One of Star Wars' most baffling post-Lucas edits is becoming an ability card in an official TCG

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A clunky edit, you might say.

Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker depicted in art for Star Wars: Unlimited.
(Image credit: Fantasy Flight Games)

As a man in his twilight years (30), I've long-since abandoned all struggle against the baffling CGI-ification of the original Star Wars trilogy. Yes, there are plenty of ways to get your hands on painstakingly assembled high-res versions of the original theatrical releases, but usually I just want to collapse on a sofa and turn on Star Wars. You can always skip through Jedi Rocks.

But numb as I am to George Lucas' unwillingness to leave well-enough alone, even I was baffled by the 2019 addition of the line "Maclunkey!" to the infamous face-off between Han Solo and Greedo in A New Hope. In modern versions of the film, just before the pair shoot at one another, the camera cuts to a close shot of Greedo as he issues the dire pronouncement of "Maclunkey!" before absolutely spaffing a point-blank blaster shot and dying at the dinner table.

I mention all this partially as a means of psychologically unburdening myself, but also because maclunkey (actual spelling Ma Klounkee, which I refuse to entertain) has now broken containment (via Gizmodo). It'll appear as a card in an upcoming set for TCG Star Wars: Unlimited, called Shadows of the Galaxy. 

(Image credit: Fantasy Flight Games)

The new set is supposed to focus on the myriad bounty hunters, smugglers, and assorted lumpenproletariat of the Star Wars universe, shining a light on those undersung heroes who fall outside the binary divide of Rebellion/Empire. Except the maclunkey card, which shines a light on that time the world's most incompetent bounty hunter bit it in a dive bar.

It feels, at least to me, like a bit of a joke at the edit's expense, which I can't help but support, and its mechanical effect asks you to return a friendly, non-leader underworld unit to its owner's hand, letting you do three damage to a unit of your choosing. You know, like how Greedo was returned to the hand of god in exchange for an attempted three damage on Han, if only he hadn't been quickly edited out of the way of danger.

Joshua Wolens
Joshua Wolens
News Writer

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.