Nerdology • I purchased the Star Wars Trilogy again. This is...

I purchased the Star Wars Trilogy again. This is the ~~third~~ fourth copy I now own. I’m not proud of that.

“Why,” you might ask, “did you purchase the Star Wars Trilogy for a second time on DVD when you know that the Blu-ray is coming next year?” Valid question. I wanted the original theatrical release (OTS). And George Lucas has gone on record saying the OTS will not be on the Blu-ray and that, “It’s a very, very expensive process to do it. So when we did the transfer to digital, we only transferred really the upgraded version.”

In 2006 George Lucas released the OTS on DVD bundled with the Special Edition. This two disc set was not available in the trilogy box (as far as I can tell), only as individual movies. Luckily Amazon makes it easy to find (ANH, ESB, ROTJ). And even though these versions aren’t optimized for wide screen televisions (which is a little annoying) you do get to enjoy the film as it was made, which is really the whole point.

So, yes, I bought the Star Wars Trilogy again. But I bought it because I didn’t want to loose the original versions of the film. Sure I own them on VHS, but I don’t even have a VCR anymore and these versions are the ones I want to show my children. I want them to see the version where Greedo dosn’t shoot at Han. The version that contains Boba Fett’s true voice. The version that doesn’t have Hayden Christensen’s ghost.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like the Special Edition also. I like seeing the new effects, the better space combat, and the Death Star exploding with a giant ring. But you have to see the original to appreciate the special edition. And all I want is for more people to appreciate Star Wars.

-Creighton