“The demand is actually high for the OOT”
It isn’t. Sorry.
“As for the ‘And it’s not hundreds of thousands, either’ - you’ll likely find it is.”
No, I likely won’t. The numbers aren’t hidden. Everyone knows what they are. Heck, you’re even noting that many of those downloads and bootleg purchases are double-and-triple dips by people who already got previous versions. There’s a post on this forum that features almost everyone who contributes here talking about the 5-6x they’ve bought the official OT. That doesn’t make the number of us bigger in the way you’re trying to make it look. It simply calls attention to how habitual our number is.
The numbers are known. And the numbers aren’t even really the point, because even when the numbers were large enough (and had yet to be hurt by the overall negative taint the phrase “Star Wars Fandom” now conjures up) to possibly justify making Lucasfilm answer our requests, it didn’t happen. Again, is this about the movies, or getting some sort of corporate validation after all this time? Because corporate validation doesn’t matter much. It probably shouldn’t. The OOT’s aren’t a “reward” for our vigilance. Especially not in the face of what’s happened since people realized they were going to have to do it themselves. Our reward is 1) the community and 2) the results of that community’s work to provide for itself in the ways the corporation wouldn’t. That’s a double-edged sword (or saber) of course, but such is life.
The numbers don’t matter outside of whatever feelings of security and validation they might provide in knowing you’re not alone in wanting this thing. I’m part of those numbers too. We’re not alone, and I never said we were. I never said anything about our numbers beyond that they’re obviously not enough by themselves, and they’re shrinking. And that total isn’t worth much beyond the cold comfort “We’re not alone” provides if they don’t translate into an official release, and they’re not going to. That official release, if/when it comes, has nothing to do with how many of us are out here, because it’s not a question of supply/demand, and hasn’t been for a very long time.
I’ll be happy if/when it ever happens, but I’m happy now, too. Because I don’t put any weight, validation, or satisfaction on whether or not Lucasfilm ever comes around. I don’t need to anymore. Honestly, I didn’t need to back then, either, haha.