Kurgan

I've never had any lucking find the Pwnage edition, personally...

zombie84 said:

The novelization was actually released in 1976, before the film! Not 1978.

Kurgan, you're blowing your cover on my pay-off scheme! :p

Yeah, though there were numerous re-releases of the novel. The only thing that ever changed from one edition (other than the cover) is the preface/introduction and the title.

Believe it or not, it was originally titled:

"Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker"

Then somewhere around 1995 it became just "Star Wars." This is how it was in the various anthologies (of all three novels in one).

Then briefly in 1997 it was "Star Wars: A New Hope: Special Edition" (though I may be thinking of the "Special Edition" that was all three novels with a gold "Special Edition Trilogy" image on the cover).

Then it was pretty much "Star Wars: A New Hope" until, iirc, 2004 when it became "Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope" and even has the same Vader image that is on the 2004 DVD box (gold, iirc from the full frame version).

I believe I only have the 1977 version (78?) with the gold cover (and different painting) and "now a major motion picture" on it.

Rumor has it that the very first printing of the book spelled it "lightsabre" instead of the now familiar "lightsaber," but I can't confirm that.

As for the money...

If you give it to me, I might forget I found you. ;)

Ric Olie said:

Kurgan said:

Read "The Secret History of Star Wars" (2008, in print) by Michael Kaminski. It's quite enlightening.

This is like the fourth time I've seen you mention this in the past few days.  Are you a sock?

;-)

On the contrary, I was merely extolling the virtues of this amazing and revolutionary product by Mr. Kaminski (who has not paid me large sums of money to say this).

And if you order in the next ten minutes, I'll throw in one of these attractive sleeping bags (a great value) at no additional cost!

;)

No, I'm saying Lucas didn't invent the word at all, but borrowed it from an earlier science fiction writer.

The term "Sith" comes from Edgar Rice Burroughs' first "John Carter of Mars" novel. They were described as ferocious "wasp-like creatures."

Everyone talks about Kurosawa and Flash Gordon, but another big inspiration for Lucas is E.E. "Doc" Smith (inventor of the "space opera" genre of sci-fi), writer of the "Lensmen" series, which is where the term "Coruscant" came from (not a planet, but a word meaning "glittering").

The Lensmen were super warriors who had "lenses" that focused their powers (Lucas' abandoned "Kyber crystal" concept used in Splinter of the Mind's Eye), which emanated from the "Cosmic All" (the Force). You could even say Lucas' midichlorians were a (1990's) spin off of this idea.

In fact, Lucas got a lot of his ideas from Smith, including the Jedi and the Force (called different names, but based on similar concepts). After all, Smith wrote before Frank Herbert's "Dune" and inspired his "Prana-Bindu" (Jedi Bendu) training that the Bene Gesserit sisters had, etc.

Nearly all of Lucas' ideas are borrowed from earlier sources. But yes, the Black Knights of the Sith were a group of evil warriors from the early drafts (controlling the evil Bogan "para-force" rather than the Ashla "force of others"), and "Darth" wasn't a title, just a first name for a "grim looking general" who wasn't one of them, wasn't a cyborg, and had no super powers (that was Prince Valorum).

Read "The Secret History of Star Wars" (2008, in print) by Michael Kaminski. It's quite enlightening.

We shall be watching the production of this fan edit with great interest!

(walks away smiling)

"I care."

Well I guess I won't break my neck trying to find a copy of the TB version then, if this is going to be made. Best of luck!

Excellent, thank you.

I have been trying to use a Sony RDR-VX555 (DVD/VCR combo recorder) to copy some old VHS to DVD (mostly for nostalgia purposes).

Anyway, to record at the highest quality levels ("HSP" just below SP), for a 2.5 hour program, I need to use dual layer media. However every time I get down with a recording, the player takes a long long time and then says the disc is "neither readable nor recordable" and spits it out. I've never had this problem with regular DVD-Rs, so I'm not sure why the DVD+R DL's aren't working (for reference I'm using brand new TDK 8X's I bought in a local store).

So I've gone through the process twice now and ended up coasters (the resulting discs are spit out and can't be finalized since they can't be read, and they can't be read on my PC dvd player either).

I thought perhaps it was because I wasn't using Sony brand DVD+R DL's, but I looked it up and Sony apparently doesn't make them (I use Sony brand DVD-R single layers).

Anyway, I followed the instruction manual (which doesn't say anything about not being compatible with Dual Layer recordable media), so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I tried searching online but came up empty on answers.

