Changes in Star Wars re-releases vary from minor differences in color timing, audio mixing, and take choices to major insertions of new visual effects, additions of characters and dialogue, scene expansions, and replacement of original cast members with newer ones. Though changes were also made to the prequel trilogy, the original trilogy saw the most alteration. Dissatisfied with the original theatrical cuts of the original Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, creator George Lucas altered the films in ways that were ostensibly not initially possible, primarily due to limitations of time, budget, and technology.
The first substantial changes were made in 1997 with the release of a Special Edition remaster in commemoration of the franchise's twentieth anniversary. These changes were largely made as visual effects tests for the forthcoming prequel films, demonstrating the possibilities of computer-generated imagery (CGI). Additional notable changes were made when the original trilogy was released on DVD in 2004, in an attempt to create more consistency with the prequel trilogy. More changes were made to the films for their Blu-ray release in 2011 and for their 4K Ultra HD release in 2019.
Although some critics felt that many smaller changes were improvements, innocuous, or understandable, most larger changes were received negatively by fans and critics—particularly those made to the original trilogy, which has never been released in its unaltered form in high definition.
Background
Prior to making Star Wars, franchise creator George Lucas experienced dissatisfaction with the re-editing by studios of both of the films he had directed. His first feature, THX 1138 (1971), had five minutes removed by Warner Bros. Universal Pictures had his subsequent film, American Graffiti (1973), edited to remove several minutes.
Following the success of Star Wars, in 1977, Lucas's original version of THX 1138 was theatrically released. The restored cut of American Graffiti was released theatrically in 1978; this was altered for 1998 DVD with a computer-generated (CGI) change to the opening shot. In 2004, Lucas supervised a director's cut of THX 1138, restoring the picture while adding some modern special effects.
As a proponent of artist's moral rights and having endured alterations to his works made by studios without his consent, Lucas was one of many filmmakers who spoke before the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988 against the ongoing colorization of black-and-white films by studios.
Release history
1977: In May, Star Wars was theatrically released. Three different audio versions (a Dolby Stereo mix, a six-channel mix for 70 mm screenings, and a mono mix print) were created, with significant differences. Later that year, among others, a silent, English-subtitled Super 8 reel version of the film was released by Ken Films. 1980: In May, The Empire Strikes Back was theatrically released. After its initial opening, but before its wide release, Lucas extended the end sequence. A 70 mm print of the film differed from the more widely distributed 35 mm print in takes of dialogue, visual and sound effects, shot choices, and transitions between shots; none of these changes appeared in later releases, with exception of one dialogue change. 1981: In April, Star Wars was re-released, with the addition of the subtitles "Episode IV" and "A New Hope" added to the opening crawl. 1983: In May, Return of the Jedi was theatrically released. 1985: The original Star Wars film was re-released on VHS, LaserDisc, and Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) with an improved audio mix. The LaserDisc and CED sped the film up by 3% to fit onto a single disc. 1993: The original trilogy was released on LaserDisc as "The Definitive Collection". With the exception of a new THX audio mix, scratch and dirt removal, and color balance changes, it matched the original theatrical releases. 1995: The original trilogy was re-released on VHS with THX audio, advertised as the final release of the theatrical versions.
