Will we ever see the original Star Wars trilogy un-tampered by the Special Editions changes?

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Because I am curious how much of a difference I would get in the experience really.

I know of the infamous Han Shot First and what not, but still in the end its still the OG Star Wars trilogy.

The Death Star still blew up in the first movie.


Luke and Vader fought each other in the Second movie.


And both happened in the third movie.



EDIT: For some reason two of these embedded videos are not working even though I coded them correctly. So here's the links to the Vader fight and Endor battle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhX5V-wICuw&t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPZigWFyK2o&t

 

[Gatx]

I think it's a 50/50. For Lucas, I think the newest versions are the most "complete" ones so why release an imperfect version?

But then again Disney is the one in charge of Star Wars now and they merchandise their franchises quite a bit, but I don't think they've dealt with a case like Star Wars before, with multiple cuts.

Having the uncut versions is also more of hardcore fan demand and Disney seems more focused on catering to a new generation than going out of their way to please the old guard.

Personally, I've always preferred Ewok Celebration, aka Yub Nub, to Victory Celebration but I do enjoy the added clips of people around the galaxy celebrating the defeat of the Empire at the end of RotJ.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

I wouldn't be surprised if Lucas had it as a condition in the contract that Disney wouldn't be allowed to release an unedited version of the Original Trilogy. Honestly, I wonder why exactly he's so ashamed of it. The pirated, despecialized editions still hold up. It's not like they aged that terribly.

 

[Asita]

Eh, the differences are hit and miss. On the one hand, we've got the big musical number in Jabba's palace, which was nothing more than them showing off their CGI abilities...which haven't aged well. On the other hand, we did end on Victory Celebration rather than Yub Nub, which I've always felt was a great improvement. Similarly, they gave us a little reunion moment between Luke and Biggs shortly before the Death Star run, which works wonders for giving Biggs's death and Luke's reaction better context and more gravitas. On the flip side, of course, we've got the "Greedo shot first" change, which cheapens a character arc that had originally seen Han transition from ruthless and amoral smuggler primarily concerned with saving his own skin to a war hero willing to lead a suicide mission for a cause he believed in.

So again, mixed bag. Some improvements, some mistakes. With that being said, the less that's said about the 2004 DVD changes, the better. So I'd be a bit conflicted over an 'un-tampered' version. Han shooting first? I'm game. Bringing back Yub Nub? Not so much.

 

[twistedmic]

Han shooting first? I'm game. Bringing back Yub Nub? Not so much.

I agree with you on Han being the one to shoot (Greedo never got a shot off) but I have to disagree with you on 'Victory Celebration'.
With the original Return of the Jedi it makes sense that the Rebels are celebrating destroying the Death Star II as well as the defeat of the emperor and Darth Vader (plus several Capital Ships). Planets all over the galaxy celebrating the defeat of the Empire so quickly, despite the fact that most of the Imperial Navy is probably still alive and kicking and those planets didn't seem to be in active rebellion, makes a little less sense.

 

[Saelune]

People who got rid of all their VHS players are stupid. I have a combined VHS/DVD player and I am going to keep that thing forever.

 

[Something Amyss]

I wouldn't be surprised if Lucas had it as a condition in the contract that Disney wouldn't be allowed to release an unedited version of the Original Trilogy. Honestly, I wonder why exactly he's so ashamed of it. The pirated, despecialized editions still hold up. It's not like they aged that terribly.

It's worth noting I have it on DVD because it was the bonus discs for the remastered trilogy on BD. It's not like they vanished entirely or something.

People who got rid of all their VHS players are stupid. I have a combined VHS/DVD player and I am going to keep that thing forever.

We used to call the hybrid players "idiot boxes" because they added extra points of failure and made us more money.

 

[Gatx]

I agree with you on Han being the one to shoot (Greedo never got a shot off) but I have to disagree with you on 'Victory Celebration'.
With the original Return of the Jedi it makes sense that the Rebels are celebrating destroying the Death Star II as well as the defeat of the emperor and Darth Vader (plus several Capital Ships). Planets all over the galaxy celebrating the defeat of the Empire so quickly, despite the fact that most of the Imperial Navy is probably still alive and kicking and those planets didn't seem to be in active rebellion, makes a little less sense.

