Hal 9000

(Cover artwork pictured here by DM247)

Hal9000’s Custom Star Wars: A New Hope Special Edition

(This is Version 4 of this project.)

If the following strikes you as esoteric, I invite you to peruse the forums of Originaltrilogy.com.

First and foremost, credit is due to OohTeeDee for presenting the 1080 and 2019 versions of the filM; CapableMetal, Jetrell1969, and SilverWook for their combined efforts at making the theatrical DTS audio from the 1997 Special Edition available; Harmy for producing the famed Despecialized Edition (used in V1 and V2); Team Negative 1 for producing 4K77; NeverArGreat for producing his technicolor version; Sir Ridley for visual FX work; TMWNN for a few FX shots and help; Dat_SW_Guy for a FX shot; ChainsawAsh for encoding a DTS mix; and MalàStrana for assisting with subtitles.

Having satiated my restlessness with the Star Wars prequels, I wanted to put together a custom ‘Special Edition’ of the original trilogy to place on my shelf alongside the original, theatrical versions (currently represented by Harmy’s Despecialized Editions). I thought about calling them the “So You’ve Decided To Watch The Special Edition” version, because they wouldn’t be intended as one’s sole version of the films. Rather, a companion piece to the original versions, as a Special Edition should be.

I do not consider this a full-blown fan edit, as I am primarily hybridizing existing official versions of the film, keeping changes I can appreciate and excluding those I feel hinder the film. Of course, this is highly subjective, and everyone’s perfect blend would be slightly different.

The primary video source is the ‘19SE’ as presented by OohTeeDee. The primary audio source is the 1997 Special Edition theatrical DTS audio. Exceptions are described in the list of changes.

This project is presented in 1080p BluRay-compliant video, with DTS and AC3 audio tracks, and subtitles in English, Spanish and French.

Available as a 1080p BR-compliant mkv, 720p mp4, and a DVD5.

Here follows a list of changes made to the primary video and audio sources for this project. Changes new to Version 4 are marked with an asterisk (*).

***Video Changes, beginning from OohTeeDee’s color corrected ‘19SE’ transfer

• Overall color correction based loosely on Adywan’s color corrected 2011 BluRay transfer*
• Retimed the opening shot so musical cues correspond to the action as they did in the 1977 version, before the ‘A New Hope’ title was added*
• With help from Sir Ridley, retimed the “look sir droids” scene to the original theatrical version while retaining Special Edition imagery. The scene feels like the original version without resorting to its footage or shortening the scene to remove added shots (The following scene’s opening shot of the sandcrawler remains in its Special Edition version.)
• The ‘cone of light’ missing from the Special Edition version of R2 projecting Leia’s image in Luke’s garage has been restored (Sir Ridley provided FX to achieve this for V2, though in V3 this is achieved by using D+77)
• The entrance to Mos Eisley has been reconceptualized to feature as close as possible to the best of both the original and Special Edition versions. The intended effect is to retain some of the improved visuals while avoiding the poor pacing and tone of the Special Edition.
• Restored two shots of the Wolfman alien, who had been replaced for the Special Edition
• Removed an added ugly CGI stormtrooper dismounting a dewback outside the Cantina, though for Version 4 I used TMWNN’s version which retains the SE dewback in the background*
• New subtitles for the Greedo scene have been added, borrowing from Catbus’ Project Threepio in order to match the look and feel of the originals as closely as possible
  Removed the added floating CGI droid to the stormtroopers’ search of the streets
• Removed the scene between Han Solo and Jabba The Hutt added for the Special Edition, using a wipe transition rather than the original theatrical version’s crossfade in order to retain quality
• Replaced the shot of Alderaan being destroyed with Dat_SW_Guy’s version, removing the Praxis shockwave*
• Thanks to Sir Ridley, a new FX shot depicts the Falcon traveling through hyperspace toward the Death Star, and the following cockpit interior has been updated to correctly appear to be traveling through hyperspace (this was done for continuity with a subsequent change)
• Restored blaster damage to the chests of Imperial officers in a few shots which were censored for the Special Edition
• Used a shot from Dat_SW_Guy to fix an awkward effect on Vader’s mask for one shot, which was done for the SE*
• Restored the original dianoga
• Thanks to laborious work from Sir Ridley, the Falcon’s interior is properly depicted as traveling through hyperspace, with a blue flicker present in the cockpit and through its windows. The establishing shot of the following scene has been gently modified without altering sync to depict the Falcon exiting hyperspace as it approaches Yavin IV.
• Added engine glow to a SE shot of a TIE fighter where it was missing*
• Fixed Y-Wings disappearing for one frame, a 2004 change that was lost in the 19SE remaster*
• Recreated the original theatrical timing of the closing iris wipe, avoiding an awkward point at which the frame freezes during the Special Edition version

