else.
"If that isn't the most George Lucas thing to do, and I say that with full admiration," is another person's thoughts.
Although, some people are pointing out that, technically, the Yub Nub song could be considered words, just in the Ewok's language (though, the original tweet does specify spoken words, not sung). That song was replaced in the '97 Special Edition by John Williams's "Victory Celebration."
Next up for Star Wars is Maul – Shadow Lord, which arrives on Disney Plus this April 6. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows for everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store, including The Mandalorian and Grogu.
