Saga First viewing of Star Wars: Theatrical or Special Edition?

So I’m going to be watching Star Wars with my young son for the first time tonight and I can’t decide whether to show him the special edition or the original version.

I guess the only reason I’m hesitating is that I don’t want to make him watch the originals just for my sake. I think he’ll enjoy a lot of the extra nonsense stuff in the special edition, I don’t even mind most of it that much myself.

On the other hand I know the original effects won’t put him off and it feels like a purer way to see it for the first time. And we’ll be rewatching a few times before going on to Empire so there’s time for special editions in the future.

Any thought? Who else has been through this dilemma and how did you resolve it?

Cheers,

 

original in re-release during the 80's and then rotj. all original.

 

Therein lies the problem and solution. Just show him the film and let him decide what he likes and doesn't like. You shouldn't feel the need for him to enjoy the OT the way that you did the first time. Let him have his own experiences with the OT. Let him see it through his eyes and then enjoy his reactions from that.

 

I saw the theatrical versions of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back first (they were the only two that we had), but the first version of Return of the Jedi that I saw was the 1997 Special Edition when I rented it from BlockBuster.

 

Let the kid decide.

 

If you show him the special edition, which version will you show him? The original 1997 S.E., the 2004 DVD or the 2011 Blu-ray?

 

You don't want his first viewing to be of subpar quality. Show him the best quality you can get, DVD or bluray.

 

"Here's what Star Wars was like when it first came out at the movies. Here's what it was like when they added some things to it years later. Which one do you want to watch first?"

 

I'd do the originals first, then the PT and then the 97/04/11 versions.

 

Thanks for all the replies folks, I really appreciate your views. I went for the Special Edition in the end (2004 version as I haven't got the bluray yet (shocking, I know!)).

Deciding factors were watching the best quality version and not imposing my own hang ups on him. He loved it, naturally. Think we'll be watching a lot of Star Wars in future - time to pick up the bluray set!

 

I plan on showing SW to my kids first on the blu rays. I imagine by the time my 9 month old and 2 year old are old enough to care (right around the time Episode IX might be coming out), I'm sure they'll get bored seeing it in a lesser format than what they're used to. I kind of grew up right in the middle of the OT and PT, so I am an equal fan of the SE's (at least the blu ray versions) and saga as a whole. Hopefully I can accomplish this before they see the ST. I feel if they see the ST first, they'll be less motivated to go back and see the rest-not being as invested in the WHOLE story...

It'll probably be hard to keep them from seeing it until I "reveal" it to them, what with today's social media and devices and whatnot. Assuming they don't end up spoiling themselves by seeing snippets of it over time (like at friend's houses and whatnot), I think I will start them with TPM and go chronologically. I know that takes away two things: the reveal of Darth Vader as Luke's father, and Leia as his sister. BUT there are many other things that tie the saga together nicely when watched in order, like when Obi-Wan talks to Luke about the empire, clone wars and relationship with Anakin. Not to mention seeing Anakin's fall play out early on makes his return to good and defeat of the emperor finally so much more effective and dramatic.

By showing them the movies in chronological order, I would hope they would enjoy the wonderful, epic story for what it is as a whole. (I also want to see if they notice any difference at their young age between the PT and OT. Effects and certain styles may be different, but the picture quality is now almost the same...)

 

Theatrical - 35mm (college) AND 70 mm (home) and I couldn't wait for the SE to come out on video AND be affordable.

Is this thread also for viewing order? Heck, I saw ANH, ESB, ROTJ, TPM and ROTS * all in the theater, in that order and while nothing could match "I'm your father" to the uninitiated, if I had to show all 6 to someone who'd seen none of them, I'd show them 1-6 if they didn't have a preference.

(*I've never seen AoTC in the theater because TPM left such a bad taste in my mouth. Guess what - with the ability to fast forward on the DVDs/Bluerays thru the pod racing and Anakin's hijinks, it's the one I rewatch most often now.)

 

I first saw the movie when it hit the theaters in 1977. I saw the SE versions when it first hit the theaters in 1997. I usually watch the SE versions.

 

ANH 1997 was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. I loved it, didn't have any problems with the additions. Watching the behind the scenes intro on the SE VHS tapes is what made me a cinema fan.

Ultimately, the power of the OT as a story is much, much bigger than any little changes could affect.

 

I watched those intros so many times I could repeat them in my sleep.

"In 1977, producer/director George Lucas created the Star Wars Trilogy, and changed the way we look at movies. Now, twenty years later, using new digital technology, Lucas and his creative teams at Lucafilm, THX, Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light and Magic have completely restored, enhanced and added to these classic movies to create the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition."

The 1997 versions are by far my favorite versions of the films. Sure, there might be some silly changes (Greedo shooting first and Luke's scream in Empire), but I love the original special editions. The sliver box set is the best.

 

I saw the theatrical versions of the OT first but I MUCH MUCH MUCH prefer the Special Editions and all subsequent versions

 

I like the 2004 DVD's best.

 

Originals. Then he can avoid (temporarily) the Jedi Rocks song, Greedo being the worst shot in the galaxy.....

 

Uhh... not sure
I had the OT on VHS when I was younger. They didn't have the '97 SE changes as far as I remember, but they weren't the theatrical versions because I specifically remember "Episode IV: A New Hope"

 

I suppose if I were to introduce kids to Star Wars I'd go for the original theatrical releases first. Then thow the SE at them. Then the PT. This was the way I experienced it and I turned out to be a heck of a SW fan.

 

The 'Episode IV: A New Hope' subtitle was added for the theatrical re-release in 1981 (there were also some alterations to the audio). All home video releases (beginning in 1982) then included it.

 

Not showing a new viewer the OOT for bias reasons, is just as bad as not showing a new viewer the PT for those same bias reasons. I would show the OOT first, because they have no frame of reference about the storyline, special effects, changes, etc, so there is nothing to compare to yet. Then you show them the SE and they can decide which version they like.

 

Why not just remove the bias factor completely by asking the new viewer how they want to go about watching the films?

 

If you remove bias, then you need to just show the current Blu-Ray versions from three years ago. That is as about as unbiased as you can get. Anything else is bias.