***Audio Changes, beginning from the 1997 Special Edition theatrical DTS audio mix:

• As a nod to the original mono mix, the Cantina band can be heard softly outside the Cantina, leading into the point at which the song has progressed when cut into the interior
• Used a line from the mono mix as Wedge flies to assist Luke, going from “Blast it, Biggs, where are you,” to “Blast it, Wedge, where are you?”
• Added a brief line from the radio drama after Biggs is killed, allowing Luke to react to the death of his friend to provide greater continuity to the scene between the two of them establishing them as friends in the Special Edition

(I have included an alternative audio track that omits the following audio change.)

• Altered Kenobi’s line to Luke introducing the lightsaber for continuity with the prequels. Rather than, “Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough,” it now reads, “I wanted you to have this when you were old enough.”

Hal9000’s Custom Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition

(This is Version 5 of this project. The 19SE remains the primary video source, but it has been color corrected using OriginalTrilogy.com’s DrDre’s Color Matching Tool to resemble Adywan’s 1997 SE Reconstruction project. I am very satisfied with the results. DrDre’s tool also allowed me to use Aydwan’s Revisited footage to fix a continuity error introduced in the SE with Cloud City’s window during the ‘Vader dinner’ scene. I also included a 2.0 stereo track which maintains ProLogic II compatibility throughout.)

If the following strikes you as esoteric, I invite you to peruse the forums of Originaltrilogy.com.

First and foremost, credit is due to OohTeeDee for presenting the 1080 and 2019 versions of the film; DrDre for his color matching tool; DrDre and Sir Ridley for providing color correction LUTs for the prior version; Adywan for producing his ‘Revisited’ and ‘1997 SE Reconstruction’ projects; CapableMetal, Jetrell1969, and SilverWook for their combined efforts at making the theatrical DTS audio from the 1997 Special Edition available; ChainsawAsh for encoding a DTS mix; and MalàStrana for assisting with subtitles.

Having satiated my restlessness with the Star Wars prequels, I wanted to put together a custom ‘Special Edition’ of the original trilogy to place on my shelf alongside the original, theatrical versions (currently represented by Harmy’s Despecialized Editions). I thought about calling them the “So You’ve Decided To Watch The Special Edition” version, because they wouldn’t be intended as one’s sole version of the films. Rather, a companion piece to the original versions, as a Special Edition should be.

I do not consider this a full-blown fan edit, as I am primarily hybridizing existing official versions of the film, keeping changes I can appreciate and excluding those I feel hinder the film. Of course, this is highly subjective, and everyone’s perfect blend would be slightly different.

I utilized three video sources for this project: The ‘19SE’ transfer as presented by OohTeeDee, OhTeeDee’s partial OOT restoration (D+80), and Adywan’s ESB: Revisited. The primary audio source is the 1997 Special Edition theatrical DTS audio, though audio from Revisited was used for a few scenes, and 2011 BluRay audio for one scene.

This project is presented in 1080p BluRay-compliant video, with DTS and AC3 audio tracks, and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

Available as a 1080p BR-compliant mkv, smaller 1080p mp4, and a DVD5.

Here follows a list of changes made to the 19SE starting point for this project.

***Video Changes

• Overall color correcton from OohTeeDee
• Used wampa escape scene from D+80, save for one shot
• Used the conversation between Vader and the Emperor from Adywan’s Revisited, as he essentially honored the content of the original version of the scene while realizing the potential the 2004 DVD version presents.
• Removed added CGI sparks to the Cloud City boiler room which I find off-putting
• Used Adywan’s Revisited to avoid a continuity error posed by the Special Edition as an expanded cityscape out a Cloud City window disappears a few shots later.
• Used D+80 for the shot of our heroes reuniting with R2 in Cloud City to avoid sketchy work in the SE to introduce a skyline and balcony.
• Recreated the original pacing of the escape from Cloud City, removing Vader departing for and arriving on his star destroyer, though leaving two brief shots of the shuttle ascending.

***Audio Changes, beginning from the 1997 Special Edition theatrical DTS audio mix:

• Reinstated Luke’s line to R2 of, “You’re lucky you don’t taste very good.”
• Used 2011 BluRay audio to include updated sound design for Slave I during its first appearance to match Episode II.
• Removed Luke’s scream from the 1997 mix as he falls down the Cloud City shaft after his confrontation with Vader.