Especially since the new trilogy operates under the idea that was still an extended period of intense fighting between the Empire and Rebellion/New Republic that culminated in the Battle of Jakku.

 

[Asita]

Han shooting first? I'm game. Bringing back Yub Nub? Not so much.

I agree with you on Han being the one to shoot (Greedo never got a shot off) but I have to disagree with you on 'Victory Celebration'.
With the original Return of the Jedi it makes sense that the Rebels are celebrating destroying the Death Star II as well as the defeat of the emperor and Darth Vader (plus several Capital Ships). Planets all over the galaxy celebrating the defeat of the Empire so quickly, despite the fact that most of the Imperial Navy is probably still alive and kicking and those planets didn't seem to be in active rebellion, makes a little less sense.

I think the trick there is not to take it quite so literally.

Showing the other planets celebrating at the same time makes limited sense if viewed as concurrent with the rebellion's celebration[footnote]Though such a scene is admittedly not entirely without merit. Recall that we saw a similar reaction in the US when Osama bin Laden's death was announced, despite Al Qaeda persisting to this day[/footnote]. However, narratively it serves the purpose of the final bow for the galaxy at large. The long and short of that is that in the last moments of a story, the writer uses characters' last appearances to directly allude to what happens to them after the story ends.

A battle weary soldier reuniting with their family fortells days of peace surrounded by loved ones. A pair ending their screentime with a tender romantic moment is used to suggest a mutual romantic future for the couple. In this case, showing the other planets celebrating the Rebellion's victory is there to tell us that the Rebellion successfully overthrows the Empire, that this represented at very least the beginning of the end of the war. It's a moment that you're supposed to take more at symbolic value than face value and aren't supposed to think too hard about the logistics behind it.

With all that being said, however, I prefer Victory Celebration to Yub Nub for the simple reason that I think it's a vastly superior piece of music that better fits the scene. To me, the woodwinds create a far better sense of the "calm after the storm", winding down, and finality than the choppy pace and "Ewok" lyrics of Yub Nub ever did.

 

[Marik2]

 

[twistedmic]

It's worth noting I have it on DVD because it was the bonus discs for the remastered trilogy on BD. It's not like they vanished entirely or something.

I have them on DVD as well. I actually gave away the special edition discs and kept the non-special edition bonus discs for myself which I may or may not have copied on to my computer for future personal use.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

I wouldn't be surprised if Lucas had it as a condition in the contract that Disney wouldn't be allowed to release an unedited version of the Original Trilogy. Honestly, I wonder why exactly he's so ashamed of it. The pirated, despecialized editions still hold up. It's not like they aged that terribly.

It's worth noting I have it on DVD because it was the bonus discs for the remastered trilogy on BD. It's not like they vanished entirely or something.

Ditto. Got a big ol' box set that has DVDs for the remastered special versions and their dated CGI (New Hope Jabba looks terrible) and other DVDs for the original versions with no touching up whatsoever

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

It's worth noting I have it on DVD because it was the bonus discs for the remastered trilogy on BD. It's not like they vanished entirely or something.

I have them on DVD as well. I actually gave away the special edition discs and kept the non-special edition bonus discs for myself which I may or may not have copied on to my computer for future personal use.

Can you link these DVD special editions that have it?

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

It's worth noting I have it on DVD because it was the bonus discs for the remastered trilogy on BD. It's not like they vanished entirely or something.

I have them on DVD as well. I actually gave away the special edition discs and kept the non-special edition bonus discs for myself which I may or may not have copied on to my computer for future personal use.

Can you link these DVD special editions that have it?

You want to go with the 6-disc editions listed here [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Trilogy-Episodes-DVD/dp/B001FVKUA8/ref=sr_1_16?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1551643209&sr=1-16&keywords=star+wars+original+trilogy] (though you might want to check outside of the UK site). Three are the digitally remastered versions, three are the originals

 

[Natemans]

I still own my 2006 DVD sets with the Special Editions and original cuts on separate discs.

