Just an idea, but do we think it’s worth telling them exactly what we would want to see included in an ideal release?
What I’m picturing would mirror the Blade Runner set rather closely, with the final version (plus a few “final” surprises if that rumor about Han shooting first again has any weight) on disc one and the unaltered version on disc three. For ANH, the '81 crawl should be branched in as an option on the unaltered disc.
The middle disc could be the '97 version (timed to how it actually looked in '97) with the '04 and '11 edits branched in. The '04/'11 changes are few and far enough between that I feel like they could be easily branched if the disc is primarily the '97 version. It would provide interesting historical context like the three different versions of the Krayt dragon call, Boba Fett’s voice, different Emperor hologram and cgi Jabba, and Luke’s scream in ESB.
I’d settle for just the '97 version’s inclusion without '04 and '11 but I really do think '97 should be there. It’s the version that started this whole debate in the first place and it was shown in theaters in a major re-release.
Disc 1 - 1977/1981 versions via seamless branching + trailers and TV spots
Disc 2 - 1997 SE + 1997 trailers and TV spots, plus all 1997 TV specials/promos
Disc 3 - 2004/2011 versions via seamless branching
Disc 4 - deleted and alternate scenes, Making of, Holiday special, maybe a new docu?Disc 5 - The ‘lost cut’ work print, to truly mirror the BLADE RUNNER set.
Except in the example of Blade Runner the workprint actually was the first version shown to the public. Granted, it was only for test audiences before the wide release, but even then it’s more relevant to Blade Runner since its accidental discovery years later is what led to the director’s cut.
Fox didn’t meddle with Star Wars the way Perenchio and Yorkin did with Blade Runner. George hated the “lost cut” and fired his original editor. His only “enemy” was the technological limitations of the time, although he can’t really use that as an excuse for stuff like Greedo shooting first.