CT Star Wars SE Appreciation Thread

I've found this article from the Cantina Cast: http://www.thecantinacast.net/2015/06/30/if-it-aint-broke-then-dont-try-to-fix-it/

 

Why do people continue to take Lucas' speech out of context as if it somewhat contradicts his reasons for making the Special Editions?

 

I've even found this trailer for the initial release of the Special Edition in 1997:



And these three trailer for each movie of the OT during their release in 1997:

• Original Star Wars (A New Hope): February 14th 1997
• The Empire Strikes Back: February 21st 1997
• Return of the Jedi: March 7th 1997

*Sigh* These trailers makes me a little bit nostalgic. I didn't see the movies when they were released in 1997 (I waited 8 years later in 2005 to see my first Star Wars movie: Revenge of the Sith), but I remember having found toys of the AT-AT walker in a McDonalds Happy Meal when I was 7 years old. On TV, they were even talking about Star Wars back on that time.

I wish that Disney or Lucasfilm could have re-released all 6 film in theaters before The Force Awakens instead of the Digital release. Blu-Ray were enough.

 

I suppose it's not too late for a limited time theatrical reshowing - one episode per week in the month and a half leading up to TFA

 

Look on the bright side, Darkslayer. You're young!

 

I've also found this trailer of the 2004 DVD release of the OT, the first support on which I've watched the OT in 2005 after having watched Revenge of the Sith and the other prequels.

 

I like the Special Editions. In fact, my family and I tend to watch those versions, instead of the old one.

 

As the co-host and co-owner of The Cantina Cast podcast, this was one of the blogs posted on the site that I didn't really agree with myself, but we do allow our bloggers freedom of opinion as long as it isn't grossly offensive. Just wanted to state, that this was the author's opinion and not really representative of the Cantina Cast. Personally, I much prefer the SE's and Blu-Ray's.

 

I've never seen the original ANH but it looks pretty bad to be honest with you.

I don't think there were that many changes to TESB and RotJ.

 

It wasn't "bad" or anything. This is something I agree with OOT purists on. It was just a product of its time.

The key issue here that makes the changes all right is that the actual artist behind the films wasn't satisfied with that fact, and wanted them to be better. I agree with most of his alterations, and I agree with his reasons for doing so. After all, Lucas set out to make a believable space fantasy series, not to make a vintage showcase of late-70s/early-80s special effects technology. Mundane things like matte lines and malfunctioning puppets were never a legitimate part of his artistic intent.

Some artists are okay with those things, and so they don't make changes. But everybody has different opinions, and at the end of the day, it is the creator of that art who gets to make the decision, not the consumers of that art.

 

Right, by bad I mean, from what it looks like as I've never seen it, it doesn't look like art. It doesn't look like that galaxy the artist has in mind. RotJ already had that look. TESB already had it. The original ANH doesn't.

 

Indeed. I find the updated versions to be more aesthetically pleasing. And, to be fair, there are some old shots that are just plain bad, no bones about it. For instance, some the original Battle of Yavin shots are just plain not very effective. Like, whenever you see a TIE fighter "chasing" an X-wing, it just looks lame. It always looks like one tiny little ship just lazily flying behind another. And that's not Lucas' or any of the effects guys' faults; it's just the way it was at the time because of the technological limitations.

 

And it's ironic (and also ridiculous if I could say that) that many people want to go back to those technological limitations when complaining about CGI...

 

I prefer watching the special edition of esb than the original, love what they did with Cloud City.

 

I have never actually seen the newer blue ray versions(no blue ray player). I have the Dvd's with the OOT as a bonus disc and as such I have only seen the blue ray changes like Anakin yelling NO in Jedi on youtube. I am sure it would be great to see the films in the Higher Res, but I just cannot bring myself to buy a blue ray player just for Star Wars yet when the DVD's I have are fine.

As I said in my last post the SE's are what I got to see on the big screen so they will always hold a special place for me. Bad CGI Jabba in episode 4 and all.

 

I respect the OOT but for saga continuity and since they look better SE all day.

 

you can also get them in hd digital which you can play on your computer, digital devices, smart t.v., game console, etc, i've thought about it myself but right now it's too expensive for me. they also have all the extras so you don't need the blu rays.

