This week, it seemed as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in anger, and so far they have not been silenced. For film geeks, they can see this as another installment in the classic tradition of George Lucas making another controversial change in the original “Star Wars” Trilogy.

On September 16, the entire series will be given its first Blu-ray release in the U.S. While fans were excited over the prospects of getting to see the original trilogy in glorious HD, they still prepared themselves for the worst. An uproar would commence when news was released about the addition of a very minor, yet significant “No” to the climax of “Return of the Jedi”, the original trilogy’s final installment.

After an epic and emotional lightsaber duel with Darth Vader and refusing to turn to the dark side, Luke Skywalker is brought to his knees by the power of Emperor Palpatine’s Force lightning. Vader silently stands by and watches as the Emperor slowly kills his son, who is pleading for his help. Vader then makes the ultimate heel face turn by picking up the Emperor and throwing him down a chasm in silence.

With the new Blu-ray release, Darth Vader now utters a simple “No” before picking up the Emperor and bellowing out a louder and more drawn out cry as he carries him. It appears that Lucas forgot that the last time Darth Vader yelled the same line in the prequel "Revenge of the Sith", it launched an Internet meme.

Compared to past changes in the trilogy, this one seems insignificant on the surface. Starting with the 1997 theatrical release of the “Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition” and continuing with the DVD release, fans have almost gotten used to CGI being shoehorned alongside the films’ practical effects. It doesn’t seem like it should even compare with the uproar over the alteration of Han Solo’s character in the now infamous “Han Shot First” controversy.

But in the age of social media, such small alterations can quickly grab the attention of online communities. On Twitter, nerdy celebrities including Simon Pegg and Damon Lindelof have voiced their outrage with tweets and the creation of hashtags such as #whatvadersays. It will be interesting to see how this new debacle enters the wider world of pop culture compared to the “Han Shot First” meme.

Perhaps another reason this change has already made such an impact is due to ruining what Simon Pegg referred to as “Vader’s wordless self sacrifice”. Despite the fact that he always wore a mask, the simple turning of his head and clever editing gave audiences all of the indications they needed that, for the first time, Vader was having reservations about evil affiliation. It may still seem a little too instant and abrupt for a character arc, but it still had power, nonetheless.

At the same time, this simple audio addition is quite baffling just from a filmmaking standpoint. In Screenwriting 101, a basic rule is that if information can be conveyed through on-screen images and actions, then cut the dialogue. Film is a visual medium, so don’t try to become Shakespeare. Lucas, who has never been considered a great artistic mind, somehow struck gold with this scene. Now he has decided to retroactively ruin it for whatever reason he’ll make up for fans in future interviews.

The question will now be whether Star Wars fanatics will refuse to buy the Blu-ray editions in large enough numbers to really stick it to Lucas. This seems unlikely, since most consumers just aren’t as passionate as any fan. And there is no telling if the fans might have to brace for another wave of changes when the entire six-part saga is theatrically released in 3D.

By the way, changes have also been made for the prequel trilogy, but nobody seems to give a damn for some reason.