I agree that they should have been fixed in 97. I don't believe the sabers are fixed however. Its looks like it's just the remaster. That was one of my problems with the SE. They changed things that didn't need to be, while leaving stuff that could have. If he had just removed mattlines (they only partially did), spruced up the sabers(which he didn't) and fixed the landspeeder(which he did), I'd have had no problem with it. That's the case of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture DVD. They finished what wasn't, leaving everything else alone. The film is better to me because of that. Even more so, every thing changed or removed was included in anamorphic widescreen.

As for the Hayden change, check the link I posted say it was a more mainstream view. They're froathing over it like its the greatest thing ever. I think the PT should mesh with the OT. I don't think the OT should be changed to fit the PT, it makes no sense.