Just How Many ANH Drafts Are There? (Help needed in finding and organizing all the different versions.)

Now I’m aware that this is probably very old news to many of you, but I’m having some difficulties in organizing all the different drafts of ANH. I got intrigued by this now that Peter Mayhew started tweeting photos of his script from 1976. From what I’ve gathered, this version, which is called “The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as taken from the ‘Journal of the Whills’ (saga 1) Star Wars” is the third draft. However according to Wookieepedia the “saga 1” was from the second draft, and the third one was called “episode 1.” I’ve read the Dark Horse Comics adaptation of the “original draft”, but from what I’ve read on the forums there are older, unfinished versions.

So could someone help me clear up just how many versions of the script there has been, including the unfinished versions?
(I’d also appreciate any links to complete scripts as I’d love to read these old versions.)

EDIT: Any links to high-res storyboards would be greatly appreciated as well. I’d especially like to have these in better resolution; https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20535561/SW ANH storyboards.jpg

The complete versions are easy to follow for the most part, bar the titles. We do have for the most part all of the major ones (including the IMO bizarre first draft). In regards to the older versions, many of them are simply half-baked story ideas or world-building things.

There was an actual Journal of the Whills at one point; a three page first-person account of a very different story (which I think could have made for a very interesting take on the prequels). From there, it was mostly scattered notes until the treatment (which is actually on that site linked earlier, and interesting because Lucas actually states this takes place in the thirty-third century, instead of long long ago).

You can find a bunch about Journal of the Whills from this thread;

http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/The-Journal-of-the-Whills-A-Reconstruction-of-the-1973-Plot/id/46553

Mayhew’s pics are actually of the shooting script. Luke’s surname was changed during the shooting process (happily before any footage had been filmed with the old name). The opening crawl was likewise rewritten in post.

TV’s Frink said:

I’m curious why you are doing this? Genuine question.

Simply because as a SW fan and wannabe filmmaker I find the development process of ANH very interesting. I think it’s really fascinating to read early versions of something that has since become such a huge piece of pop-culture.
However googling it kind of confused me because I couldn’t match up the info with Mayhew’s recently posted script so I figured I’d ask for help here. As for the whole “organizing” thing, I like collecting these kinds of things, and right now I need something to do with my spare time. And I might end up making something out of all of this at some point, but right now I just want to read all the different versions for fun/educational purposes.

ATMachine said:

Mayhew’s pics are actually of the shooting script. Luke’s surname was changed during the shooting process (happily before any footage had been filmed with the old name). The opening crawl was likewise rewritten in post.

So is that why Mayhew’s script says “saga 1” instead of “episode 1”?
According to Wookieepedia the third draft had “saga” and the fourth draft had “episode”, so what version is the shooting script based on?

Tack said:

The complete versions are easy to follow for the most part, bar the titles. We do have for the most part all of the major ones (including the IMO bizarre first draft). In regards to the older versions, many of them are simply half-baked story ideas or world-building things.

There was an actual Journal of the Whills at one point; a three page first-person account of a very different story (which I think could have made for a very interesting take on the prequels). From there, it was mostly scattered notes until the treatment (which is actually on that site linked earlier, and interesting because Lucas actually states this takes place in the thirty-third century, instead of long long ago).

You can find a bunch about Journal of the Whills from this thread;

http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/The-Journal-of-the-Whills-A-Reconstruction-of-the-1973-Plot/id/46553

Do you have some idea of have many of his “half-baked” older version I could potentially find online?
His early notes are actually what fascinates me the most here (the more separate from the finished product the better).

ZkinandBonez said:

ATMachine said:

Mayhew’s pics are actually of the shooting script. Luke’s surname was changed during the shooting process (happily before any footage had been filmed with the old name). The opening crawl was likewise rewritten in post.

So is that why Mayhew’s script says “saga 1” instead of “episode 1”?
According to Wookieepedia the third draft had “saga” and the fourth draft had “episode”, so what version is the shooting script based on?

Tack said:

The complete versions are easy to follow for the most part, bar the titles. We do have for the most part all of the major ones (including the IMO bizarre first draft). In regards to the older versions, many of them are simply half-baked story ideas or world-building things.

There was an actual Journal of the Whills at one point; a three page first-person account of a very different story (which I think could have made for a very interesting take on the prequels). From there, it was mostly scattered notes until the treatment (which is actually on that site linked earlier, and interesting because Lucas actually states this takes place in the thirty-third century, instead of long long ago).

You can find a bunch about Journal of the Whills from this thread;

http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/The-Journal-of-the-Whills-A-Reconstruction-of-the-1973-Plot/id/46553

Do you have some idea of have many of his “half-baked” older version I could potentially find online?
His early notes are actually what fascinates me the most here (the more separate from the finished product the better).

Try ‘Making of Star Wars’ early sections. You get to hear all about Alexander Xerxes II and the planet Decarte, Chuiee Two Thorpe and his father Han, and the Great Feast of the Pleabs. Then again, you hear a lot of that in that thread too.

Density said:

• Mike Verta says that he is scheduled to meet with Disney and Fox executives to preview and discuss his restoration in relation to a possible official release.

What? Really?