I do think it is a stupid title. But I do call it that. When I do a trilogy or saga viewing, I want it to say Episode IV A New Hope. And that wasn’t the first change to the film.

A careful review of all the different releases and comparing them to the timeline shows that the original May 1977 version of the film (see Moth3r’s bootleg and Puggo Grand) had 4 differences. 3 FX shots and the end credits. Not to mention the soundtrack. When the film went into wider release those 3 FX shots and the end credits were replaced and the mono soundtrack was created. So the original May 1977 version and the later 1977 version with the mono soundtrack are quite a bit different. For some reason, those 3 FX shots (though not the end credits) were in the version that sourced all the English Language home video (which included Japan). It wasn’t until the Definitive Collection from the newly struck interpositive prints that the real 1981 version of the film came to home video, though not with the original soundtrack so I guess it was technically a new version.

And it was the release of the PT that changed the accepted name of the film from just Star Wars. Every home video release before than, including the SE, had it as Star Wars (with some having A New Hope there as well, but in smaller lettering). But since then the quick version is either 4, Ep4, EpIV, or ANH, never just Star Wars or SW. I’m fine with that. The whole thing is Star Wars.

But I truly consider that first version of the film to be a different movie, like I consider the SE version to be different. If I was going to do a full marathon of the films, I’d do the un-numbered original, followed by the original theatrical versions, followed by the 9 episode saga with the SE versions.