I have two questions, coming from somebody not experienced with DVD editing. There's a movie I'm wishing to edit, which unfortunately has a few handicaps from the get go, no chapter stops and it's non-anamorphic, which leads to my questions:

FIRST:

I have the files to a DVD (BUP, IFO, VOB), but the movie itself is lacking ANY chapter stops (meaning you have to fast forward through it, no breaks at all).

What's the easiest/most efficient way to add those? I am not going to bother designing a menu for the chapter stops, just a way to skip ahead, say at 5 or 10 minute intervals like other movies.

SECOND:

This particular movie is non-anamorphic (meaning the black bars top and bottom are part of the image). If I wanted to make it into an "anamorphic" DVD, how would I chop off those bars, or is it that simple (without killing the image quality of course)?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Yeah, the correct name from the early script notes is "Windy" ("Windu" was either a mistype or the difficulty in deciphering Lucas' scribblings, for example it was "C.J. Thorpe" not "Usby C.J. Thape"). Source: the Secret History of Star Wars by Michael Kaminski.

You're right, the term "Sith" wasn't even invented by Lucas, but borrowed by him from the time of the early drafts and appears in the novelization ("Sith Lord") referring to Vader. Early on there were many Sith Knights and "Darth" was not a title, but the character's first name (originally Vader was just a "grim looking general" not a cyborg or force user). "Padawaan" was there too.

"Padme" and Pod racing were definite prequel inventions though.

Not to brag, I just finished Kaminski's book, fascinating stuff.

If Jango Fett's voice in the Prequels is going to be changed, doesn't that just reverse the situation but not get rid of the "realism problem" of accents not being inherited?

The way I figured it all these years was that Boba Fett's voice was generated or distorted by his helmet. After all, that was the case with Darth Vader and the "Bousshe" disguise Leia used. It's true the Stormtrooper helmets only distort the voice without changing it (Luke & Han in ANH). Yet in the Prequels not only does Jango's voice just get the "stormtrooper filter" when his helmet is one, it's the same with the clone troopers. Jango's helmet is noticably different than everyone else's in the movies, why not just say when the helmet goes on he suddenly sounds like Classic Trilogy Boba Fett?

Or is his voice going to sound raspy like that all the time? That might be kinda creepy to hear all those troopers talking like him (but it might be cool as hell too).

Then again there's also the possibility that Boba Fett's voice isn't the result of a voice changer OR his "natural" mature voice, but because of some hardships suffered in his bounty hunting career. Maybe his throat is scared or something from battle, or smoking too many death sticks? ;) I mean, back in the day we knew Vader had a life support system, maybe Boba needed the suit to stay alive too? (obviously Jango didn't though)

As for accents, it could be worse... you could be Christopher Lambert, who is considered French (father was a French diplomat), born in Great Neck (ha!), New York, but raised in Switzerland.

Yeah. I thought I knew a lot about Transformers Lore (turns out I mostly just know the original US TV show that ended in '87 and the animated movie, only read two or three of the comics in the late 80's/early 90's), but the "twins" were actual characters from G1. But I don't think they were envisioned as retarded "ghetto/hillbilly kids." 

I was talking to a good friend of mine the other day and for him (to my surprise) the only good thing about TF2 was the Twins. He was one of those folks who didn't really like TF the first time (and was a fan of the original cartoon), but let it grow on him with subsequent viewings. Go figure...

But yeah, it wasn't until my third viewing that I finally understood what was supposed to be going on there. I guess the producers refer to Arcee as the three robots (I thought maybe they were supposed to combine into one larger robot, but they don't), but "canonically" each of the motorcycles is a totally separate robot and Arcee is just one of them (the red/purple one?).

It sounds like you're right (I still haven't seen all of the first episode). I haven't seen Galatica 1980 either, but at least THAT is on DVD.

May I suggest Michael Kaminski's "The Secret History of Star Wars" and Jonathan Rinzler's "The Making of Star Wars" (hardcover edition) as useful sources?

Good luck.

Okay, I know all about Adywan’s “Blu-Ray on DVD9” project which uses the HD transfers captured from cable of the 2004 editions, with some re-edits to make them more like the 1997 editions, but does anyone know of any existing preservations of the “theatrical” Special Editions on DVD5 or DVD9? (that doesn’t require a PS3 or BD drive to run)

The “point” of wanting these would be to preserve the actual 1997 editions on DVD, how they were like when they came out in theaters, rather than some idea of an “improved” version. Like it or not, these are a piece of Star Wars history, and in some ways they are superior to the 2004 editions. And yes, I know, I could just buy a BD, but then we don’t tell people to just go buy an LD player (which the majority of these preservations come from), do we?