 

I first watched the OT via those 1995 VHS releases from my local library. My parents eventually bought the SE on VHS from a yard sale near where we live. I have had these videos for nearly a decade and haven't bought any new editions since. So I do have fond memories of the SE as that was the version I watched the most.

Because this is a a appreciation thread here are some changes I did like.

New shots of x-wings approaching death star

New wampa

Expanded cloud city shots

New victory song at the end of ROTJ.

 

I love the new Victory Celebration music. It's so much more emotional than, 'shudder' Yub Nub.

 

When it comes to the changes of the OT, it's much easier for me to list the changes I dislike because I like the vast majority of them. But I rather share my favorite changes to keep things positive.

• "Episode IV: A NEW HOPE" added to the opening crawl.
• The new sandcrawler shots.
• Expansion of Mos Eisley.
• Han and Greedo shoot just about simultaneously in the Blu-ray version.
• Han chasing a squad of stormtroopers into a hanger full of even more stormtroopers.
• The updated exterior of the rebel base.
• Luke and Biggs reunite before the Death Star assault.
• The CG X-Wings and Tie Fighters fights.
• The new wampa shots.
• Expanded Cloud City shots.
• The new singers and dancers in Jabba's Palace.
• Oola in the rancor pit.
• Blinking ewoks!
• Vader's "No!"
• New victory song and galaxy celebration.

The Special Editions are definitely my preferred version of the films, but I would really love to the OOT fully remastered along side a new release of the saga or even just on it's own.

 

Hi, guys! Sorry I'm late
I have to say I just love this board right now. OOT love in one thread, SE (and beyond) love in another. Kudos to MOC Yak Face for making this happen! You are a peace keeper, my friend! A true Jedi
Truly, at the end of the day, we're all one and the same bunch of ol' Star Wars fans. There's no need for conflict because, as a wise man once said, "There is no conflict".
I myself love the more consistent saga experience that the upgrades provide, but I also love the OOT for the more freestanding experience that it is - just as I'll continue to love Lucas's self-contained, circular six part saga even if I wind up loving the coming nine part saga too. And so on and so forth...
In true Star Wars/Daoist fashion, I've found balance in my fanatic little heart

I'd also like to express my appreciation for Vader's "No. Nooooo!". It works for me on several levels.
First of all, it's an excellent mirror of the scene where Anakin finally lost the last shred of his old self after realizing that he killed the woman he set out to save. With a pathetic, wailing "No", he sank deep, deep into the dark side of his inner self and completed his transformation into Darth Vader.
Now, with a forceful rendition of the same "No", he finally breaks through the suffocating fog of the dark side and completes his return to the light by saving the son that he first set out to kill (metaphorically).
Second, the fact that he actually says something in this pivotal moment (perhaps the most pivotal moment of all), reinforces the feeling that Anakin, the human, is back and that Vader, the machine, is gone. It's a vocal expression of emotion, which is something that we'll never get from someone like Vader. Anakin has reclaimed his lost soul and feels again!
Third, the sound of the line just fits ROTJ like a glove, adding to the family-friendly matinee feel of it. It's like it was always there somehow. To me, that's a definitive plus.

Simply put; "No" FTW!

 

Thank you Lulu_Mars. It's very nice of you to say so.

 

I always enjoyed the new musical scene in Jabba's palace that was inserted in. I can see where Lucas may have been going with that. It had the feel of a large number act for entertaining a gangster. It makes me think of Temple of Doom with Lao Che being a gangster and having the large musical number with dancing girls and orchestra. That is what that whole sequence reminded me of in ROTJ.

 

Yeah, I dig the SE Sy Snoodles routine as well. I mean...I guess I never fell in love with Lepti Nek the way a lot of people seemed to. To me it was a forgettable moment in the film, and George didn't want it to be forgettable. He wanted it to be fun.

Hell, sometimes I wonder if folks don't care for it just because the song is now called "Jedi Rocks."

 

Yeah that is a good question about not liking it? But I personally think that the scene and extra characters add and make it feel more like something a galactic crime lord would be into.