All this talk about Disney seems to miss the point that there's nothing stopping FOX from releasing the original trilogy on Blu-ray - except perhaps access to original prints (which I assume they'd need permission from LucasFilm to use).

Seriously, I don't know what good it does FOX to own the distribution rights until 2020 (and the original film forever), if they never plan to do anything with them...obviously some sort of co-deal with Disney is in everyone's interest.

And too bad the 3D conversions never panned out. I was kind of interested in seeing them as such

The LucasFilm hurdle is a pretty big obstacle. LucasFilm can't just demand that Fox release something they don't want to release and of course Fox has to run what they release through LucasFilm.

You could almost see it playing out in a courtroom because these agreements don't exist to allow one company to block things that would provide revenue to the other. If Disney refused to approve anything Fox wanted to do with the series beyond all reason Fox would likely have some grounds to sue them. Disney could also similarly sue Fox for sitting on the films for the next 16 years if they took the films OOP and refused to release them altogether.

These agreements are made in good faith and these scenarios would likely never happen though. Neither company would benefit by sabotaging the other's claim to the movies.

The reality of this is that Star Wars is Star Wars to the vast majority of people in the real world and Fox was happy to release the films the way Lucas wanted on DVD and Blu, and now if Disney sees it differently we're likely to get different versions.

If this does happen I predict a huge explosion of online hype and a sobering wake-up call when the sales are strong but unremarkable and ultimately less than the previous modified versions. You guys can all quote me on that.

IF they get released in 2015, that would be 4 years after the previous releases, which came at the bubble before disc sales plummeted. Sales will be there, but it won't be as big as people think, and even getting retailers to stock them might be a challenge (remember, there are several SKUs out already for these films). Retailers have been reducing disc space, not expanding. And from what they currently have, it's bargain bin stuff and cheap prices. These will likely command a high price and be a difficult sale.

So yes, I agree with you.

But...If they do come out in 2015 when the new film arrives in Theaters, these would likely receive a boost in sales regardless if they are the modified or "original" versions.

You could be exactly right, but so what? There is a demand for these versions, just like there was a demand for Superman 2:The Donnor Cut, so it shouldn't matter how many people buy them in the end. I don't know how many people ended up buying Superman 2:The Donnor Cut (I have some friends that did and some friends that didn't), but they still put it out fully remastered on DVD and BluRay, but does anyone on the Superman Message Boards question how many were actually sold?

I disagree. There would be a boost in sales regardless which version is released but not on the same level if the original (and so far unreleased) versions make their HD debuts. There would be a slew of new people, like myself, who would buy these that haven't purchased the 2 previous blu ray sets because they are the modified versions.

It also can't help but to be affected by the prior releases. No going back in time and seeing exactly how many moe or less the true OT would have sold on BD if given a solo chance.

Sobering to who? To Disney or Fox? Not sobering to me. I wouldn't care if they only sold one copy as long as that one copy went to me. I don't need any sort of public validation of the original trilogy. I just want to watch the movies.

And for those who are interested in these types of things, Harmy's Empire v2.0 has been released and it's pretty great.

And a few thousand more who already own multiple sets can rebuy them one more time!

They really could market the OOT in such a way that it could be the biggest BD release ever. Bring out the OOT completely cleaned up but with no added scenes or CG crap and state that it is the only way to see it, period. It won't be sold to TV, cable, shown in theaters, etc. and only released on BD (though I personally would love to see the OOT in a theater again).

With the right push, I have no doubt it would likely outsell anything else that has been released on BD. I am one of the holdouts and if they release this, it would make my day. I haven't watched the films in years and sold my crappy non-anamorphic release awhile back for some decent change. And as someone else said above, I don't give two shits about extras. Just give me the original films, cleaned up with a nice sound mix and call it a day.

I keep meaning to download the Harmy stuff but never get around to it. I have the first two film versions that he did but I believe he has updated them several times since.

Agreed.

So many people are entirely enmeshed with having their opinions/convictions/entire lifestyles validated by the masses, they're almost certain to project those sentiments onto others... especially those that disagree with them

I like your enthusiasm, but that's not going to happen. According to this chart, the only catalog releases in the top 50 all-time best selling blu-rays are the first Star Wars boxset (I-VI) and a handful of animated Disney titles. Avatar is no.1 with 7+ million copies. Star Wars is no.45 at 1.7 million. Disney/Fox would probably be lucky to match those numbers.

