FAQs… for the OOT / ALI Restoration & Leaks
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions…
- Are the leaks real?
Yes, and we have known this for quite a while now. A thread was created on another forum in June after the YouTube channel was discovered accidentally through recommendations, and since then we have continued analysing the clips to verify their authenticity. Over 100 clips were archived along with a dozen or so pastebin documents. The thread was hidden after growing in popularity and a few of the users were invited to a PM, then a smaller number of those users were invited to a second PM.
- Why were the leaks kept a secret on the forums?
The general consensus was that we should keep the leaks on the ‘down low’ so we didn’t attract unwanted attention to them. To also try and protect the individuals involved with the ALI OOT restoration - and the restoration itself… which was a prudent move given a certain clickbait fan-media outlet’s actions in featuring individuals involved in the ALI restoration in their initial ‘leak scoop’ content. Then followed by attempts to try and infer they were ‘in the know’ all along with ‘I told you’ type comments.
fallenorder0392 said:
Ultimately, it’s a bit saddenning for us because we didn’t want this to leak out the way that it did, and now the people who were involved in this effort (their names were literally on some of the clips) would now be at risk of being blacklisted by the industry even though they weren’t even part of the reason why this was leaked in the first place.
and this on the reddit leaker…
fallenorder0392 said:
It absolutely sucks that the leaker got their 15 minutes of fame trying to get reddit karma over this restoration leak, and now the talented people and minds who were deeply involved in this project and took great care in restoring the trilogy is going to suffer from it.
- Can you post up the 12 or so pastebin documents?
Sorry - no, we’re not willing to do that. As we have seen above… they contain personal and sensitive information - so there is no chance of us making these available. What we will do is, with kind permission of Member X, post a redacted segment of one of the pastebin documents on the sources used for the ALI restoration - which can be read below…
AURORA LIGHT IMAGEWORKS
MASTER SOURCE & SYSTEM INDEX – PROJECT SWR(1-3)
I. IMAGE SOURCES
Usable Source Elements:
.OCN (Original Camera Negative)
Primary source where intact.
Reconfirmed in ‘97 for legacy output, selectively damaged.
Missing or replaced sections.
Moderate to extreme color shift (red).
.IP (Interpositive) (‘85)
Used when OCN unavailable or degraded.
Known color curve bias and moderate magenta shift.
.CRI (Color Reversal Intermediate)
Original source for optical effect shots.
Moderate to extreme dupe grain.
Moderate to extreme color degradation/shift.
.VVI
Original source for certain shots
Moderate dupe grain.
Moderate color shift.
.CSM** (Color Separation Master)
Used for high-accuracy reference color.
Not conformed directly; matched-to.
.70mm Archival Prints
Low-fade reference; used primarily for contrast targets.
Audio scraped for magnetic mix sync.
.35mm Studio Prints (SP)
Contrast-heavy; used for frame reconstruction (e.g., missing heads/tails).
Often warped; used for dirt/tracking error training only
Unusable / Rejected Sources:
.2004 Master (LD)
Complete grade rebuild.
(10-bit) legacy intermediate (1080p Scan).
Grain scrubbed; color artifacting extensive.
.2011/2012 Master (RMD)
Partial grade rebuild.
Known contrast imbalance, PW mismatch, and magenta shifts.
Grain ghosting due to temporal artifacting.
II. AUDIO SOURCES
.Original Stereo Mix (Restored)
From magnetic stripe; synced to optical.
Extracted and restored.
.Mono Mix (Restored)
Restored from stem elements; fidelity variance logged.
.70mm 6-Track Magnetic
Extracted and restored; limited scene-level detail preserved.
.New 7.1 DTS Mix
Built from original library (Burtt) with modern spatial balancing.
Handled by REDACTED (Skywalker Sound), monitored by REDACTED
ADR replacement with alternate takes; foley partially re-recorded.