(I have included an alternative audio track that omits the following audio changes.)

• Used the 2011 BluRay audio track to use Temeura Morrison’s voice for Boba Fett’s four lines (for v4.1, replaced some of his dialogue using close paraphrases from two video game sources in order to get superior line deliveries).
• Altered Ben Kenobi’s description of Yoda from “The Jedi Master who instructed me” to “A Jedi Master who instructed me” for better continuity with the prequels.

Hal9000’s Custom Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi Special Edition

(This is Version 4 of this project. The primary alteration from the prior version is to use OriginalTrilogy.com’s DrDre’s Color Matching Tool to bring the footage used from 4K83 closer to the primary source. A modest overall color correction has been performed, though it remains very similar to OhTeeDee’s color work on the 19SE source material.)

If the following strikes you as esoteric, I invite you to peruse the forums of Originaltrilogy.com.

First and foremost, credit is due to OhTeeDee for presenting the 1983 and 2019 versions of the film; DrDre for his color matching tool; CapableMetal, Jetrell1969, and SilverWook for their combined efforts at making the theatrical DTS audio from the 1997 Special Edition available; Team Negative 1 for producing 4K83; SkyDude for processing the 4K83 release; and ChainsawAsh for encoding a DTS mix.

Having satiated my restlessness with the Star Wars prequels, I wanted to put together a custom ‘Special Edition’ of the original trilogy to place on my shelf alongside the original, theatrical versions (currently represented by Harmy’s Despecialized Editions). I thought about calling them the “So You’ve Decided To Watch The Special Edition” version, because they wouldn’t be intended as one’s sole version of the films. Rather, a companion piece to the original versions, as a Special Edition should be.

I do not consider this a full-blown fan edit, as I am primarily hybridizing existing official versions of the film, keeping changes I can appreciate and excluding those I feel hinder the film. Of course, this is highly subjective, and everyone’s perfect blend would be slightly different.

The primary video source is the 2020 disc release, or “19SE,” first seen on Disney+, color corrected by OhTeeDee. The primary audio source is the 1997 Special Edition theatrical DTS audio. Exceptions are described in the list of changes. (Secondary source is the OTD version of ROTJ, partially restored to the theatrical version.)

This project is presented in 1080p BluRay-compliant video, with DTS and AC3 audio tracks, and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.

Available as a 1080p BR-compliant mkv, 720p mp4, and a DVD5.

Here follows a list of changes made to the primary video and audio sources for this project.

***Video Changes, beginning from 19SE transfer:

• Overall color correction from OhTeeDee
• Used the original theatrical version of the opening logos
• Restored the original, sensibly sized door to Jabba’s palace
• Restored Lapti Nek, though the SE extension of Oola falling into the Rancor pit remains (two shots of Boba Fett alongside SE singers also remain)
• Used the original effects for Han’s carbonite slab thawing
• Removed the CGI dug that was added wandering around Jabba’s palace
• Removed the SE Sarlacc, with two shots being “despecialized” by RogueLeader
• Removed the added gizmos to R2 as he blows his stack after being shot by a trooper on Endor
• Removed the SE shockwave to the Death Star explosion using 4K83
• Reinstated Sebastian Shaw portraying Anakin Skywalker’s ghost
• New subtitles for Huttese have been added, borrowing from Catbus’ Project Threepio in order to match the look and feel of the originals as closely as possible (these are noticeably fuzzier than the crisp subtitles seen on the 2020 disc)

***Audio Changes, beginning from the 1997 Special Edition theatrical DTS audio mix:

• Other than changes needed to reflect the visual changes described above, removed the line “Wesa free” from Naboo during the ending galactic celebration montage

(I have included an alternative audio track that omits the following audio changes.)

• Replaced some of Boba Fett’s vocalizations during the Sarlacc action sequence to feature Temeura Morrison in keeping with how ESB was redone

***I have included two versions of this project: One with the SE ‘planet montage’ version of the ending, and one that restores the original ‘Yub Nub’ Ewok celebration ending.

poppasketti said:

I have to go back and watch again, but pretty sure it wasn’t during the Luke and Kylo fight. And what I remember is it was a trooper.

Turn up the volume and hold your ear very close right as Kylo takes that swing that sends Luke spiraling.

