ChainsawAsh said:

The garbage mattes should not be fixed - they were there in 1977, so "fixing" them is just another alteration. A film is a snapshot of the time in which it was made, and effects flaws are a part of that. I really wish the Raiders of the Lost Ark DVD had kept the cobra reflection, too.

So I guess the crux of a lot of this discussion is WERE the 'garbage mattes' part of the original Star Wars in '77?

I wouldn't know, growing up with a VHS dubbed copy of Star Wars recorded off TV. Not only did I not see garbage mattes, I didn't know 3PO had a silver leg until the SEs came out on the big screen.

If the mattes were a visible part of the original film, I think they should stay.

If they are a result of careless DVD transfer, then I think there's nothing wrong with doing something about them.