III. SOFTWARE & TOOLS
(REDACTED)
- Why are Lucasfilm or Disney using an automated uploading system on a youtube account to share clips of this restoration? And haven’t fixed the issue that leads to this leaking to fans? This seems fishy…
As ridiculous as it sounds, the automated uploading system is true. It was confusing to us at first, but we soon came up and developed a couple of theories to explain the craziest discrepancy in all of this.
Our most likely theory is that it’s an auto-uploader system that allows them to quickly review the restored footage and we assume whoever handled this restoration was probably outsourced by Disney and not necessarily by LucasFilm themselves. Therefore, with work being outsourced to restoration artists in different parts of the world, they might’ve found it convenient to quickly share files and previews of the restoration work through YouTube (ideally unlisted, but their script did otherwise).
Another theory is that this might be some haphazard AI-vibe code from someone in the IT department, mandated by some executive board member who wanted to constantly monitor the restoration work.
They certainly have internal viewing software for ingesting and exporting their raw 6k files, but for reasons only God and the people pouring in that room now, they’re using YouTube to do the previews.
- You are just Gatekeeping these leaks! Just like you Gatekeep the download links to the fan projects. Why?
See above (FAQs #2 & #3) - the general consensus was just that. Nor do we Gatekeep download links to fan projects - the accessibility and dispersal of fan projects have always been the responsibility of the respective project creator - not this site.
We’ve been here a long time, some 20+ years… and we’ve seen many a like-minded and public ‘sister site’ be taken down and fall by the wayside for openly displaying download links. We have a good thing going here… sometimes the decisions made (and Rules & Guidelines) may not be popular, or easy, though they are taken in the best interests of this community.
If anyone feels they can do a better job - for 20+ years… feel free to start a similar openly public site - with open download links - and good luck with it…
- Who posted the leaks to Reddit?
There’s no real way of knowing, but the most likely explanation is that it was someone who saw the initial thread but was not invited to the subsequent PM. To someone without access to the PM it would have looked like the thread had been deleted, and the leaks were not being discussed anymore. A more secure archive was created after we stopped using the thread and moved to the PMs, whereas the first less secure archive was visible in the thread and was accessible to everyone who viewed it. None of the images leaked on Reddit came from the second more secure archive.
It is a pity that promises made not to disclose the leaks were broken - as well as breaking the trust with the discussion group and community they are a part of.
- When will these be released?
We obviously hope they will see a release in 2027 for the 50th anniversary… yet it is also worth highlighting… even IF this ALI restoration project does see a release (theatrical re-run, physical media, Disney+ etc) it does not necessarily mean all of the Original Trilogy films would be released / made available in 2027. It could just be Star Wars for 2027, Empire for 2030, and Jedi for 2033; staggered releases to ‘maximise the return on investment’ (ROI) for the 50th anniversaries of the Original Trilogy. Followed by a deluxe boxset in 2034 etc (just a possibility worth consideration).
It could also be that this is for an internal archival restoration - one that may not see the light of day for years to come.
- What about George’s legal agreement with Lucasfilm/Disney that they never release the original cuts of the OT?
There is no evidence to support this oft-spouted fan theory, rumour, conjecture, or for some fans… wishful thinking.
There is evidence to support no such supposed ‘deal’ actually existing. In fact there is a blanket straight-out denial of this - from the President of Lucasfilm themselves:-
‘Kennedy confirmed there is no actual agreement to keep the trilogy in its current form but when probed further about whether or not Lucas’ final cut of the original trilogy would be altered over time Kennedy assured that is something that will not happen’
^ a 2017 article at the ‘Heroic Hollywood’ website.
Also, from the ‘Steele Wars Podcast’ interview with Kathleen Kennedy, conducted in a media line event for ‘The Last Jedi’ at Celebration 2017:-
Interviewer: “A lot has been said about the pass over to Disney, but Star Wars is film of changes… it has evolved over time. Uh, is there like, a contractual or a handshake agreement that the films are locked in their current form?”.
Kathleen Kennedy: “No, there is no-one actually locking us into anything. In fact, the beauty of this relationship with The Walt Disney Company is they have been absolutely fantastic at standing back and pretty much letting us do what we want.”
