While I don’t disagree with anything you just said, I would argue that a “hardcore” Star Wars fan could point out to you a number of key differences between the 1977 version, the 1981 version, the 1985 Audio mix, the 1993 THX masters, the 1997 Special Edition, the 2004 DVD and the 2011 Bluray. While a Casual (or new) fan probably wouldn’t know about these differences (or care).
Oh, for sure. There are definitely different levels of knowledge and interest, but from my experience those specific distinctions (hardcore/casual) most often tend to be used for the purposes of gatekeeping so that older fans can wield their knowledge of trivia as a cudgel. And this is hardly exclusive to Star Wars fans. It’s one of those ugly aspects of fandom that is pretty consistent regardless of your interests.