For nearly five decades, one phrase has sent Star Wars audiences into a galaxy far, far away. Soon, however, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” will be seen differently when Lucasfilm releases its latest version of the original movie.
Star Wars: A New Hope Is Changing
The change is being made for Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd, the Welsh-language adaptation of Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977). The project was announced at the National Eisteddfod in August and is being produced by Lucasfilm and Disney in collaboration with S4C and the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.
The new voice cast has attracted plenty of attention, but the adaptation also creates an unusual technical challenge.
An official teaser has now shown exactly what that looks like. The famous opening line appears in Welsh as “Amser maith yn ôl, mewn galaeth bell, bell i ffwrdd,” before the crawl continues in the Welsh language. The film has also been given the Welsh title Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd.
Related: Disney Recasts Luke, Leia, and Han for New Version of ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’
That makes this more than a simple replacement of the voices heard throughout the movie. Lucasfilm is creating a version of A New Hope in which the language is changed from the opening moments onward.
The cast includes Matthew Rhys as Han Solo, Rhys Ifans as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Princess Leia, Mark Lewis Jones as Darth Vader, and Osian Morgan as Luke Skywalker. Other Welsh performers also voice C-3PO, Aunt Beru, Grand Moff Tarkin, Red Leader, and Gold Leader.
The release also raises an obvious question about the movie's other written material, including the end credits. Lucasfilm has not announced precisely how those elements will be treated, so that remains unknown for now.
Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd will arrive on S4C and across its platforms on Christmas Day, December 25, 2026, with the 50th anniversary of A New Hope following in 2027.
Fans wanting to see more changes to A New Hope can also check out the upcoming comic book crossover event Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles and the graphic novel Star Wars: A New Hope — Triple Take. For those wanting a traditional experience, however, the original film is being re-released in theaters for a limited time only in February.
What do you think of Lucasfilm changing the iconic opening crawl for this release? Let us know in the comments below!
