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1997 Special Edition, and how can i find it

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G’day everyone
Just a quick one really and have tried finding the answer here in old topics but not super savvy when it comes to forums.
Can anyone tell me if the 1997 Special Editions (as they were shown in the cinemas that year) have been released on DVD? Have tried to find digital files to no avail, so hoping they came out on DVD?
Thanks in advance, D

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They were released on VHS and (I think) laserdisc only, the 2004 DVDs included a completely different version of the movies with even more changes.

If you know how to google you can find either G’Kar or TB DVDs which have high quality TV recordings of the complete trilogy. There are other projects but they’re usually just for the first film.

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They were released on DVD as part of Fox’s ‘Five Star Collection’. However they were non-anamorphic transfers.

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Are they official? I always thought they’re just a crappy bootleg

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“High quality” is a bit of a stretch for at least TB. I haven’t seen G’Kar myself, though. And the Five Star Collection are well known bootlegs round these parts. If you google a review for them you can find more information, but they are just Laserdisc transfers.

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They werent DVD-R’s, at least the ones I had, but yeah bootlegs are pretty much what they are. It even has the the THX/Laserdisc logo prior to the film so yeah definitely sourced from Laserdisc. However Im still glad I have them since like the OUT the '97 SE’s are basically obsolete now.

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They definitely don’t need to be DVD-Rs to be bootlegs. Things like that are made in bulk in disc pressing plants in Hong Kong/China.

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Hi! I’m new here. You can also find used copies of the '97 Special Edition on VCD which will play on most DVD players. I found A New Hope for pretty cheap on Amazon. Of course, these releases are non-anamorphic.

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Wazzles said:

joefavs said:

Team Blu is doing an HD upscale that I believe is sourced from several different laserdisc transfers. ANH is available on Myspleen now, the other two are supposedly coming soon. More info here: http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Star-Wars-OT-and-1997-Special-Edition-Info/id/10550

Pretty sure it’s from a TV broadcast.

Really? The description on the spleen says the main sources are TB and GKAR. I’m not familiar with TB, but I was under the impression GKAR was a LD rip.

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joefavs said:

Wazzles said:

joefavs said:

Team Blu is doing an HD upscale that I believe is sourced from several different laserdisc transfers. ANH is available on Myspleen now, the other two are supposedly coming soon. More info here: http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Star-Wars-OT-and-1997-Special-Edition-Info/id/10550

Pretty sure it’s from a TV broadcast.

Really? The description on the spleen says the main sources are TB and GKAR. I’m not familiar with TB, but I was under the impression GKAR was a LD rip.

As far as I know, TB is from an SDTV broadcast master tape. If I’m not mistaken, it’s what Harmy used for portions of DeD.

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G’Kar is sourced from a German TV broadcast, TB is sourced from a French(?) TV broadcast

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Harmy made a 97SE recreation in HD called Respecialized Edition, too. I think he also made a DVD image of it, but I may be wrong.

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I would be very curious as to what NTSC DVD trilogy version of the 97 SEs, with the proper colors, is available, with as high resolution as possible. Maybe there is an impending release. TM

Jar-Jar is the Emperor in the extra special edition of ROTJ (scenes 1, 3, and then 6 to the end).

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It would be pretty cool if we could get a scan of a 35mm print of the 97SEs.

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You could always get a vcr for about 20 dollars on ebay. Might not come with a remote, but vcr’s dont have as many features as a dvd anyway. You mostly need to pause it and then rewind it when it’s done. You can get up to rewind it.

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MathUser said:

You could always get a vcr for about 20 dollars on ebay. Might not come with a remote, but vcr’s dont have as many features as a dvd anyway. You mostly need to pause it and then rewind it when it’s done. You can get up to rewind it.

Cool

TV’s Frink said:

I would put this in my sig if I weren’t so lazy.

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Sky Germany just started the Star Wars Channel with round-the-clock Star Wars Movies. I haven’t watched it yet, but rumor has it, that they were showing the '97 SE of ANH, the rest of the movies is supposed to be the BD-Version. Can anyone confirm this? If so, it would be a great source in HD… I will record it this night - I can’t really believe it’s 97 SE, but let’s see…

A young jedi named Darth Vader who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil helped the empire hunt down and destroy the jedi knights. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the force.
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I seriously doubt it is. Someone was probably just mistaking the BD for it.

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BIG NEWS: i just checked the Intro and it’s of Course SE But it says indeed “Krieg der Sterne” and i noticed some picture Artefacts. I Really think this Could be '97 SE. Will Check Jabba scene tonight After work. This Seems Great!

A young jedi named Darth Vader who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil helped the empire hunt down and destroy the jedi knights. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the force.
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Robi-Wan Kenobi said:

BIG NEWS: i just checked the Intro and it’s of Course SE But it says indeed “Krieg der Sterne” and i noticed some picture Artefacts. I Really think this Could be '97 SE. Will Check Jabba scene tonight After work. This Seems Great!

That’s great so far, please keep us updated!

“That said, there is nothing wrong with mocking prequel lovers and belittling their bad taste.” - Alderaan, 2017

MGGA (Make GOUT Great Again):
http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Return-of-the-GOUT-Preservation-and-Restoration/id/55707

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Sorry, no '97 SE, it’s 2004 DVD Version in HD with only the opening crawl from '97 and the soundtrack as well. God knows, why they pieced this together…

A young jedi named Darth Vader who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil helped the empire hunt down and destroy the jedi knights. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the force.
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Oh man I wish I’d seen this thread. I had the same question for months.

Long story short, I captured the 97SE laserdiscs for myself. No edits or alterations, just some 480p 90s Star Wars action. I’m working on setting them up in some shareable fashion.