It’s now available in the Google Drive folder. 😃

Touché. I would wonder about Finn and co’s hyperspace scene and switch from shuttle to ship offscreen.

Indeed. I’ll look forward to their valuable insights. 😃

MagnoliaFan’s edit of AOTC set up the Sepratists as the proto-rebellion, but there never was an Ep3 edit and I don’t think the idea carries over.

SparkySywer said:

Is Malà’s soundtrack on the spleen?

No, I just uploaded it to the Google Drive as a little bonus. Hit me up if you need a link; it’s a direct download.

The ‘Maple Films’ Hobbit, for sure. Never been so happy not to have to do something myself!
War of the Stars II: Future in Motion was also a lot of fun

I think less would have been more for that scene, and I wish they had not had Luke actually activate his saber.

For anyone interested, MalàStrana has created alternate audio tracks for Cloak of Deception, The Approaching Storm, and Labyrinth of Evil. I have just uploaded them to the Google Drive location where you can get the edits themselves (a link to which can be searched for on Reddit). They are not muxed into the edits themselves, but are available as separate downloads in AC3 and AIFF audio formats.

Here are Malà’s own descriptions of the changes made:

COD -

• All opening sounds prior to the Fox Fanfare are removed

• Schmi’s line ìI carried him, I gave birth, I raised him" (around 0:34:25) is removed (just because I find these lines stupid and useless)

• During the podrace, the brillant and very suitable Joel McNeely’s track from “Shadows of the Empire” is still used, but the added ANH “Battle of Yavin IV” cue (around 0:46:12) is replaced with the theatrical musicless track (so it is a mix between Hal9000 default and alternate tracks)

• When the characters enter the Gungan sanctuary (around 1:16:47), a Jar Jar’s line created from a cut scene in this edit (ìWhen danger, gungans go to secret placeî) is added to the sound track as a voice-over (so in the context of this edit it’s made clear that the place is not their usual home and that Jar Jar was needed to lead them there)

• The sound level in two spots during the battle of Naboo (when Anakin takes off with a Naboo fighter, around 1:26:43) is altered to fix two sound level drops from the theatrical track

TAS -

• All opening sounds prior to the Fox Fanfare are removed

• PadmÈ’s childish “Ani!” (around 0:09:39) is replaced with “Anakin” taken from the Naboo family deleted scene, a more suitable way to talk for a Senator meeting Jedi

• The original Changeling voice is mixed with the fanedited version (ìKamino systemî, around 0:21:50)

• Obi-Wanís dull ìtoxic dartî (around 0:22:06) is replaced with ìkamino systemî (taken from the departure deleted scene)

• During the Kamino inspection (around 0:37:05), the eerie/mystery motif from Joel McNeely’s “Shadows of the Empire - Imperial City” is added in order to create a Joel McNeely pattern in the PT and with the Clones in particular in Episode II (see the ending cue change as well)

• When Anakin goes to search for his mother (around 1:00:43), all of Anakin/PadmÈ dialogues are removed so as to mimic Luke’s equivalent speechless scene in ANH and to create a more “speechless” Anakin (closer to OT Darth Vader)

• The “Clone Wars has begun” scene on Coruscant at the end of the movie has a cue that contains the Imperial March, but since there is no imperial army, no Darth Vader and not even Anakin in that scene, I have replaced the cue with Joel McNeelyís ìShadows of the Empire - Imperial Cityî excerpt (around 1:43:23, the cue begins during the Jedi Council room scene). The beautiful John Williams cue “Accross the star - reprise” during the secret wedding scene stays untouched

LOE -

• All opening sounds prior to the Fox Fanfare are removed

• Grievous ìAhhhhhh!î (around 0:13:21) is replaced with ìThe negociator!î (from a shot that was cut in this edit). It’s more consistent with “The Clone Wars” tv series where Grievous refers to Obi-Wan as the negociator the first time they meet (and less Grievous weird noises is still better imho)

• During Anakin appointment scene (around 0:22:34), a few Palpatine’s deleted dialogue lines are added (“You fought many battles the Jedi Council thought were lost. And… you saved my life”) (thanks to NFBisms for this idea)

• During the Jedi Council scene, Anakin’s childish “How can you do this? This is outrageous!” is removed and replaced with Vader’s eerie motif from Joel McNeely’s “Shadows of the Empire - Night Skies”, in order to give a more oriented OT Vader personality to Anakin (ie no talking, just dead silence)

• When the Anakin/PadmÈ appartment scene begins (around 0:30:27), Anakin’s chuckling from the cut balcony scene is added, so as to give a bittersweet feeling to Anakin at this point of the movie (thanks to Hal9000 for this idea he abandoned)

