I feel bad for people getting into Star Wars for the first time. A lot of them will be confused about which movie to start with, and even if they do start with the OT, they’ll be stuck watching the Special Editions.
It saddens me. There was this big wave of YouTube videos of people reacting to Star Wars for the first time. They were enjoyable to watch, but every one I found (except 1 lucky gal) watched the Special Editions. I get this sort of second-hand embarrassment seeing someone watch the Jabba scene, Jedi Rocks, or Vader screaming “NO!”. I’ve seen a few people comment on how the effects are a little dated, not realizing that most of the dated effects were added 20 years after the film came out.
To be fair, it’s not like the original 70s effects still look good either. No matter what version you’re watching, Star Wars must be seen as a product of its time. Not that that’s a bad thing, I hate when people dismiss older stuff because it doesn’t hold up to modern standards.
I do agree with you otherwise though. It’s a shame that Lucas’s revision of history has been so successful. The majority of Star Wars fans my age don’t even know about the original versions, and those who do just see the campaign to officially release them as whiny fanboy complaining. I’m glad that I was able to find this community and the fantastic preservation efforts going on here, but the chances for an official release of the theatrical cuts are looking more and more slim every year.