Honestly I don't think CG Yoda would improve Episode I at all.
Lol.. Only getting drunk will improve your view of Episode I.

I know. I know the post was old, but I had to add to his comments. :)

It's really cool to finally have the unaltered original trilogy (in other words, the way things *really* happen in Star Wars) on DVD. :) Even though George is being absurdly stubborn by not giving us a new transfer, at least this is a start. For the rumored 30th anniversary Star Wars boxed set, a new anamorphic transfer from the fully restored master film prints of the unaltered original trilogy should be included.

As far as changes to Episode I, I'd actually prefer to keep Yoda as he is. Or at least have an option to view Episode I with the new transfer, but without any of these changes in the 2007 set. It would be cool to have an option to watch Episode I and see in the movie all of the duel of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan versus Darth Maul. :)

I assume there won't be many changes in Episodes II and III, but it would be nice to be able to watch in the movie the full length duel between Obi-Wan and Count Dooku, and also Yoda versus Count Dooku, in Episode II. :)

I'd like to add (especially for anyone who has read this thread all the way through) some things now that I've seen my copies of the 2006 set many times, to clarify some things that I said or speculated about that were not quite accurate:

- These sets are STILL AVAILABLE in stores (check the bargain bin). The "limited edition" thing was just a marketing ploy and they didn't sell as many as they had hoped, probably because most customers are utterly confused, with three different "Star Wars trilogy" sets sitting side by side on store shelves. I bet a lot of people think it's just the 2004 version again wrapped individually or something (the two other sets aren't even LABELLED as the 'special editions' they just say "Star Wars Trilogy" or "Episodes IV, V, VI"). So contrary to all our fears, these were NOT pulled from store shelves on Jan 1st. If stores in your area don't carry them, you can order them off amazon, ebay or equivalent. They're pretty cheap these days, even new.

- Yes, the "Bonus Materials" disc that originally was exclusive to the 2004 box set is still available. You can purchase it online (Amazon.com has it, for less than $10 usually).

- The collector's tin is still available (order online) but it's over $100. Be advised, all this is is the three 2006 (2 disc) sets tossed into a metal box, that you used to be able to buy at Best Buy for $10 more than buying them individually.

- I bought the special wal-mart deal where each movie came in a cheap cardboard box (same packaging for each movie, only the front cover is different, a pic of the DVD and a pic of the comic cvover). The comics are just reprints of the Dark Horse collections (themselves reprints of the Marvel Comics vintage "movie" adaptations that have been RE-COLORED to match the movies... so no red lightsabers for everyone in the original Star Wars, no blue Yoda, etc). Unlike the vintage comics, the "reader mail" "pin up section" and "intro" boards for each issue are removed in these versions. Still, pretty cool.

- The 2006 "bonus discs" come with no extras, except each one has an (identical) Xbox demo of "Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy" and an (identical) trailer for the game. There's no commentary or other bonuses.

- The 2004 discs that are included in the set are identical to the 2004 cuts of the movies already released, and have the same audio commentaries and other options. They have all the same flaws too, nothing has been fixed or changed. The disc artwork matches the 2005 sets (FBI logo and different fonts added to the 2004 disc art). Some have speculated that these are actually unsold stock from the 2005 "limited edition" (the only thing "limited edition" about that set was the cardboard box it came in!).

- The opening crawl in "Star Wars" (1977, bonus disc) IS how it was from 1977-1980. There's NO "episode iv: a new hope" and everything else is perfect. Upon closer inspection I think this was re-created with the original elements (not in CG). The only thing stopping me from saying it IS the 1977 original crawl is that the shot of Alderaan's moon as the camera pans down right before the Tantive IV flies into view looks different (more detailed and "half moonish" if that's a word) than the shots I've seen of the laserdiscs.

- Yes, the color quality IS better than the laserdiscs. The picture is sharper and there's better balance and the colors are accurate. This LOOKS better than any Laserdisc I've ever seen, including bootleg transfers that fans have put onto DVD. And on TV it looks better than VHS.

- Sadly, if you have a widescreen TV, and view it in "zoomed" or "stretched" mode, the second line of subtitles (Greedo scene, Jabba scenes or watching the movie on CC) will be chopped off. Thus you either have to watch it unzoomed to get that...

However some people have told me that certain DVD players have a Zoom feature that DOES show all the subtitles. If you're lucky enough to own one of these, then you're set!

- Yes, there are little problems in the video here and there (that really should have been fixed before they transferred it), some ghosting and color blips. But unless you're paying super close attention or sitting really close to a big screen, you aren't likely to notice.

- It's been confirmed by official sources that these are definately the 1993 master tapes used to create the LaserDiscs. The only thing different is the opening crawl for Star Wars (no word on if it's re-created or original, but I suspect it's re-created from the original elements, unless they just inserted a new moon in 1993 before they started doing the other SE changes).