• During the Anakin (now becoming more and more the OT Darth Vader) march on the Jedi Temple (around 1:05:15), the great recycled cue from Episode II is replaced with Vader’s dramatic “carbonite chamber” theme from TESB (thanks to DominicCobb for the idea implemented on his EpIII edit)

• When Anakin arrives on Mustafar (around 1:17:36), the audio transition created by Hal9000 to remove the Jedi Temple fight is replaced with another one (inspired by DominicCobb audio transition on his EpIII edit)

• When Anakin and PadmÈ reunite of Mustafar (around 1:26:09), I’ve modified further the way Anakin line “I saw your ship” was removed (there was an echo of the line that still could be heard, I’ve decided to use lava sound for another spot along with the soundtrack cue to fill the void)

bromeo said:

if

Yes. Cynicism aside, the use of Anakin’s theme… sort of works there. Better than the twins theme he was seemingly randomly using prior.

In for an inch, in for a mile. I’m just hoping to survive Ep9, and retire from Star Wars after that. (Ideally, Ep9 is brilliant and doesn’t cry out for anything, but I’ll hold the line until I can see it. But that’ll be the end of it. Whatever happens after that is out of my weirdly nerdy, semi-protective, angsty purview.)

Not a knock against those who have or will, but I have no interest in editing any spinoff movies. To me it’d feel like editing an EU novel.
And the eventual Episodes 10-12 trilogy? I… I think I’m okay with letting my reign of terror reside with the Skywalkers.

darthrush said:

Don’t worry bout people saying your edit is too serious Hal. You left in the genuinely funny and well fitting moments for an experience that is more tonally balanced. You kept more humor in your edit than I have in mine.

It was just a perception that surprised me, and I wanted to reflect on it in light of my ‘presentation’ of the saga films so far. As long as I’m happy with the end result, which partly depends on it testing well, it’s all good.

Here’s a few thoughts on the role of humor in the ‘Hal9000 fan edit’ version of the Star Wars saga so far, in light of accusations of a perception of my TLJ edit as “No Fun Allowed” which was presented to me.[I don’t plan to mess with the OT beyond merely hybridizing the various official versions of the film, and perhaps a decidedly limited inclusion of a handful of other things, such as Adywan’s ESB Emperor scene (though even then it is merely sprucing up a SE alteration).]

ANH is an earnest story which makes use of ‘fish out of water’ and character-based humor throughout, with R2 and 3PO taking much of this on. The story is told in a ‘straight’ manner, with the humor being derived from the characters. (No fourth wall breaks.)

ESB is a bit darker and more contemplative overall, with its humor continuing to derive from characters, new and old. 3PO is almost completely played for comedic relief, all of which is consistent with his established characteristics. The same sort of dry, character-driven humor present in ANH continues on as well. The dramatic moments of the film are played straight, and each sequence has a consistent tone.

ROTJ is where humor starts to become more campy, for better or worse. Within the bounds of our ‘sacred trilogy,’ ROTJ sets the far end of the humor goalpost with Ewoks, Salacious Crumb, burping Sarlacc, and observational humor Solo. The film is able to achieve dramatic elevation at important moments, and the humor, while not everyone’s cup of tea, does not infringe of these for the most part.

In COD, my edit of TPM, the humor is reigned in, though consciously allowed to remain a characteristic part of the movie. I’d say it does not venture as far as ROTJ, though enough is there to round out the otherwise dry plot. There’s less humor, to be sure, but I think what remains functions in a more palatable way overall.

In TAS, my edit of AOTC, a great deal of the “humor” has been removed, falling into the category of pure cringe IMHO. I’m thinking of anything 3PO does after entering the droid factory, for example. The end result is a more serious tone for the film, with less cringey, laugh in disbelief style humor. However, it leaves the film less distinct, with a ‘sink or swim’ attitude on the part of this editor, and it is either received by a viewer as more or less effective, depending on how it functions without these crutches.

LOE, my edit of ROTS, has a similar treatment applied. Moreso than AOTC, ROTS reached for dark, dramatic sequences and a darker overall tone. This seemed to mix poorly with moments of very cartoony humor, so I attempted to even out the tone by cutting down on both the silliest bits of humor and a couple over-the-top dark moments. The end result is the darkest, least funny film of the bunch. This one will also stand or fall based on its effectiveness, which is very much open to debate, without relying on cartoony humor.

