2037 Special Editions - or any future altered SE release!
The changes to the Original Trilogy films & general future / 2037 Special Edition release discussion.
^ The original title of “2026 SE : The changes to the OT films & general 2026 Special Edition discussion thread” was based on the usual 7-8 year gap between the previous Special Edition releases: 1997-2004-2011-2019-2026. As 2026 actually approaches, I thought it better to change this to ‘2037 SE’, so there is no mistaken belief of there being a 2026 Special Edition release.
^ “Somehow, Lucas returned!”
(and made even more changes for a highly unlikely future Special Edition release. Though you never know!) 😉
Introduction:-
To any Rebels, Imperials, Guild Members and the dedicated scum and villainy from the OT•com reading this…
This is just one of a seven-part set of linked threads (see the end of this post for the links) to talk about each of the four main ‘Special Edition’ releases and the respective changes made to them over time - including a post for the original unaltered theatrical version, and also an unlikely scenario where “Somehow Lucas has returned!” with more changes made in yet another improbable future release.
The reason for these threads is try and help inform, educate and highlight any new fans who are unaware or are uninitiated with some the history of these continuing changes made to the three iconic Original Trilogy films (or be a reminder for me some of more forgetful members here). As well as highlighting a lack of release for the Original Trilogy films in their classic pre-1997 Special Edition version, and also about some of the changes & tweaks made to the groundbreaking and award-winning OT films from 1977 to 1996 too…
To serve as a centralised discussion and information thread for each of the main Original Trilogy releases… and also an archive of some of the quality threads and posts on the subject which has taken place on here down the years - as well as any useful, insightful or informative articles elsewhere.
Or a chance to just chat some more about the specific & differing releases of the Original Trilogy
Much credit to oojason for sending me his plans & ideas for the incomplete version of these threads - ‘I will finish what you started!’
Below is some hopefully useful & introductory information on a hypothetical 2026 / future Special Edition release of the Original Trilogy films (or simply a reminder for us oldies)
The Announcement (+ Promo material) for the 2037 Special Edition:-
Such a Special Edition release probably isn’t going to happen…
Though if it did, it would be good to see Lucasfilm finally address some of the issues & errors that have gone unfixed and uncorrected in the previous releases of the Original Trilogy films:-
• You’d think they’d clean this up - the unfixed issues of the 2004 OT SE DVD release…
• What HASN’T changed on the 2011 OT SE Blu-ray release – the uncorrected mistakes…
• Uncorrected mistakes or unfixed issues of the 2019 (Maclunkey) Original Trilogy release?
Or suggestions for any changes you’d actually like to see in a future Special Edition release…
• SE Changes that SHOULD have been made/should be made in the future
• “Future Theatrical and DVD Releases” What do we think they will be?
• If you could make your own SE change, what would that be?
• How the Special Edition Should Have Been
• A modest proposal: Should Lucas make more OT changes?
• What next for Star Wars - Extended Editions?
And some general Special Edition threads :-
• What is meant by ‘Special Edition’?
• Did George actually have an “original vision?”
• What HASN’T been changed to reflect GL’s “original intent”
• Is there a single Lucasfilm release on blu that has not been tampered with?
• Are retrospective changes just fan service?
• Special Edition guilty pleasures
• Your Favorite And Least Favorite Special Edition Changes
• Most telling SE moment - by CHEWBAKAspelledwrong
• If you could only remove one SE change…?
• When did you sense a disturbance in the Force?
• Why do you think he does it?
• Lucas’ Hypocrisy Strikes Again
• It’s Official: George Lucas hates his fans 😛
• Lucas is just trolling now - THR Interview
• There should be a proper release of the 1977 Star Wars at this point
• Do you think Disney will release the unaltered versions for DVD and blue ray
• Where do I go from here as a SW fan?
• How many times have you bought the movies?
• What do you think was the best release of the OT at the time it came out?
• Which version/release of the Star Wars movies do you watch and why?
• DIF - Difference tool to spot visual changes - Current 2004 vs 2019 - by none
Rumours (and some clickbait) of the OOT possibly being released over the years…
• Star Wars: 30th Anniversary (2007 - New Box-set) (2007 rumour thread)
• SDCC news - OUT “quite likely” on Blu-ray (2013 rumour thread)
• Blu-Ray Of Unaltered Original Trilogy Rumour (2014 rumour thread)
• What will the “official” Star Wars blu rays mess up? (2014 rumour thread)
• Celebration 2017 Speculation (2017 rumour thread)
^ more to be added in this section…
Alderaan shot first!
New leaked footage for the 2037 Special Edition:-
George Lucas: “The controversy over who shot first, Alderaan or the Death Star, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted the Death Star [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but it actually isn’t. It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Alderann is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that the Death Star shot first, because they wanted to think that it actually just blew the planet up.”
^ from www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/george-lucas-star-wars-interview-288523 or something, in 2012.
Though only now does the technology exist to finally correct this scene!
Sources Of Information:-
‘What has changed?’ articles from StarWars•com for the coming 2026 Special Editions…
• Star Wars : coming soon…
• Empire Strikes Back : coming soon…
• Return Of The Jedi : coming soon…
Since the 1997 Special Editions through to the 2019 SE ‘Maclunkey’ releases (all credit to doubleofive):-
Will this scene below make it through into any future Special Edition releases…?
