For me, the only "fixed" STAR WARS boxset would be the one with the original theatrical versions included. Anything else is damaged goods to me and that's why I haven't bought any of the STAR WARS DVDs to date.

And that's why you never will, because trust me when I say those original versions will NEVER be available to the public again. So can we please stop bringing this up in every STAR WARS thread? No one ever complains about not having the "original" version of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek VI, Godfather III, Superman: The Movie, and dozens of other films that have been changed for their home video or DVD releases, but everyone singles out STAR WARS.

The difference being that none of those films included added fart jokes.

Wow, I've never heard anyone mention this before.

Have we grown so tired of the legitimate complaints about the SE changes that we're now resorting to inventing stuff?


Anyway, I'm looking forward to an in-depth review of the site. I suspect that (at the very least) the rear channel music issue on Star Wars has been corrected.

What added fart jokes? You made that up.

Doesn't one of the new CG animals fart in the SE? Or am I getting it mixed up with Phantom Menace? I know Jar Jar steps in a pile of crap in TPM... is there a fart joke in there too? I saw that movie 9 times in the theatre, you'd think I'd know it by heart.

If I mixed it up, "my bad" -- I've been enjoying some fan-ripped LD transfers on DVD-R rather than the Lowry "restored" editions on DVD.

I would love to see the "SE sucks" comments totally banned from conversation unless the topic officially asks for opinions on the SE/OT. It comes up any time anyone mentions anything about SW. It is so overplayed it is ridiculous.

After seeing the making-of on the RotS DVD, I fully believe that Ben Burtt is to blame for the botched balance of the OT DVDs. I watched ANH yesterday, and now that I was very consious about it, I was very aware when the SFX volume seemed to totally drown out the soundtrack.

Someone needs to put Burtt in his place and fix the audio. For that, I would double dip on this.

Yup...i commented on that in the ROTS thread. Ridiculous how that man asks. Even reading his body language and his expression, he was so annoyed with the way the mixes have turned out.

Now thats just plain wrong. Plenty of people were upset that the original version of Superman has not been released, as well as the other movies you have mentioned. Plent of people were also upset that the theaterical version of Aliens was not available for a long time. Fox did the right thing and gave home viewers the opportunity to watch either version with their incredible Quadrilogy. Why Lucas refuses to do it is beyod me (and yes, I know the default answer for Lucas is that, in his mind, the original movies don't exist anymore)

Secondly, the main difference between the movies you mentioned (with the notable exception of Godfather) is that the studio and directors are different entities. Lucas is both, so that opens him up to even more criticism.

Watched A New Hope fairly recently again and it's just a SHAME how you can't hear "Ben's Theme" as the battle begins. That music was SO key to the start of the Death Star battle and a classic moment. I hope it's corrected one day and I don't buy even that was a creative decision. I think it was just another goof-up and lack of QA.

I'll be buying this new 3 disc set for my nephew's Christmas present and will check if it's been quitely fixed (though I doubt it).

chanster, you have to know that the anger and criticism was just a drop in the bucket compared to the anger and criticism that Star Wars has generated by comparison.

I do have to agree though, how many times to we have to regurgitate this argument? Why must every SW thread degenerate into the same deal. I think it's safe to say we'd all like to have both versions. But it is a done deal, it's not happening, so it's time to move on. All the anger in the world isn't going to change Lucas' mind.

You're thinking of ROTJ where the frog-like creature outside Jabba's palace eats something, and then burps. That wasn't added. It's always been in the film. I laugh at that every single time I see it. Don't ask me why. But he doesn't fart. The fart jokes are in TPM.

I think it was a creative decision, Ben Burtt's. He showed he mainly cares about the SoundFX being heard. While that example is extremely glaring, there are several other times where the volume on the sound fx was just off. This was no goof up, Burtt thought he was doing a good job.

I think I'll get this for my brother for Christmas. He doesn't care about extras. Hopefully it'll have a good sale price when it's released. The only 2 places I can find a pre-order is Best Buy and Circuit City. Anyone find any other stores?

Sorry but I don't trust you. I prefer to trust Lucasfilm and their proven track record of broken promises ("We're not doing any STAR WARS DVDs until after Episode III is done because George is too busy...oh wait, well, okay we'll just test the waters with Episode I, but that's it...oh wait, we need to cash in on Epiosde II's theatrical marketing with a timely DVD, don't we? Fine...but THAT's it...no Original Trilogy DVDs until the films are done because, George is too busy to single-handedly create these discs...oh wait, we need something in the marketplace to keep STAR WARS alive until Episode III comes out, hmmm...what do we have?...oh, I know...!") and insatiable desire to remarket their "product" over and over and over again.