TFA:R doesn’t really change anything related to humor. TFA itself is a decidedly fun romp, with its humor typically being derived from its characters, which lent it a feeling of Star Wars authenticity. It might have gone a little too far in a few places, but seems to be well within the goalpost set by ROTJ, and a return to form by mostly effective and appropriate use of humor.

TLJ’s humor struck me as problematic at several points. As a microcosm, consider the spaceship/iron gag. It’s a genuinely fun and funny moment, though is a hard stylistic break from all prior Star Wars films, and is the sort of thing usually found in a parody. Removing this joke from TLJ:L ought not to be inferred as disliking the joke, but as part of an attempt to lessen the tenacious ‘deconstruction’ the film engages in from beginning to end, and to cohere with the other seven films to date. The same goes for the Caretakers, whose only role in the finished film is to break the fourth wall. Much of the film’s humor comes at the expense of Star Wars and its fan’s expectations. I’m not opposed to this in principle, though very much believe less would have been more.

TFA and TLJ’s humor is more pervasive and blended in than any of the prequels’. If one were to attempt to remove the majority of their humor in the same way I did with the prequels, they would suffer and not be nearly as successful overall. I recognized this and didn’t care to mess with TFA in this regard, for similar reasons as ROTJ. The humor I toned down for TLJ was in the interest of lessening the film’s constant meta commentary in order for what remains (including the deconstruction that remains) to telegraph good faith and be more easily received by its ostensible audience. In other words, to craft an edit I wish I could send back in time to myself at the time of the film’s release. A gift from me, the one who has digested and wrestled with the film’s views and come to appreciate it, to the other me, the first time viewer who couldn’t help but feel confused and insulted.

Oh, fair point. This strikes me as one of those things that feels like a hurdle by virtue of being a function of a fan edit, but would readily have been received and defended were it a feature of the original film.
No way to know for sure, but that’s my suspicion and by that criteria, I like it. 😃

Yeah… this project probably won’t ever be completed, as I would feel better about just leaving ROTJ alone. I do like the gonk droid idea, so I should probably at least do that scene and put it out there.

ChainsawAsh said:

I don’t recall making a DTS for TFA:R, but if Hal can send me the stems for it I’ll happily make one.

PM sent

And I don’t see an issue about the ring for a hypothetical first time audience. Holdo mentions their symbol, then at the end we have the “Everyman” boy with an old school rebel insignia ring, who just heard enjoying a campfire story about Luke Skywalker.

No worries, Ash. Your feedback has been unilaterally helpful, and I wouldn’t want you to watch the final product until you would do so just to enjoy it.

Impossible thought exercise:
If my version is what was literally projected in theaters… What do you think you would have made of the very brief excursion to Canto Bight, especially the abrupt landing and arrest scene? My hope was that it would blend in well with the other 10,000 times the film tries to subvert expectations at every turn and often multiple times within a sequence.
For my part, I would probably have laughed at how short Finn and Rose’s efforts were cut, inferring the sort of sardonic criticism of their plans that the film directs at Poe for his, and also to Luke, Rey, and other characters. I would likely have suspected that some material had been cut in the interest of time/pacing (since it is still a lengthy Star Wars movie), which would have bridged their escape from jail to being in hyperspace. Then the fathier stuff would be one of those “oh man why did they cut this stuff out” things that I would have relented with “oh I guess that makes sense in service to the movie as a whole.”

That was my intent, and it isn’t a slam dunk at all. But I felt if I were to do a fan edit at all, it had to eliminate the fathier chase completely.

I should be able to run over as many children as I want!

Don’t pretend that all of us haven’t individually and collectively played into this. It’s nobody’s and everybody’s fault. He was bound to internalize the criticism regardless of whether it was pointed at him personally or just the character.

Glad to hear it! The Blu-ray does have some ugly compression. A cynical part of me wonders if it was intentionally done poorly in order to make the 4K HDR version compare better.

Well, they are, but I understand what you’re saying. 😉

Those compression things you mention are, to my eye, already present in the source material. DrDre’s LUT appeared to exacerbate these issues, which is why I tweaked the colors myself. I did not adjust anything other than the colors, no contrast or anything else.
Could you look over the scenes you mention on the same TV using the theatrical BluRay? Just to confirm you see it already present there.

I tweaked the colors a little, for lack of being able to use DrDre’s LUT without it causing video problems. It ought to be close to his version, though not as strong of an effect in order to avoid inadvertently going too far.
Just a little less green/yellow, basically.