The iconic shot of Luke, Leia, R2-D2, and C-3PO looking out at the stars at the end of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back almost wasn't included in the movie at all.

According to Luke Skywalker himself — Mark Hamill — the final scene was filmed very late into production after the filmmakers started worrying about the original ending's negative tone.

"Filmed 4 months after we wrapped principal photography on #ESB, it wasn't a 're-shoot', it was an added scene," Hamill wrote on Twitter. "Concerned about the downbeat ending & thorough defeat of the protagonists, they wanted to add an uplifting moment of hope & rejuvenation to reassure the audience."

Filmed 4 months after we wrapped principal photography on #ESB, it wasn't a "re-shoot", it was an added scene. Concerned about the downbeat ending & thorough defeat of the protagonists, they wanted to add an uplifting moment of hope & rejuvenation to reassure the audience. https://t.co/VIMbC3YprU pic.twitter.com/MG41dr8fgu

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 8, 2022

Just before the final scene, Luke's hand is chopped off by Darth Vader, who also just revealed that he is Luke's father. Han Solo has been frozen in carbonite, and our heroes barely escape capture from Vader's Star Destroyer on the Millennium Falcon. It's certainly not the most positive note to send fans out of the theater on.

However, the additional filming isn't even the last time the scene was changed. According to the official Star Wars website, George Lucas wanted to make even more changes to the movie after it had already made its initial premiere in theaters.

Lucas apparently realized "that the end of the film was unclear" in terms of where geographically Leia and Luke had escaped to. Shots added just weeks before the movie's widespread release made it clear that Luke and Leia were aboard a separate medical ship, not the Falcon.

Fans will once again be able to relive the events of Empire Strikes Back next month in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which we just learned will get Mandalorian and Rogue One DLC. And, if you're feeling nostalgic for the Star Wars universe, check out planets Star Wars should explore beyond Tatooine.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

The iconic shot of Luke, Leia, R2-D2, and C-3PO looking out at the stars at the end of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back almost wasn't included in the movie at all.

According to Luke Skywalker himself — Mark Hamill — the final scene was filmed very late into production after the filmmakers started worrying about the original ending's negative tone.

"Filmed 4 months after we wrapped principal photography on #ESB, it wasn't a 're-shoot', it was an added scene," Hamill wrote on Twitter. "Concerned about the downbeat ending & thorough defeat of the protagonists, they wanted to add an uplifting moment of hope & rejuvenation to reassure the audience."

Filmed 4 months after we wrapped principal photography on #ESB, it wasn't a "re-shoot", it was an added scene. Concerned about the downbeat ending & thorough defeat of the protagonists, they wanted to add an uplifting moment of hope & rejuvenation to reassure the audience. https://t.co/VIMbC3YprU pic.twitter.com/MG41dr8fgu

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 8, 2022

Just before the final scene, Luke's hand is chopped off by Darth Vader, who also just revealed that he is Luke's father. Han Solo has been frozen in carbonite, and our heroes barely escape capture from Vader's Star Destroyer on the Millennium Falcon. It's certainly not the most positive note to send fans out of the theater on.

However, the additional filming isn't even the last time the scene was changed. According to the official Star Wars website, George Lucas wanted to make even more changes to the movie after it had already made its initial premiere in theaters.

Lucas apparently realized "that the end of the film was unclear" in terms of where geographically Leia and Luke had escaped to. Shots added just weeks before the movie's widespread release made it clear that Luke and Leia were aboard a separate medical ship, not the Falcon.

Fans will once again be able to relive the events of Empire Strikes Back next month in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which we just learned will get Mandalorian and Rogue One DLC. And, if you're feeling nostalgic for the Star Wars universe, check out planets Star Wars should explore beyond Tatooine.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

As one of the final announcements during its March 8 hardware event, Apple announced a new desktop computer and display: the Mac Studio and Studio display.

The Mac Studio can be configured with either the M1 Max or the new flagship processor, the M1 Ultra. The new desktop's rear offers an assortment of ports: one HDMI port, one audio jack, one Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, and four Thunderbolt 4 ports. In contrast, the front features two USB-C ports and an SD card slot.