Sorry again but you're wrong. Not only do those all of those films get rightfully mentioned in many appropriate threads but I often see CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, BLADE RUNNER and even 1941 mentioned in this regard as well. I have a better question: Why do certain STAR WARS fans feel that the franchise is so delicate and George Lucas so precious, that they're above any form of criticism or questioning?

The better question is why the fuck this comes up every god damned time SW is mentioned. It is the noisiest fucking broken record in the history of mankind. I think this site should start a SW OT whining thread and limit all bitching of this nature there and hand out suspensions to any who violate the policy. This is the most beaten dead horse ever. Christ!

I think it is safe to say everyone, even us "apologists" want an unaltered set. But we don't harp on it like some. Everyone on this forum knows the score regarding the original cuts. Yet it is brought up even when the topic has nothing at all to do with it. The RotS thread is full of bullshit threadcraps like yours. Enough already.

Back onto topic:
What is the release date for this set?

Whoa, there. You need to take several deep breaths.

I'm not threadcrapping. If it's okay to discuss the botched music mix on the DVDs which Lucasfilm has called a "creative decision," then why isn't it okay to discuss what's missing on this upcoming DVD re-release? Just because you're tired of it? Well, I'm tired of all the thin-skinned, overly-sensitive and completely unnecessarily hostile defensiveness certain people engage in every time someone dares question these so-called "creative decisions" that Lucasfilm makes.

If I'm free to not buy these STAR WARS DVDs, you're free not to read or respond to these message forums which, as I understand it, are designed for people to share ideas and communicate their opinions.

In short: Relax.

Because the original non-SE trilogy is significant enough to be a separate beast. This thread initially started out discussing the original SE trilogy release. There are some of us who are interested in this new 3 disc set. I own boots of the SE trilogy and held off on buying the official release, because I was hoping for a non-SE set, or at the very least, an inexpensive SE trilogy without the extras.

This supposed barebones set is something that I'm interested in... not lamenting for the umpteenth time that the non-SE trilogy remains unavailable.

Well, I think you're going to be waiting forever, because the other statements were directly attributed to Lucas. Lucas has stated time and time again he won't release the originals. So holding back on buying Star Wars in the hopes Lucas changes his mind on that issue, is a futile effort. I can guarantee you when the 2007 set comes out with all 6 films, and there's still no theatrical cuts, we'll have to endure another 40 page whine-fest over Lucas not releasing them. Which is stupid because Lucas has stated he wasn't going to release them. He even put on the LDs, the last time to own the original Star Wars.

I do have to agree, beating this dead horse in every Star Wars thread has gotten aggravating. I do think we need a Star Wars bitch thread so people can go there to complain.

In fairness, Lucas has also directly said other things that he went back on later... including that there would be no Star Wars TV show.

Not that I'm saying the OT is likely to be released... but I don't think it's accurate to say that it'll never happen because "Lucas said so." The guy has a history of changing his mind.

And, yes, it would be nice to have a Star Wars discussion without constant off-topic bitching about the special edition changes. But this is the Internet... ain't gonna happen.

Yeah, but I think it's quite different when we are talking about the definitive version of these films. He hasn't released the original format in nearly 11 years after they said it was the last time they would be available. Lucas has made numerous statements that Star Wars is a work in progress and he doesn't consider the originals as his vision. It's really nothing more than false hope and time to accept reality that it just won't happen.

umm... are you guys talking about the original versions (1977-83), the original SE (1997-98) or the SESE (circa 2004)?

By now I'm confused, angry and crying... :P

years ago Lucas said there would be no DVD of TPM until all 6 movies were done. There came a DVD.

Then he said there would be no OT DVD's until all 6 movies were done. Then came OT DVD's.

GL has a customer base that is willing to buy the same product 10 times over. You can bet there will probably be the Original version OT DVD's in the original grainy film quality after the fans buy up a few more versions of the OT.

But those are really time-management decisions, not ones that go to the heart of Lucas presenting to the public what he believes to be his vision. It's not as if any of those DVDs you mentioned were slated to never be released, it was just a question of when. The decision not to release the original 77/80/83 versions of the OT is a very different one, it seems to me: there, the question is not "when," but "if."

DJ

I'll be laughing my ass off when Steve Sansweet shows up at his annual Comic-Con STAR WARS panel one of these times and plays a marketing reel that starts off with Mr. Trailer Voice pronouncing, "Back...by popular demand...for a whole new generation..."

Anyway, I know it's easy for some of you to dismiss anyone's disappointment with the state of STAR WARS by rather lazily calling it "whining." The truth is, we love STAR WARS dearly. Probably more than you, since we hold it to a higher standard. And not an impossible standard, mind you. But a standard that was maintained for most of the OT era. You can choose to stick to your "get over it, move on" party line, if you wish. I prefer to keep the faith.

By the way, I love the new packaging for the 3-disc George-Wants-A-New-Ranch Edition. Better than the 4-disc set, in my opinion.