The more digging you do: the more you scratch your head, tear your hair out and simply say: WHY?
Why the constant rewriting of history? Why the need to downplay other’s contributions? Why the shift in focus away from making films and telling stories?
The biggest eyeopener is reading Zombie’s Secret History book that agonizingly traces the route the telling and retelling and rewriting has taken over the years.
And to be honest I have no answer. I STILL can’t figure it out. Kubrick put it best in an old interview: “If I made as much money as George Lucas, I would not decide to become a studio mogul. I cannot understand why he doesn’t want to direct films anymore, because American Graffiti and even Star Wars were very good.”
As for the SEs originally being prep for the Prequels in terms of acting as a tech demo: Absolutely right. However Coppola got into the same scenario and that ended up as AN Redux-Yet he and everyone involved has NEVER removed the original superior version from circulation and in the newly completed restoration includes both versions along with a third newer cut.
Whereas it seems George was like: oh hey now I can finally fix this thing…and this…and this…and oh that’s nice…
Which is totally fine so long as you don’t try to actually hide away the original works and even perpetuate claims that they no longer exist. That’s the problem and has always been the issue. The exact same thing happened to THX-1138 and since it is a cult film practically no one speaks of it.