The idea that they wouldn't bother with another Bluray release because the market isn't what it used to be is just absurd. All you have to do is look at all the obscure horror films that get release after release, or how Criterion can release the films they do (with a price markup, of course), and then something like BladeRunner. Sure, it's got its fans, I'm one of them, but compared to Star Wars fans? If they can do a multi-version release for BladeRunner, they sure as hell can make the numbers work for Star Wars).

(And no offense to the people that like obscure horror and such, it was just an example).

Sobering to the nerds who think the world hates George Lucas's prequel trilogy and altered OT. Sobering to the nerds who incorrectly feel their online petitions represent the real world. Sobering to the people who think Disney is on the verge of writing three enormously-successful films off as non-canon even after they've firmly established that the PT is canon even after the mass EU de-canonization.

I love all these releases like T2, Close Encounters, Blade Runner etc. that prevent multiple versions of films. My ideal Star Wars release would have every single little variation available and would let the viewer watch whatever version they watched or loved. Even down to all the little soundtrack quirks where different lines were used. If they let you choose between something as insignificant as the theatrical cut of RotS with the wipe or the DVD cut with the straight cut, I'd be thrilled. I'll happily add archival theatrical versions of any Star Wars film to my collection.

That said, I like the overwhelming majority of the changes Lucas made. The Greedo thing is the only thing that should go back to its earliest form. Some of the stuff needs to be further tweaked like the lightsaber consistency. Some of the stuff like Jedi Rocks and R2 behind the rocks in the first film stem from valid flaws that Lucas was right to address but addressed poorly.

But I like most of it. I like seeing Naboo and Coruscant celebrating the fall of the Empire. I feel more of a connection to a face I recognize from two films as a force ghost than a guy who isn't even recognizable compared to his heavily-made-up appearance moments before. I like having Ian McDiarmid consistently playing Palpatine in all 5 of his appearances.

The PT trilogy isn't going anywhere and I not only suspect that the latest Blu-ray editions will be the canon presentations of the films as they relate to the other two series, I also suspect that the majority of people viewing the original trilogy in the context of the other two trilogies will come to expect those changes, especially with the kids who have grown up loving the PT and Clone Wars.

I guess, but what difference does it make? It may shift the balance in some endless, mind-numbing argument over at theforce.net, but otherwise everyone would have gotten what they wanted in the end.

So because Guru Askew likes the changes, no one should ask for the unaltered OT?

Any person who likes Jedi Rocks should not only not be taken seriously but shouldn't even be allowed to voice their opinions in the first place. On anything whatsoever.

This sequence was a colossal mistake and, along with Vader's ridiculous "No"s at the end, make the movie unwatchable at this point.

jedi rocks was like watching a live forced abortion suddenly happen in the middle of a film

Even the CGI extras thrown here and there for what appears to be no valid reason. And there is the Jabba scene which should have never been put back. No level of next gen CGI will ever make it work because it simply doesn't fit as a scene.

Right...because it simply repeats information found elsewhere in the movie. No decent director would leave that in his film.

One of the things which works about Jabba is that especially in the first movie, he's a scary character who's spoken of in whispers even by badass smugglers. Therefore, not knowing is what makes him frightening. Lucas hasn't been able to understand this since at least the 1980s, but sometimes less is in fact more.

But seeing Jabba's eyes bug out when Han steps on his tail is HI-LARIOUS!!

I'll tell you what, George knows funny!

This is why this debate is so pointless, and I blame George Lucas for creating this rift in the SW fandom.

If he would have just released the OOT versions fully remastered in 2004 on DVD and 2011 on BluRay, this thread would not exist. Nobody cares what versions you like or changes you like, just like no one cares what versions I like. When you make 2 versions of ANYTHING whether it be a movie, a song, a piece of art, etc, naturally you are going to have one base of fans that likes one thing and another base of fans that like another thing. That is what George Lucas never understood!

This isn't about online petitions or people bitching on the internet, its about a demand for a product. Lord of the Rings, Terminator 2, Aliens, ET, Bladerunner, etc, all have multiple versions on DVD and BluRay, why is so hard for Star Wars (which is the most popular franchise in the history of movies) to have a boxset of both versions in the same quality????