- The sound on the "bonus discs" (the theatrical 2006 discs) is the same audio mix that accompanied the movie on Laserdisc in the 80's. It sounds good but it's Dolby 2.0 only. The first sound track for the theatrical Star Wars was actually the six channel stereo, but at the time few theaters had the capability to handle it, so they quickly produced a stereo and mono mix. Sadly none of these mixes are present on the DVD (but can be found on the 'net, and fans are working on creating their own versions that incorporate these mixes). The home video versions all used blends of the different theatrical soundtracks. So in this version you won't hear the "magnum" blaster rifles, Threepio doesn't explain the tractor beam, but Han says "trust me" and Luke says R2 is lucky he doesn't taste very good. Blast it BIGGS where are you, there's no "close the blast doors!" before "open the blast doors." The side of the street is secure (not "the door's locked"), etc.

- The "30th Anniversary Edition" of the DVDs that was long rumored was cancelled. No new DVDs are going to be released in the foreseeable future. The 30th anniversary of the original Star Wars was May 25. The 24th anniversary of ROTJ was the same day, and the 27th anniversary of ESB was May 20th. It's now July 7. Nothing coming down the pipe except the Clone Wars CG series next year and the Live Action series circa 2009. The "3D Star Wars in theaters" thing was also put off indefinately, because "the technology wasn't up to speed" Lucas claims.


And yes, I still prefer the original movies. I watched Star Wars (2006 theatrical DVD) again a few nights ago and it was wonderful. I'm watching ROTJ now and it's great too, just like I remember it.

Hope that helps anyone who is still on the fence about this set or curious...

Very good summary, Kurgan. :) The new Star Wars original trilogy DVD's do look quite good, better than even the Star Wars Definitive Collection laserdisk set, which itself looks good. Many were surprised but just how good these DVD's look when they bought their sets and got to watch them. :)

And not only are the dumb changes from the SE gone, but the colors in Star Wars are accurate in this DVD set, they look the way they always have, the way they are supposed to look, not with the odd colors found in the SE. :)

If anyone hasn't gotten this set yet, I highly recommend it. You'll have the original Star Wars trilogy the way it actually happened, without any of the bizarre changes stuck in the SE, with good picture and sound quality. The DVD's also have great custom Star Wars menus. :)

As for the beginning of Star Wars, there are many that now think that is the original opening crawl on this new DVD set, after having examined it very closely. Apparently it was available from the fully restored and preserved master film prints that Lucasfilm has had ever since they were preparing for the 1997 release of the Special Edition in theaters (you know, the ones that they've refused to use so far for a new transfer of the unaltered trilogy :) ), and they took the time to put the correct original beginning of Star Wars in (no "A New Hope" in the title). Head over to www.originaltrilogy.com) if you want the details, several Star Wars fans over there have looked into this carefully. There's certainly been a lot of interesting discussion on this issue. :)

It's very disappointing that it looks as if there might be no Star Wars 30th Anniversary DVD set this year. Hopefully they will have a big Star Wars DVD collector's set out next year, including a new transfer from the pristine master film prints of the original unaltered Star Wars trilogy. :)

Very good summary, Kurgan. :) The new Star Wars original trilogy DVD's do look quite good, better than even the Star Wars Definitive Collection laserdisk set, which itself looks good. Many were surprised but just how good these DVD's look when they bought their sets and got to watch them. :)

And not only are the dumb changes from the SE gone, but the colors in Star Wars are accurate in this DVD set, they look the way they always have, the way they are supposed to look, not with the odd colors found in the SE. :)

If anyone hasn't gotten this set yet, I highly recommend it. You'll have the original Star Wars trilogy the way it actually happened, without any of the bizarre changes stuck in the SE, with good picture and sound quality. The DVD's also have great custom Star Wars menus. :)

As for the beginning of Star Wars, there are many that now think that is the original opening crawl on this new DVD set, after having examined it very closely. Apparently it was available from the fully restored and preserved master film prints that Lucasfilm has had ever since they were preparing for the 1997 release of the Special Edition in theaters (you know, the ones that they've refused to use so far for a new transfer of the unaltered trilogy :) ), and they took the time to put the correct original beginning of Star Wars in (no "A New Hope" in the title). Head over to www.originaltrilogy.com) if you want the details, several Star Wars fans over there have looked into this carefully. There's certainly been a lot of interesting discussion on this issue. :)

It's very disappointing that it looks as if there might be no Star Wars 30th Anniversary DVD set this year. Hopefully they will have a big Star Wars DVD collector's set out next year, including a new transfer from the pristine master film prints of the original unaltered Star Wars trilogy. :)

Yeah, many amazing fan edits exist. We can't of course promote them here (out of respect for Lucasfilm's copyright), but that site does have some interesting discussions of those preservations. It's amazing what fans can do without millions of dollars, to lovingly restore the classic films! Maybe someday Lucas will get the message...?