CT Timeline of Star Wars OT Releases / Changes

My apologies if a similar thread is already on here, but I figured I'd actually try and log this stuff.

So besides the original releases, we have...


1978
Episode IV re-released with "Episode IV: A New Hope" added after "Star Wars."

At some point, the films were released on VHS. I'm not sure if it was the only VHS edition ever released, but the one I grew up on was the "half-face" covers, with the Leonard Maltin interviews at the beginning.

1997 - Special Edition
Changes include...
Episode IV -

• Two deleted scenes, one with CGI Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett added in;
• Added digital effects in Mos Eisley scene
• Deleted orange blur beneath Luke's landspeeder

Episode V

• Added scenes of snow monster
• Digitally expanded Cloud City
• The Emperor's cry from RotJ is added as Luke falls down the shaft (that was weird. What did they do with the same cry in RotJ?)

Episode VI

• Added new musical number to Jabba's palace
• Deleted black bars around the Rancor
• Digitally added beak to the Sarlaac
• Replaced Ewok's song with a new one, still John-Williams-penned

2003?? - DVD Editions
Changes include
Episode VI

• Hayden Christensen replaces Sebastian Shaw as Anakin's Force-ghost

Due to popular demand, at some point the original editions of the trilogy were released on DVD.

20?? - Blu-Ray
Changes include
Episode VI

• Ewoks blink

Later The Phantom Menace Release
I'll include this too, as I think its the only PT film to suffer George's changes. I'm not sure for what edition this was, but Yoda was later replaced with digital Yoda.

The entire saga was later released on Digital HD, I'm not sure if there were any changes there, and the latest (IE the Blu-Ray version, if I'm not mistaken) is what's streaming on Disney+. The original versions of the films have never been released in HD, although I'm sure there's a huge movement for that!

Other Changes - I'm Not Sure When They Occured
Episode VI

• Darth Vader screams "No!" as the Emperor electrocutes Luke
• Anakin's eyebrows are removed.

Can anyone help me out with the dates, or name any other changes.

 

Before it was available on video, you could buy Star Wars as short 8mm film clips (approx 5 mins each), for an ungodly sum of money, circa 1978. You could get them with or without sound, and in color or B&W. There was also the betamax version, and later on, a laser disc (in the 80's). A friend of mine had the laser disc, and the quality was incredible. The only problem was you had to flip it over halfway through, like a record. As far as changes, they were changing the film when it was still in theaters. The first few times I saw Star Wars, the scene where Chewbacca roars at the mouse droid was not in the film. There are many different audio/music/sound effects versions. Even different dubbed voices. There are multiple versions of the Death Star chasm shootout (different sound effects), and multiple versions of the Vader/Obi Wan duel (different visual effects for the sabers).

 

Not sure if anything was really changed in it, but there was also a THX edition, released on tape, in 1995.

 

There were also the Kenner hand crank movie viewers, which were available very early on (1977?). These came with a cartridge that featured about a minute of film. I believe there were at least 3 different cartridges.

 

ANH

2004 DVD has Obi-Wan's weird yell ( that scares off the Sand people) replaced by the sound Boga makes in ROTS. I do not know why.

When it was released on Blu-Ray it was changed again to some weird sound with reverb. I also do not know why.

"McClunky" was an addition that GL made AFTER the Blu-Ray's, but before Disney bought Lucasfilm. This change can only be seen on Disney+ at the moment.

ROTJ

Blu-Ray: Jabba's door is expanded... but only on the outside. It magically shrinks down to it's original size once we see it from the inside. There is also a random Dug walking around in one of the interior shots of Jabba's room.

AOTC

AOTC is a weird one because the claim is that sparks were added to Jango's jetpack after he gets trampled, but supposedly those changes had already been made for the digital theatrical release, just not the film release. This was back in 2002 so not a lot of theaters could show the film from a digital projector so film prints still needed to be made for distribution.

The Blu-Ray added in sounds of Shmi in pain during the scene where Anakin is tossing and turning.

ROTS

The wipe that occurs between Obi-Wan thinking and Anakin clawing his way up from the lava river was removed for the DVD release, but then put back in for the Blu-Ray release. Which means ROTS is the only Star Wars movie on Blu-Ray that is the same as it was in the theater.

These were both changed for the blu-ray release.