While the Mac Studio Display is a new 27-inch 5K display with a built-in 12-megapixel ultrawide front camera, 600-nits of brightness, and six speakers built-in. The Studio Display features three USB-C ports and one Thunderbolt 4 port. Apple says that the Thunderbolt port will support up to 96W of passthrough charging that is powerful enough to fast-charge a 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple presented both products as devices aimed at creative professionals. One example, as noted in the press release, a user with a MacBook Pro would be able to connect up to three Studio Displays to create a "powerful edit bay or animation workspace." While the Mac Studio is claimed to outperform a Xeon CPU-based Mac Pro by up to 50 percent and up to 2.5 faster than a 10-core processor 27-inch iMac.

The Mac Studio's pricing starts at $1,999 if you configure the device with an M1 Max chip, while for those looking to configure one with the M1 Ultra chip, pricing begins at $3,999. For those looking to buy a Studio Display, it will cost $1,599.

Both the Mac Studio and Studio Display will release on March 18.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Two of the world's most popular social services, Spotify and Discord, are currently down. Users are unable to access either platform, with Discord joking tweeting that it's "time for everyone to go outside."

Discord's issues began at around 9am PT and have since persisted. Spotify, meanwhile, has logged users out and is currently inaccessible. You can check the status of both Spotify and Discord using Down Detector, IGN's sister site.

We’re aware of an issue causing message failures and are working on a fix.

Apologies for the disruption & thx for hanging tight! https://t.co/rq97JXSEFv

— Discord (@discord) March 8, 2022

According to Discord's status page, the platform is "continuing to investigate the issue impacting the API to find root cause." The update was sent at around 10:29 PST.

Spotify, meanwhile, simply tweeted, "Something's not quite right, and we're looking into it. Thanks for your reports!"

Something’s not quite right, and we’re looking into it. Thanks for your reports!

— Spotify Status (@SpotifyStatus) March 8, 2022

Spotify and Discord are currently trending on Twitter as users report errors and post memes, as they are wont to do.

IGN will continue to monitor the situation and post updates as they happen.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot

As part of its first 2022 hardware event, Apple announced today that it is adding a fourth chip to its M1 lineup: the M1 Ultra.

The M1 Ultra serves as the most powerful system on a chip from the tech company. Based on what Apple has said about its new chip, the M1 Ultra is two M1 Max Chips (the company's previous flagship silicon) chips connected. The tech giant also confirmed that the M1 Ultra is eight times faster than its M1 chip.

Developing...

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Apple has announced the fifth generation of its iPad Air product series, as part of its Peek Performance hardware event today.

In a surprising twist, Apple announced that the fifth-generation iPad Air will be powered by its M1 processor. Previously the only iPad that included the M1 chip was the fifth-generation iPad Pro which was released roughly a year ago.

The iPad Air 2022 will also include support for the second-generation Apple Pencil, the optional Magic Keyboard accessory, and optional 5G support. The device will also include USB-C charging.

Developing...

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Apple has officially announced a new iPhone SE model, a lower-cost smartphone from the tech giant as part of its Peek Performance event.

While the design has not changed much since its predecessor, the big new addition with the latest iPhone SE model is the inclusion of 5G support, which was previously only available in the iPhone 12 series, and the iPhone 13 line which was released last year. The 2022 iPhone SE also includes the A15 chip, the same processor included in the iPhone 13 series, and the sixth-generation iPad.

Outside of 5G support and the A15 chip, the third-generation iPhone SE includes a questionably outdated design with a 4.7-inch display and extreemly thick bezels that stick out like a sore thumb compared to other smartphones released within the last year.

Although the camera remains unchanged compared to the 2020 model, Apple says that the A15 chip provides some software-based improvements to this year's SE model. Features such as Deep Fusion and Smart HDR 4 are supported.

The 2022 iPhone SE model has a starting price of $429 and will release on March 18.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino has reportedly put a temporary pause on his music scores to take to the director's chair for a Marvel TV project.

The Batman director Matt Reeves recently sat down with Variety to discuss Giacchino's haunting and dramatic score for his 2022 franchise reboot. It is just one of the many famous film scores that he is responsible for, having previously composed music for tons of movies, including several entries in the MCU such as Spider-Man: Homecoming and its two sequels.

