While watching the 1997 SE tonight for fun, I was thinking about how much better it might have been if George Lucas and Lucasfilm had made the Special Editions starting in 2007. Specifically, I thought about how incredible it would have been if EVERY special effect shot of the OT- every optical and blue screen shot- had been redone to the standards of the prequels. We would have probably seen a 2007 release of A New Hope followed by a 2008 release of Empire and so on. In this way, all six films would have been released in the "saga order" beginning in 1999. Granted, what was done in 1997 was successful and it generated a lot of interest for the prequels, but it's still fun to dream.
My main fantasy involves a complete redo of the effects in the original trilogy. In this way, all six episodes would maintain a very similar level of visual effects along with a consistent SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF. This concept is much more in line with what I think George Lucas wants for Star Wars as a whole, but right now we have a pretty shoddy cut and paste job with elements from three different generations. It makes for an uneven visual experience. Imagining the kind of audience satisfaction of seeing the original trilogy on the big screen AFTER the relative disappointment of the prequels.... In a completely redone and polished manner.... Is staggering. It would have probably evoked an even larger sense of wonder than we all experienced in 1997. There's almost no doubt in my mind that it would have been a monumental success for Lucasfilm and audiences alike, and we would be left with something pretty amazing to enjoy for years to come.