 

Practically the entire Death Star battle sequence in Star Wars was redone for the Special Editions. They replaced most of the model work with early digital effects that looked like crap in the '90s, and look even worse today.

 

This isn't the first time I've made this joke in here and it won't be the last, but Star Wars is like John Travolta's face. I know what it looked like back in the 70's and I know it shouldn't look like what it does now.

 

1995 THX versions were new transfers of the films. The image looked better. The audio is changed from the earlier home video release. Sounded effects were added throughout the movie taken from the different theatrical audio mixes.

 

I believe the 1995 VHS box set wasn't the first time the trilogy was released on home video. That would be the 1990/1992 box set.

 

The home video release dates for the Star Wars films were; ANH; 1982. ESB; 1985. ROTJ; 1986.

 

No, all six movies had changes, some even within their original theatrical runs like ANH, TESB and AOTC.

TPM had changes for its 2001 DVD release, later on for its 2011 Blu-ray release and again for its 3D release. AOTC and ROTS had changes in the 2011 Blu-ray release.

 

From what I know, the ep IV bit was not added in 1978 but 1981.
The dvd version came out in 2004.

There were multiple version of ANH in it's original release, there were different sound mixes, in some the "Close the blasts doors" was gone.
Some had the original voice of aunt Beru, others had a dubbed voice. The mouse droid scene and likely others.

Changes to ESB, Boba Fett's voice was changed and bits from RotJ were added showing how Vader got up to the SSD. What need there is to over explain this I don't know.

Bye for now.
Old Stoneface

 

I remember seeing Star Wars on a rerelease and Beru having a new voice. The syncing of voices to lips has also gotten a lot better in Star Wars with later releases.

My guess for adding Vaders shuttle flight to his Star Destroyer in Empire is a) it clears up any confusion for people watching who don’t understand Vader’s dialogue that he is returning to his Star Destroyer.

b) it established the shuttle seen in Return of the Jedi earlier as a ship in Star Wars and as the shuttle type Darth Vaders uses.

 

As opposed to the shuttle Captain Needa takes to get killed by Vader, which is a TIE bomber with its wings reversed.

 

Never liked the ROTJ shuttle. It seemed totally out of place in Star Wars. Like they borrowed it from the Buck Rogers TV show. By the way, there are two different versions of the music in the Captain Needa shuttle scene.

 

What are the two different versions of music?

I think your complaint about the shuttle is why it’s added to ESB and why a similar imperial landing craft was added to Star Wars on Tatooine.

 

Well, I can't hum them for you, but there are two variations on the Imperial March for that scene. One is orchestral (the current version), while the other is more subdued.

 

Where is the alternate version available to hear?

 

It should be on the original VHS version of the movie, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

To a) who was confused about that? Vader says "Bring my shuttle!" and later we see him on the SSD. Hardly rocket science. Shuttles are a thing in SW and they can transport people from place to place.
This is treating the audience like they are morons.

b) What need is there to establish this?
We did not see the SSD in ANH, it is introduced in ESB and that is fine.
We see the shuttle in RotJ and we see that Vader was onboard. Why is it needed to show the shuttle in the previous film? We can get it. Again it seems like Lucas thinks his audience are full of idiots.

Bye for now.
Blackboard Monitor

 

In the original Empire film, the music used for the transition back to the Imperial Fleet (which was composed by Williams) is replaced in a couple of scenes with the beginning of the Imperial March (as heard in the concert version). It happens after the magic tree scene (when we cut to the bounty hunters) and after the "that's why you failed" scene (when we cut to capt. Needa's death).
In both cases, it was a horrible choice (it sounds awful) and was fortunately changed in 1997, restoring the music composed by Williams.

 

I actually prefer the earlier version. The trumpets in the current version are too strident.

 

Agreed -I first wrote that as ‘for the three people who didn’t understand.’ But then I was thinking about non-English speakers. And that group is quite large.

Anyway it’s not a nessary change and my hunch is that it was made to ad more of the shuttle to the trilogy.

 

That scene really ruins the pacing of the film. Lucas dropped the ball there, on something he's usually pretty good at.

 

English is not my native language and was 11 when I first saw ESB back in 1981 and I got this without problem.
Pointless change that seems to treat the audience like they are stupid.

Bye for now.
Old Stoneface