zombie84 said:

I fail to see how someone can say "Star Wars is lost" when some guy has a Technicolor print of Star Wars sitting in his home. But beyond this, the OOT will never literally fade away for good. If Lucas doesn't restore it himself in the next eight or nine years, someone will after he dies. Even if his will says "don't release the OOT," mark my words the second the dust settles from his grave there will be a squad of fans, professionals and corporate executives trying to find a way around it, and eventually they will succeed. It's essentially a waiting game, one way or another.

I totally agree with this. The demand for the OOT will remain high, and someone will find a way to fill that demand. If the future license holders of Star Wars are smart, they'll find a way to profit from this. If they're not, I'm sure a high-quality fan restoration will eventually show up.

But you know, I find it hard to believe George would forbid any OOT releases in his will. I just can't see how he would rob his heirs of those profits, and knowingly seal his legacy as a suppressor of film history.