The lines around the rancor never bothered me (indeed, I barely took notice of them) until I saw just how good that scene could look from the 2004. Now I can't help but notice it, so I'd prefer it not be there. Ultimately it doesn't really matter to me much, because it's never been very bad to begin with, but being able to see Luke as actually being in the room with a monster is nice . . .
Hence my question about the '97 version. As it seems likely this new release will use the cleaned up and recomposited print that was the starting point for the special edition, I'm wondering if it was any better in that than originally. Matte lines aren't something I see easily to begin with so I'm not sure I could judge that on my own without a very close look. (Garbage boxes are a different matter; once seen they can never be unseen.)