Giacchino's work as a composer is undeniably prolific but it sounds like he might be venturing down a different avenue as a sentence at the end of the article reveals: "The composer was unavailable for this story; he is reportedly off directing a television project for Marvel," giving further legitimacy to past rumors about him helming Werewolf by Night.

Several outlets have shared the rumor, with The DisInsider citing prominent insider Daniel Richtman as a source of the news. It was first reported in February that Giacchino had been tapped as the director of the Werewolf by Night Disney+ Halloween special, which was said to be in development from Marvel Studios in August of last year.

Werewolf by Night is the name adopted by two separate characters appearing across the pages of Marvel comics. The first, Jack Russell, debuted in a 1972 issue of Marvel Spotlight. The series ran for a total of 43 issues and one of those featured the first appearance of Moon Knight, who is headlining his own Disney+ show with Oscar Issac in the titular role.

The second incarnation of the character, Jake Gomez, a Native American with a cursed family, showed up in the third volume of Werewolf by Night. Gomez's recent appearance in Marvel comics may mean he's the one that fans may initially associate with the Werewolf by Night character, though it's currently unknown which version may star in the Halloween special.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Thumbnail image credit: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF.

Amazon Games will slowly but surely open up Lost Ark's gender-locked classes.

Classes are currently locked to specific genders, meaning only men can be warriors, only women can be mages, and so on, but franchise lead Soomin Park told Eurogamer that this will change over time.

He said: "Classes are tied pretty closely to their character models in terms of function and animation, so bringing opposite gender characters to a class takes more work than just making a differently gendered model available."

When the North American version was released last month, Park said developer Smilegate RPG made an effort to include classes that currently have a male and female version in the further along Korean version. Players will therefore eventually be able to choose different genders within classes but it's unclear when that will be.

Lost Ark has also been criticized for its female characters' revealing outfits and, while Amazon Games is aware of the issue, it has no plans to remove these from the game.

Park said: "While we aren't altering any of the original costumes from the game, we are making adjustments so that the more revealing options won't be front and center in places like our marketing or the initial character creation screen.

"We are also including in some new outfit options that are not quite as revealing, but these are an addition and not a replacement.

"As we are aware of the balance between hardcore fans, who want a Lost Ark experience that is close to the original Korean version, and new players who may not like the current armour and costume options, we are adding outfits and alternatives to the game instead of taking away options."

Lost Ark has become incredibly popular since it released in the west on February 11, shooting to second place in Steam's most-played games of all time by concurrents, and the game now has more than 20 million users worldwide.

In our 8/10 review, IGN said "Lost Ark is an extremely generous free-to-play ARPGMMO that draws a lot from Diablo – including its well-worn story about humans and Heaven teaming up against demons."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Firefly is one of the most beloved sci-fi series of all time, and fans will soon be able to bring home a die-cast model of the iconic Serenity spaceship thanks to Hero Collector.

The Firefly-class Serenity transport vessel was purchased by Malcolm Reynolds after the Unification War, and its name was inspired by the battle of Serenity Valley. Considering it was the ship for Captain Mal and his crew, It is also a fitting choice for Hero Collector’s first Firefly ship.

This XL die-cast model is over 26cm and long and comes complete with a detachable display stand that will make it the perfect addition to any collection.

Hero Collector’s Firefly model is built to be as accurate from the show as possible, from the “hull-mounted solar panels to its array of EVA hatches.” As fans of the series will know, there will be no guns on the model ship. However, that just means it will be even easier to “ignore Wash’s bluffs.”

Those who can’t wait to add the Firefly to their fleet can head on over to Hero Collector’s site to pre-order the model right now. The piece will be available for $79.99 and will arrive in June 2022.

For more in the world of Hero Collector, be sure to check out the two-foot long model of the Enterprise-D from Star Trek: The Next Generation, models from Star Trek: Picard, Discovery, and Strange New Worlds, Marvel VS figurines and MCU weapons that will bring epic superhero battles to life.

As for Firefly, read on as to why it is one of the 12 canceled TV shows we’d love to see brought back and one of the eight best sci-fi shows you can binge watch right now.