Han shot first. That is what I want to buy!

May 18, 2008 9:01 PM

Which Star Wars set will give me what I want? I love extra special editions, but I want to buy a copy of Star Wars where Han Shoots first. I am looking for any advice on which versions I should or should not get.
posted by slavlin to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

I think the last high fidelity version of the original versions was released on laser disk, so you are pretty much SOL there. Lucas has stated that he basically copied over the originals to make the special edition. But I do recall them showing a remastered version of the originals on SciFi Channel in the 1990's with deleted scense and all, so maybe its on a torrent somewhere...
posted by BobbyDigital at 9:09 PM on May 18, 2008

Per Wikipedia: "The 2006 DVD had two versions — the 2004 changes and the original theatrical version. The theatrical version features no changes, including Han Solo shooting without Greedo firing a shot." So, the 2006 DVD release seems to have what you want.

That said, you might consider waiting for a Blu-Ray release.
posted by jedicus at 9:11 PM on May 18, 2008

Looks like you can have your cake and eat it, too. Amazon has 2-disc copies of the movies, which include the 2004 remaster and the 1977 original. Looking at the reviews, the quality might be somewhat lacking, as the original version is essentially a LaserDisc rip transfered to DVD. Might as well go over to the Pirate Bay and download the LaserDisc rips there. :)
posted by knave at 9:12 PM on May 18, 2008

Might as well go over to the Pirate Bay and download the LaserDisc rips there.

Is that American slang for "purchase these fine products legitimately from a licensed retailer"? ;-P

But yes, the 2006 DVD editions, with two versions of the film, are likely your best bet. They're certainly easier to find than most any of the others.
posted by turgid dahlia at 10:24 PM on May 18, 2008

I have the 2006 version, and it is what you want (and I'm glad I didn't waste money on the box set that came out just a few years earlier).
posted by dirigibleman at 11:23 PM on May 18, 2008

Honestly, you really might as well hit alt.binaries.starwars and download dvd rips of the laserdiscs. That's all the originals are (plus the original, no EPISODE IV, title crawl). They're not even anamorphic, for crying out loud, so you'll have to hit the zoom function to watch them on a 16:9 tv and they'll look extra crappy. I won't spend money on Star Wars until I can get a nicely done edition of a pre-Greedo version, which is probably when that useless fuck Lucas dies.

You can easily find 4.7 GB ISO's that are complete with homebrew menus and the like, and you won't be supporting evil.

BTW: "Han shot first" is incorrect. The right way is "Han shot," since in the original Greedo never got a shot off.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:05 AM on May 19, 2008

If shady versions of the OT are up for discussion, aren't there fan projects (at least in progress) where people have taken the Special Edition versions and "restored" them by eliminating the changes that Lucas made, using various other OT releases as source material? (I'm not talking about simply splicing in laserdisc footage to the SEs, but careful, frame-by-frame work.)

I definitely remember reading about something like that being in the works a couple of years ago. No time to do the research right now, though.
posted by Prospero at 7:26 AM on May 19, 2008

I managed to get all three movies on laser and a backup LD player from the local hipster thriftstore for less than $35. I wanted my kid to see the movies without that Jabba-walking-around crap. They don't seem to be prone to any laserrot at all.

It's worth looking around. I still get amazing titles and never-released-to-DVD features on clearance-bin laserdiscs.
posted by Gucky at 10:44 AM on May 19, 2008

My solution was to buy the last remastered original version on VHS at a thrift store for about 3 bucks. ROU_Xenophobe is probably correct, at the time that it was announced that the original footage was irreversibly altered in the manufacture of the updates, it was widely argued around the 'net that there had to be plenty of archival footage that could be used to make a proper digitally remastered but otherwise unaltered version - but that Lucas' basically petulant refusal to acknowledge that people generally hated his hamfisted updates to the original trilogy would prevent this being done. Some argued that the whole reason for using the poor laserdisc rip to appease the original version fans was because Lucas couldn't stand how much better a properly remastered original content version would look next to his "definitive" reworked editions. He could also be holding it back as a sort of economic hole card, but unfortunately he probably will never need it.
posted by nanojath at 12:10 PM on May 19, 2008