^ the above interview with Kathleen Kennedy can also be found on the ‘Steele Wars’ YouTube channel - (at 2 minutes 50 seconds).
and more in…
The 'Naysayer Guide’ by people who DON’T want an unaltered theatrical release of the Original Trilogy films - Category No.5 discusses this specific issue - as do many other various threads on here over the years.
- What has the general reception been to the ALI OOT restoration / leaks…
Overall the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Whether on reddit (here, here, and here), or on twitter (here, here, and here).
Plus the vast majority of fans who replied to the official announcement of Star Wars returning to theatres in April 2027 for the 50th anniversary of Star Wars… voicing their wish to see / favour the theatrical cuts being the version they’d like to see and experience.
Similarly, the feedback, the responses, the replies, the ‘likes’, the ‘thumbs-ups’ and other reactions… have been abundantly favourable to the Media Coverage & Content on the news the theatrical cuts are being preserved and readied for a likely future release.
Some others are understandably cautious - there has been a lot of rumour and media clickbait over the years - where coverage and reporting of a possible OOT release would always bring in the crowd and clicks/subs/sales - and people have become somewhat immune and sceptical of yet another claim of ‘the OOT is coming soon’ etc.
Of course, there are a vocal minority online of ‘Special Edition’ fans and very-pro ‘George Lucas fans’ that believe only his latest vision should be available - and that making previous releases of the Original Trilogy available again is somehow detrimental to George’s latest official canon vision (the 2019 SE ‘Maclunkey’ version). This is unfortunately nothing new - though we feel it is important to note they are but a consistent vocal minority… whose logic and POV all these years later still does not withstand even cursory scrutiny… no matter how angry, incoherent, contradictory, or threatening they become when discussing the topic at hand… even in the hours-long rant videos riddled with inaccuracies, personal insults, and high-level mental gymnastics.
To say nothing of George Lucas’ 2025 comments: “Of course I’ve moved past it [Star Wars]. I mean, I’ve got a life. I’m building a museum. A museum is harder than making movies.” - from ‘Inside George’s Brain’, a WSJ article and interview with George himself.
An official high quality release of the unaltered theatrical versions from '77, '80, and '83… are still absent from our world. Yet they can easily be a part of it once more. It is simply about having the choice - the option - to be able to own and experience an official modern-format release of those iconic pioneering cuts of the Original Trilogy - the very foundation that all of the GFFA is built on.
- What do you guys and gals think of the quality of the ALI OOT Restoration that we have seen so far?
I would say the overwhelming consensus is one of amazement - even amongst some of the very talented and knowledgeable members behind some of the better quality preservations, reconstructions, and other OT projects down the years… on both the OT and TSWT. None of us thought we’d ever see the OOT looking this good, nor restored in a such a quality manner with the care, love, and attention to detail it so deserves. So all credit and kudos to the talented ALI team has achieved so far. It is also important to remember what we’re seeing is a Work In Progress - and taken from compressed sources such as youtube etc. Yet even then, it looks… fab. 👍
Hopefully, nobody amongst the higher-ups involved later thinks to themselves… ‘what is really missing here is a blue tint across all three films’, or starts making ‘deliberate create decisions’ on the sound again, and we certainly hope the final encode, when ready… it is executed with the same respect and high level of accomplishment as the restoration of the ALI OOT itself… 😃
I’ll paraphrase from a wiser member who recently stated: To anyone from Lucasfilm or the ALI team who may be reading this… please know that we are all cheering you and the team on for your continuing and jaw-dropping efforts. Keep up the fantastic work - and may the force be with you, always.
Massive credit and thanks to fallenorder0392 and SonnyGFunk - I’ve ‘copy & pasted’, butchered, and paraphrased their helpful posts to provide some info for the FAQs. The rest is merely mine - sorry about that! 👍
A Mini-Index for info on the ALI OOT Restoration Leaks…
• An Introduction / Overview
• Image Screenshots & Comparisons
• Video Clips
• Media Coverage & Content
• FAQs
• News & Updates (tba; for when we hopefully get an official announcement on the ALI OOT restoration for the 50th anniversary)