This is not a bashing or debate thread, of course, I’m just asking. If not, there should be! (considering no official release and the fact that the next official release will be yet another revision)

All I’m aware of are the standard (fairly low quality) asian bootlegs (created either from the LD’s or even VHS) that were making the rounds prior to 2004, and those don’t seem to be in big demand anyway.

If this is better answered via PM, please let me know, and my apologies.

My local libraries were supposed to have two copies ("Star Wars: A New Hope, audio described ed."). I checked out one and it was mislabelled (just plain ol' THX Faces pan 'n' scan).

The other supposed copy just came in via ILL, so hopefully I will be able to pick it up in the next few days and see if it's the real deal. I'll let you all know what I find out, if anything.

You mean "Behind the Magic" (1998) and "Episode I Insider's Guide" (1998)?

I have the former, but not the latter. The "Lost Scenes" is taken directly from BTM Cd-Rom.

I'm hoping someday, somebody will release a "restored" version of those scenes, removing the accumulated dirt, scratches, smudges, etc. and do something about the faded color (heck, one could even "colorize" the alternate Cantina sequence and dub in the proper background noise, but please keep the alternate dialog!).

My bad, thanks for clarifying. In think in your edit Gieferg the twins are still mentioned in the opening battle, if I'm not mistaken.

(Originally I didn't get that scene, I was thinking they meant the "RC Twins" but there were three of them... until later in the movie "the twins" are the two idiots).

Sorry for resurrection, but I'm still interested in finding these too (and the links mallanikkelsen posted are dead, of course).

The libraries where I'm at now (IA) were supposedly to have some copies, but they all seem to have disappeared.

Supposedly only VCR's that can "read the third audio track" can hear them, but I don't remember needing any special equipment to hear them. About six years ago I remember hearing part of the Star Wars one, and it had "DVS" sticker on the front, iirc. Otherwise it looked identical to the 1995 pan 'n' scan VHS tape. It had a female (iirc) narration over the top of the movie's normal audio.

I wish I could get my hands on that now... :(

I guess they released Episode I as well, but I've never located it.

Very well done! Other than seeing a Dual Layer version of this I can't say enough good things about it.

I've also watched Gieferg's and while I do love some of his sound editing experiments ("You've got the touch," Bumblebee Talking, and the Soundwave voice, the last of which I really love), I think overall, the Real Effing Deal is the best fan edit of the film I've seen thus far (no offense, just my opinion)

Edit: So am I right in assuming the "Dual Layer" version won't be any higher quality than what's already out, just a branching version of both your edits (in short, two SL's slapped together)?

My condolences, ady.

I was revisiting this series on netflix over the new year and realized that while the first season has been on DVD for some years, season 2 (which featured Adrian Paul who would later star in “Highlander”) is not. I know that Season 2 is supposed to have changed a lot of things drastically in the show and some people didn’t like it as much as the original, but anyway, has anyone thought about preserving this until such time (if any) that it gets officially released on DVD?

PS: I thought it was cool that Philip Akin who played Norton Drake in the first season also went to play the recurring character Charlie DeSalvo in “Highlander,” a few years later.

Yeah, agreed! Dune really grew on me over the years. The fremen blue eyes and the lack of obviously recycled footage made this edit something special. Some of the cuts are jarring (like Paul's hair suddenly going from long and over his eyes while his face is filty in the duel to suddenly clean and off his face afterward), and although it was intended originally, the scene with Thufer's death does ruin some of the dramatic pacing of the final scene (as it was in the theatrical cut)... but otherwise the 3rd stage for me feels like a more complete and satisfying experience than the Theatrical version (when I've got the time).

Also, thanks I'll try out that password, I always try the author's name and that didn't work for me, so I had to ask!

PS: How is that 2.0 version coming along?

Just got the SL version off of rapidshare.

Awesome...

It's no more legal than a fan edit, that's for sure. But it'd be a preservation of the IMAX cut of the movie, which, according to the conversation had here, sounds to be somewhat different than the BD cut or the full frame presentation anyway.

Me, I'm not trying to pirate anything. I own TDK already. I just wanted to watch the IMAX scenes integrated into the rest of the movie.