Right after Ben leaves the tractor beam terminal and the power trench, the scene cuts to a Death Star corridor, as the heroes walk to check on their ship. Watch Han. He’s doing this hands-behind-the-back "li’l innocent me" routine. It’s pretty funny. According to a recent Insider article, there is more to this scene that didn't make the final cut.
After Luke asks "what good will it do us if he gets himself killed?" and he and Leia run off, listen carefully. You’ll hear a sound effect that sounds like "pfff!" as if someone just spit out a sunflower seed.
Lots to look at here. 1) A group of black-uniformed Imperial officer on a balcony, 2) A number of troopers with mismatched color correction, 3) added reflections of all the new stuff and 4) a docked TIE fighter.
In order to speed up a few shots (like Leia jumping into the garbage chute), the film editors trim a few frames or speed up the film. Watch when Luke and Leia first arrive at the Death Star central core. As they close the door, the film is sped up to make it go faster, and the smoke swirls around for a few frames. Also watch as Luke blasts the controls. A few frames are missing there as Leia shifts positions suddenly. On letterboxed copies, as Luke blasts the door, a chunk of plastic (a button I think) flies out, hits the opposite frame, and bounces off of Carrie Fisher. From the looks of it, that would smart!
Watch Luke and Leia’s door during the gunfight in the central core. There’s a really cool pyrotechnic effect as a laser blast causes a chain of sparks to streak right to left across the blast door.
Leia always closes her eyes when she shoots. That can’t be good, can it?
When Luke nails the stormtrooper who then stumbles off the ledge, screaming, the trooper lets out what I call the Lucasfilm Scream, or what Ben Burtt calls the 'Wilhelm'.. It’s in every Lucasfilm action movie, and some non-Lucasfilm movies. It's a pet sound effect that dates back to old Warner Bros. movies. Here's a sample list of where you can find that scream:
Charge at Feather River (1953); Them! (1954); Star Wars (1977); The Empire Strikes Back (1980); The Big Brawl (1980); Raiders of the Lost Ark.(1981); Return of the Jedi (1983); Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984); Howard the Duck.(1986); Willow (1988); Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989); Beauty and the Beast (1991); Young Indiana Jones and the Trenches of Hell (1992); Young Indiana Jones and the Phantom Train of Doom (1992); Batman Returns (1992); Reservoir Dogs (1992); A Goofy Movie (1995); Toy Story (1995); Special Effects (IMAX - 1996); Return of the Jedi (Special Edition - 1997); Lethal Weapon 4 (1998); Small Soldiers (1995); Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace (1999).
And here's the scream itself: wilhelm.wav
After the swing scene, as the stormtroopers file past the camera ("We think they may be splitting up.. they may be on levels five and six now sir") the camera’s shadow falls on the troopers. Then Ben emerges the right side of the screen, and walks across the same shadow.
Another curiosity when it comes to missing lines. As the stormtroopers chase Han through the diagonally closing blast door, they yell "Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!" Until the Special Edition, the line consistently cut was the previous: "Close the blast doors!" This line does appear in The Story of Star Wars audio recording, as well as in the script and foreign language version (we get French-Canadian channels here, and the troopers yell "Fermez la porte!"). It even appeared in the 1993 George Lucas: Heroes, Myth and Magic PBS special. Of course, the Special Edition reinstated the line.