My desired result is: Looks like Star wars, feels like Star Wars.
I see something that's wrong - like a pink lightsaber, I fix it. I see something that's been added and doesn't look like Star Wars, I take it back out. For an artist and student of the aesthetic, I have to say these aren't very difficult decisions to make. Nobody on the production ever wanted the matte painting of the Tractor Beam Shaft not to match the live action. I suppose if it was a mismatch in the original, then this isn't a preservation, it's a restoration, of the ideal. Who gives a shit? Optical printing sucked, so there are problems with it, which people can spot today because their sensibilities are more refined.
You know, it's fun to say, "yeah, but THIS version had THIS, but in 1977 it didn't have THIS, but that was on the first print, and then it had THIS, and then on the east coast it was screened like THIS," just like it's fun to say the whole universe could be an atom in the fingertip of a giant. Doesn't serve much practical purpose beyond mental masturbation. We all know it's nearly impossible to define one version of the film as the true original. Production continued after the release for chrissakes.
But inconsistent color is inconsistent color, and nobody does that on purpose. It's an easy fix, and most importantly, it helps to preserve the suspension of disbelief, which is the foundation that the drama is built on.
In my version, one will watch the story. You'll be sucked in and you'll stay there. You won't be distracted from it by basic technical errors and out-of-place visuals. That's it. This forum is a celebration not of a "version", but of the original experience. My restoration recaptures that experience, certainly as I see it, and probably as most people see it. But this isn't for anyone but me, and so far I can tell you I'm quite happy. When I watch the restored portions I've done, I quickly forget where and what I've fixed... I'm just no longer seeing things that are obviously incorrect. It's a smooth landscape again, and I'm watching the characters, and feeling the emotions.
Anyway, work continues...
_Mike