After a while, a kid joined, who's name escapes me, and started trolling and baiting people into arguments. I'm on several boards, all motorcycle related and had seen my share of the occasional trolls as well as people who go a step further, as this kid did, and choke out a board with baiting. They treat the board and it's members as online entertainment. No big deal, the internet is an awfully big place. The original version of Star Wars was never going to be released on DVD anyway, I'd said my piece regarding Lucas, signed the petition, and even got the troll riled up a few times. So I left the board, only checking in every few months to see if the troll was gone or if there was any interesting discussions going on.
Fast forward to 3:00 AM tonight. I can't sleep, so I get up, check all the motorcycle boards I'm on, read a lot and post on a few. It's been a while since I lurked over here, so I decide to check in. I glance at all the topics and one in particular catches my eye - "The Future Of This Board". I figured the board was soon to shut down because of money problems, a legal hassle with Lucasfilm, or some other reason. It was the first thread I read. I was concerned because this the ONLY place I get my Star Wars information. I'm not concerned with the pro-prequel slant on the official site or The Force site.
After reading a post or two, I start to realize the O-OT is going to be released. In a few months I'll be able to watch the original version of Star Wars. I don't care about extra features, running commentary, menu screens, etc. I just want to put the DVD in, press play, and watch the movie.
Jay, hats off to you. There's no way this board wasn't a part of Fox's decision to release those films. Your level-headedness and your keeping things civilized gave this board credibility. It wasn't just another online bitch session - it was a repository of the thoughts of real people with real ideas and passions for the original films. True fans. I'm not terribly concerned with what the quality will be. A straight transfer of the film or the early laser discs would be fine with me. I just want to watch the unaltered film - no changed characters, no added characters, no added scenes. Just Star Wars, circa 1977.
Glad George finally saw the light - even if he didn't really want to.
Forgive my photoshopping, it's late and I'm finally getting tired.