The SE version may look better, but it definitely doesn't represent the way the film had to be put together back in 1976. To create that battle in 1976 was amazing, while re-creating it in 1996 seems a whole lot more pedestrian.
My thoughts exactly. Star Wars was technically stunning back then! I mean face-meltingly groundbreaking. I am still amazed at their resourcefullness when I watch these films. I adore seeing all of those original optical effects. The practical models and miniatures and computer-controlled stop-motion animation was just revolutionary. I want to see all of that. All the sweat and blood and work that went into those effects is evident! Those guys were geniuses and it was a labor of love and it showed. This is so much more impressive to me than having some CG hackzor whip up effects on his Mac that countless others could replicate.
I love it when filmmakers of today chose practical effects over digital. Practical effects have a gravity and weight to them that digital has yet to recreate in my opinion. I have yet to see a digital effects film that doesn't look fake to my eye. I feel like FX these days are most sucessful when they blend the two, using digital effects only sparingly. Underworld is a great example of this. While the film is admittedly flawed, most of those effects look sensational since they used CGI only when absolutely necessary.