I saw them in theaters. I didn’t know the significance of the Special Editions at the time – that the original films from that point forward would be unavailable. I thought they were just a weird alternate edit of the trilogy that would eventually make its way as bonus features onto future home video releases of the trilogy – a moneymaker, because you can charge more for six films than three. DVD was the next big thing in 1997, I figured it was just going to be a cash grab and nothing more. Everyone would be re-buying Star Wars in a couple years on the new format, and they knew it, that’s all. That’s what I thought was the meaning of the “one last time” Faces home video advertisements. Get it one last time… on VHS.
It just didn’t seem… even remotely plausible that things would turn out the way they did, especially given the quality of the edits. And it still didn’t seem plausible for the next decade as they still failed to make a new home video release of the original movies. There must be a plan, I thought. Nobody would actually throw away these beloved classic films.
Shows what I knew then. I’m definitely more cynical now, and see how filmmakers can often be the worst parents of their own creations – first bringing them to life, and then proceeding to destroy them. Although thankfully none are as bad as Lucas.
This is very much how I saw the 1997 SE, and also felt, and assumed at that time.
I recall enjoying them at the cinema. It was another chance to see Star Wars on the big screen. With all these newly fixed and corrected scenes. But even then there were many technical issues left unfixed, or ignored, and it was quite puzzling why some characters had been replaced by CGI, or even added through CGI.
I do understand that for many younger fans this was the first time they saw Star Wars on the big screen. This would be version of Star Wars they grew up with, until the 2004 SE cuts on DVD.
It is peculiar to me that the “25 year anniversary” of the 1997 Special Editions wasn’t celebrated more. It was a major event in Star Wars history, and a lot of effort and went into making and explaining them. But for a few articles online from entertainment news websites, the anniversary was barely mentioned on the official Star Wars platforms, and I do not recall seeing documentaries or any new BTS programs on these 1997 releases.
I guess they do not want people to ask why these versions do not exist to experience again outside of VHS or laserdisc (or those awful VCDs). Or then why the unaltered original versions do not exist outside the awful low quality, low effort 2006 bonus disc release.
It is a pity for fans of the 1997 Special Edition they cannot watch them in high quality on a modern format, outside of fan preservations. As many others have said before, even as just an option in that “Star Wars Vintage” section on Disney+, with the other de-canoned content.
A low effort, low cost offering for the fans, while showcasing an important marker in Star Wars history.