The Leia being freed by R2 screen shot from 4k83 (showprint A scan) has damage but the new scan of Jedi Showprint B does not have the same damage. Probably print specific degredation / vinegar syndrome.
Don’t think it is a reason for the 2004 removal decision.
The damaged frame pictured is from the 97SE Laserdisc, not 4K83. Of my sources, this frame is in 4K83 (clean), GOUT (clean), and 97SE (with damage), and is not present in 04SE/11SE/19SE. Additionally, in an image I’m saving for V2.1*, there is actually a repeated frame in the next shot of R2 in 04SE and 11SE, I assume to make up for removing the damaged frame of Leia. 19SE doesn’t bother to repeat a frame to keep the sync, it just removes the damage and goes on. I don’t know how this works with the audio sync, I’m not an audio guy (hence Visual Comparisons). I assume they didn’t repeat the R2 frame because they HAD notes from the HD Branch changes to redo, but not very accurate ones (which explains how they got SOME of the ships that disappear for a frame during ANH that were fixed for HD, but not all).
To be clear, the ONLY damaged version of this frame is in the 1997 Laserdisc. I’m very interested to see if 4K97_VI has it, it’s part of the reason why I’m donating directly to that scan.
It’s confusing, I spent a lot of time figuring out what happened in these two shots to get my frame-accurate sync. So much so that my wife came to check on me and saw the frame I was staring at and asked, concerned “Is that a butt on your screen?” “It’s Carrie Fisher, it’s fine”.
*V2.1 will be everything from V2.0 plus all of the changes made to earlier SE’s that were redone or undone, such the repeated R2 frame only in HD Branch and the gold LFL logo.