 

[Squilookle]

Eh, the differences are hit and miss. On the one hand, we've got the big musical number in Jabba's palace, which was nothing more than them showing off their CGI abilities...which haven't aged well. On the other hand, we did end on Victory Celebration rather than Yub Nub, which I've always felt was a great improvement. Similarly, they gave us a little reunion moment between Luke and Biggs shortly before the Death Star run, which works wonders for giving Biggs's death and Luke's reaction better context and more gravitas. On the flip side, of course, we've got the "Greedo shot first" change, which cheapens a character arc that had originally seen him transition from ruthless and amoral smuggler primarily concerned with saving his own skin to a war hero willing to lead a suicide mission for a cause he believed in.

So again, mixed bag. Some improvements, some mistakes. With that being said, the less that's said about the 2004 DVD changes, the better. So I'd be a bit conflicted over an 'un-tampered' version. Han shooting first? I'm game. Bringing back Yub Nub? Not so much.

I agree with you on Han being the one to shoot (Greedo never got a shot off) but I have to disagree with you on 'Victory Celebration'.
With the original Return of the Jedi it makes sense that the Rebels are celebrating destroying the Death Star II as well as the defeat of the emperor and Darth Vader (plus several Capital Ships). Planets all over the galaxy celebrating the defeat of the Empire so quickly, despite the fact that most of the Imperial Navy is probably still alive and kicking and those planets didn't seem to be in active rebellion, makes a little less sense.

I think the trick there is not to take it quite so literally.

Showing the other planets celebrating at the same time makes limited sense if viewed as concurrent with the rebellion's celebration. However, narratively it serves the purpose of the final bow for the galaxy at large. The long and short of that is that in the last moments of a story, the writer uses characters' last appearances to directly allude to what happens to them after the story ends.

A battle weary soldier reuniting with their family fortells days of peace surrounded by loved ones. A pair ending their screentime with a tender romantic moment is used to suggest a mutual romantic future for the couple. In this case, showing the other planets celebrating the Rebellion's victory is there to tell us that the Rebellion successfully overthrows the Empire, that this represented at very least the beginning of the end of the war. It's a moment that you're supposed to take more at symbolic value than face value and aren't supposed to think too hard about the logistics behind it.

With all that being said, however, I prefer Victory Celebration to Yub Nub for the simple reason that I think it's a vastly superior piece of music that better fits the scene. To me, the woodwinds create a far better sense of the "calm after the storm", winding down, and finality than the choppy pace and "Ewok" lyrics of Yub Nub ever did.

Couldn't agree with you more. There were some awful changes in the Special Edition, but Victory Celebration was not one of them. The win over Endor would have profound effects across the entire galaxy, and deserved to have that shown, rather than just some campfire bonestick ditty. It blended into the credits much better, too.

 

[Smithnikov_v1legacy]

People who got rid of all their VHS players are stupid. I have a combined VHS/DVD player and I am going to keep that thing forever.

:Fistbbump:

For my 21st birthday, I got a TV/VCR all-in-one. I still have it, and it still works. Still got your bootlegs?

 

[Saelune]

People who got rid of all their VHS players are stupid. I have a combined VHS/DVD player and I am going to keep that thing forever.

:Fistbbump:

For my 21st birthday, I got a TV/VCR all-in-one. I still have it, and it still works. Still got your bootlegs?

Bootlegs? I don't have any. I do have the Star Wars VHS tapes though that I grew up on. They aren't the original original, but there is no Jar Jars or Hayden ghosts.

I also got like, every Disney tape ever, and they all still work.

 

[BrawlMan]

I have a VHS/DVD combination player too. I also kept my original Star Wars tapes my mom got us back in 1996.

And to answer the question:

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

If Disney's acquisition (and dangerous monopolization of culture) of Fox actually goes through, Disney would get the final (known) piece legalese required to distribute the theatrical release of A New Hope.

That said, I would'nt expect anything like that until they put out, like, a mega-box 9-12 movie super set after Episode 9 comes out.