‘Never forget that the Death Star has been in clear site of Yavin IV from the beginning of the battle since 1997 and this is how the Special Edition should have ended.':-
www.wired.com/story/put-original-star-wars-on-disney-plus (and scroll down to the ‘The Game Breaker’ section)
‘All Changes Made to Star Wars Original Trilogy’ - at the superb Marcelo Zuniga YouTube Channel
• ‘All Changes Made to Star Wars: A New Hope (Comparison) PART I’ - www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNbzSH84mj0
• ‘All Changes Made to Star Wars: A New Hope (Comparison) PART II’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvbrVFP_f0w
• ‘All Changes Made to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Comparison)’ - www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmWjPoqEhzg
• ‘All Changes Made to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Comparison )’ - www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2obEPFGrMs
^ The informative videos above were made in 2015 - and cover the changes from the OOT through to the 2011 SE release on blu ray.
For further information on the home releases of the 2037 Special Editions:-
• Star Wars Visual Comparisons - Website : Twitter - by doubleofive
• Star Wars On Video - Video Collector’s website
• Star Wars Home Video Reference website - projectcclarke’s website
• Star Wars on DVD (up to 2005) - Prillaman’s website portal
• Star Wars Release Info: 1982-2004 - DavisDVD•com website (via Archive•org)
• Star Wars - The Changes: 1997-2011 - DVDActive•com website (via Archive•org)
• ‘Star Wars home video releases’ - at Wookieepedia
A YouTube video of the original ‘Han Shot First’ scene - and all 4 changes made to it since:-
‘Han Shot First - All Changes Comparison (1977, 1997, 2004, 2011, 2019)’-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcswEZFvGgM - at the OriginalTrilogyDaily YouTube channel (2 mins long)
• The Opening Post of the ‘Complete Comparison of Special Edition Visual Changes’ OT•com thread has an index for multiple source of information on many of the changes made to the Original Trilogy films over the years.
General online articles on the Special Edition changes & releases:-
• ‘Disney+ Should Offer the Star Wars Original Cuts — All of Them’ - at Wired
• ‘What We Want And How To Make It’ - at SWVC, by doubleofive
• ‘Special Edition Changes’ at Saving Star Wars, by Zombie84
• ‘The Star Wars Special Editions’ - at The Star Wars Trilogy
• ‘15 Changes to the Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy That Still Make Us Crazy’ - at Yahoo Entertainment
• ‘Star Wars Original Trilogy Changes: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’ - at ScreenRant
• ‘Who Shot First? The Complete List Of Star Wars Changes’ (actually, it is more of an overview) - at Empire Online
• ‘Greedo Shoots First’ and ‘Greedo Shoots First, Take 4: Maclunkey’ - at SWVC, by doubleofive
• ‘Star Wars: 10 Worst Crimes Against the Original Trilogy’ - at Den Of Geek
• ‘The 12 Worst Changes George Lucas Made To Star Wars’ - at Goliath
• ‘How Star Wars’ Special Edition Ruined Mos Eisley’s Scum & Villainy’ - at ScreenRant
• ‘Star Wars: Why Do People Hate Vader’s Added Line in ROTJ So Much?’ - at CheatSheet
• ‘The Version of Star Wars on Disney+ Changes the Canon Once Again’ - at Wired
• ‘J.J. Abrams Wants The Original Star Wars Trilogy Theatrical Cuts To Be Released Again’ - at ScreenRant
• ‘The Star Wars Blu-Ray Blues’ - at Saving Star Wars (debunking Lucas’ 2010 claim of the ‘difficulties’ in restoring the OOT)
• ‘Save Star Wars’ - doubleofive’s Blog article (re Lucas’ disingenuous 2010 comments on the ‘difficulties’ of restoring the OOT)
• ‘Untouched is impossible: the story of Star Wars in film’ - 2010 article at ARS Technica
• ‘Could Disney finally give us the remastered, unedited Star Wars we want?’ - 2017 article at ARS Technica
General OriginalTrilogy•com threads covering the Special Edition changes & releases:-
• An Index & Help Thread for Original Trilogy Discussion
• An Index & Help Thread for Theatrical Cuts vs. Subsequent Releases
• Complete Comparison of Special Edition Visual Changes
• An OriginalTrilogy.com Timeline | a history of the site | the why & how it came to be…
• George Lucas: Star Wars Creator, Unreliable Narrator & Time Travelling Revisionist
• Some useful OT.com threads re the suppression of the theatrical Original Trilogy films
• The 'Naysayer Guide’ by people who DON’T want an unaltered theatrical release of the Original Trilogy…
• Articles & info that highlight / call for a classic version release of the Original Trilogy
• 4K restoration on Star Wars
• Modern SE Revisionism
• Reasoning Behind Changes from Release to Release
• It seems like nobody involved in the making of the OT has spoken up about GL’s oppression of the OOT
• You’d think they’d clean this up - the unfixed issues of the 2004 OT SE DVD release…
• What HASN’T changed on the 2011 OT SE Blu-ray release – the uncorrected mistakes…
• Uncorrected mistakes or unfixed issues of the 2019 (Maclunkey) Original Trilogy release?
• What will be the next physical home media release of the Original Trilogy? (after the 2019 SE releases on discs)
• Credits & Leaders Thread
• Disney Plus should release all of the theatrical versions of the Star Wars movies
^ George is probably looking into doing this for the 2037 SE release right now! And these below…
‘The changes to the Original Trilogy films & general Special Edition discussion’ threads:-
• The OOT (1977-1996)
• 1997 Special Edition
• 2004 Special Edition
• The 2006 GOUT DVD
• 2011 Special Edition
• 2019 Special Edition
• 2037 Special Edition (“Somehow… Lucas has returned!”) - or any possible future SE release.
If you know of any articles or OT•com threads that are relevant, or would improve this thread, please post them below - thank you.