"Star Wars, the Re-Re-Re-Release"

There are two words which changed American pop culture since they first appeared on the silver screen: Star Wars.  Two generations have shared this phenomenon; parents who saw the original trilogy as it came out, and their children who saw the prequel trilogy released in the same fashion. Though there are young adults today who have failed to see these monumental films, it would be impossible to live in contemporary America and not recognize John Williams' immortal fanfares, the snap-hiss of a light saber, or the sound of Darth Vader's respirator as James Earl Jones so famously voiced, "Luke, I am your father."

Star Wars fans comprise one of the most devoted fandoms, with Celebration VI, the biggest Star Wars convention in the world, about to go off this summer in Orlando, Florida. There are costuming groups, books (which consistently tend to become New York Times best sellers), games, comics, and more, all devoted to that galaxy far, far away.

As one would imagine, Star Wars being released on Blu-ray is therefore a big deal to no small amount of people. This is the fourth release of the original trilogy since their debut, and at the hands of George Lucas, there are many fans who have suffered changes to these pieces of historical and cultural works. Even those not immersed in the Star Wars universe may be familiar with the "Han shot first" debate: an editing change Lucas had done for the 1997 re-release of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (that name in itself being a change, the movie was released in theatres simply as "Star Wars" with no subtitle), in which Han fires at Greedo in the Mos Eisley cantina as a reaction to Greedo shooting at Han first, as opposed to as it was in the original release, where Han fired preemptively. It is understandable what Lucas was trying to accomplish, trying to make Han a nicer, more likable guy, but he was likable precisely because he was a roguish space smuggler. He wasn't a great guy, and that makes his change as a character all the more interesting and endearing.

That debate is old hat for the seasoned Star Wars fan. In 2004, when the original trilogy was released for DVD, there were even more changes, each one jarring old fans with more tweaks, more changes, each seemingly aimed at making these powerful movies more for children, adding superfluous spaceships and aliens into scenes with CGI which stand out harshly against the backdrop of otherwise completely real actors and sets. George Lucas was perverting that which he had gotten right the first time around. The movies didn't require changing.

So now, fans can buy the re-re-re-release of the original trilogy, as well as the re-release of the prequel trilogy all in one box set:  Star Wars The Complete Saga all saved to 9 Blu-ray discs. Many fans feared there would be more changes. They were right. Such changes include Wicket, the Ewok played by Warwick Davis in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi having his eyes CG'd to blink. There are others.

As painful as this history is, an upside does come of it. The video quality is excellent, Episodes I and II being decent (though, because of excessive use of filters while filming, the characters faces will sometimes look waxy). Episode III is visually stunning, as it was completely filmed and produced digitally. The original trilogy looks better than they have ever appeared before as well. Sound for all of the movies is Dolby 6.1 and is exemplary.

There are also a litany of bonus features, including audio commentaries, interviews, deleted/extended scenes, viewable props, costumes, concept art, and a visual tour through Lucas Film's archives. For the fan who wants everything Star Wars, these are a must have, and make up for the tampering (mostly). These discs do not include some deleted scenes which were available in the 2004 release, however, as they went for getting in more unreleased materials rather than totality.

For those who are excited by the prospect of re-re-re-re-releases, the Star Wars films are slated to hit theatres again, at a rate of one per year starting on February 10, 2012 with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace…in 3-D!