I will never forget the day, in 2020, when I visited an estate sale and stumbled upon what is now one of my most prized possessions. For only $4, I purchased the original Star Wars trilogy on a VHS set released in 1990, seven years before George Lucas put out controversial Special Edition cuts of his classic sci-fi movies.
It was not until the weekend of Star Wars Day 2025 that I was finally able to pop these cassettes in for the first time. I was delighted to see certain edits absent, such as Han Solo’s nonsensical meeting with Jabba the Hutt in the new cut of the 1977 original. Yet, it was the exclusion of one scene from my personal favorite Star Wars movie, 1983’s Return of the Jedi, that especially made Star Wars Day for me. Allow me to explain…
I Found Jabba's Palace Musical Sequence From The Special Edition Disturbing
I should start by admitting that I was a bit of a late bloomer to the Star Wars saga. The first time I saw Return of the Jedi (at least in its entirety) was in 2015 (in preparation for The Force Awakens) on a Blu-ray copy of the Special Edition cut.
Much like how the film marks the moment Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) becomes a Jedi, this particular viewing marks the moment I became the fan I am today, as I was taken by the epic lightsaber duel between Luke and Darth Vader (a Star Wars character shared between James Earl Jones, David Prowse and Sebastian Shaw) and other action-packed sequences. On the other hand, there was one scene that did not leave a very positive impression on me, taking place in Jabba the Hutt’s palace.
Check out the clip below if you can withstand it:
For the life of me, I cannot even begin to understand why this musical interlude is in the 1997 version of the film. The song, called “Jedi Rocks” and composed by Grammy nominee Jerry Hey, is egregiously irritating, in my opinion. Plus, the unimpressively animated CGI characters performing the number crudely blended into an awkwardly re-edited sequence, certainly do not do it any favors. I remember wishing that I could have seen what the musical sequence from the original cut must have been like. Now, almost a decade later, I can say that I have.
The Force Is Stronger With The Original Cut’s Number
If you have not seen the Max Rebo Band’s performance of “Lapti Nek” from Return of the Jedi’s theatrical cut, see for yourself below:
Now, I cannot honestly say that this is a song I would put on in my downtime, but I certainly would before ever willingly listening to “Jedi Rocks” again. If you ask me, the disco-inspired track outweighs its successor in every facet imaginable. The vocals are smoother, the melody is subtler and groovier, and the performers, brought to life by puppeteering instead of CGI, are a more comfortably natural presence to the sequence. Above all, however, I love the fact that the scene does not bring the movie to a screeching halt.
I have discovered through subsequent research on Reddit that most Star Wars fans agree with me that removing “Lapti Nek” in favor of “Jedi Rocks” is just about the most frustratingly unnecessary change in the Special Editions. All I can say is thank The Force I found my VHS set.
I would learn from a coworker after the fact that a DVD of Return of the Jedi’s theatrical cut does exist and can be purchased on Amazon. Maybe I will pick it up one day if I do not feel like sitting through “Jedi Rocks” on my own Blu-ray copy or with my Disney+ subscription.
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