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From: ETAndElliot
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  • I saw A New Hope in theaters, and it was at the time The Empire Strikes back came out. When I left the theater after that movie I saw people lining up for The Empire Strikes back. To this day I have never, EVER seen a line so long for a movie. It was out into the parking lot a full 100 feet from the ticket booth. 1997 was awesome to see this film on the big screen.

  • "On February 14th" that's the Best Valentine gift, A ticket to A New Hope day 1!!!

  • went to see independence day in the late summer of 1996 and this trailer played, the whole audience cheered when it finished. This trailer was better than watching ID4 itself in the big screen.

  • May of 1977, I was a preteen. What an awesome time that was when I saw episode IV for the very first time. It changed me forever.

  • I was 20 when the special editions were released. I actually bought a ticket to Space Jam, just to see this trailer (pre internet video). I think I saw each SE six times in the theater. That was a great time to be a Star Wars fan....when we thought the prequels would be the greatest movies of all time.

  • The 97' edition is the only re-release I give my stamp of approval, everything since then, George has screwed up.

  • @IGotYourBack91 i respectfully disagree sir.

  • @taffysaur

    At least your respectfull in your disagreement.

  • @IGotYourBack91 i please to aim. =0)

  • Watching the original trilogy on VHS at home was neat, but seeing it for the first time on the silver screen back in 1997 was MIND-BLOWING for me and my brother and sister! :)

  • @darthvalor07 Same here :)

  • I was about 13 when this came out and been so long. Now I'm 27 and the new trilogy is re-releasing but I look back to this trailer to a time I was filled with hope, before the dark times, before the prequels.

  • Damn I was only 2 in '97. Man I feel old XD

  • So much good memory when this trailer came out.

  • Love these movies since forever. Like Star Trek, I hate the fans. It’s like oil and water, and for some reason (not a clue why), I could never connect, or relate, especially with the generation after, who came on with the prequels and expanded universe. I am an OT snob, but it’s not for the sake of hating, I just don’t like anything else. To me Star Wars is 3 movies. The only other acceptable piece of expanded universe, imo, is Shadows of the Empire, the video game.

  • Good times, great memories, good tv and movies. Got to see it with my kids. Not may people get a chance to do that after they saw it as a kid.

  • That was 13 years ago. o_o

  • You say what you want, the Special Edition may not have been perfect, but boy it was fun. Nothing like Star Wars where it belongs. In the cinema.

  • This does NOT mark (The Death of Star Wars))

    I like the Special Editions

    I like the Prequals

    AND I LIKE EVERY SINGLE CHANGE LUCAS MADE. INCLUDING THE DANCE SCENE.

    I LOVE YOU GEORGE!

  • @zachzilla26 What? I can't hear you, with your lips pressed against Lucas' ass.

  • @ledawg1138 Maybe if you got those pizza roles out of your ears, and your ass, you'd hear me beter

  • @zachzilla26 I love pizza rolls up my ass!

  • @ledawg1138 You must like Weiners up there too. (If you know what I mean by wieners.)

  • @zachzilla26 Finally there's a Star Wars fan who agrees with me. I don't care if the older generation said that the real Star Wars died with the special editions or the prequels; it's that they don't understand why would a brainchild changed what he didn't like when he first released the movies - he only wanted to complete what he had envisioned. I got into Star Wars through the special edition and the prequels and you know what? I thank Mr. Lucas for introducing me to science fiction.

  • @zachzilla26 I agree with you. :)

  • This was the only change that was superior to the original, every other change lucas made was unnecessary .

  • @Godzilla52

    and which change is that, specifically?

  • @ArnoldTohtFan Visual enhancements, better ending song for Return of the Jedi, including more stuff such as a celebration at Corruscant etc, Jabba the Hut in Episode IV is actually Jabba the Hut and not some random guy, overall i thought it was an improvement on the original version, i would have said the same thing for the 2005 DVD's if it wasn't for Hayden Christenson replacing Sebastian Shaw in Episode 6 at the end, but having Ian McDiarmid in Episode 5 more than made up for it.

  • @Godzilla52

    agreed, although the computer-generated Jabba in Episode IV did look absolutely awful in 1997 and in 2004. certainly not on the same wavelength as Gollum from Lord of the Rings, for example. as a matter of fact, none of Lucas' CGI creations have been convincing when compared to a masterpiece like Gollum.

  • @ArnoldTohtFan True, but i still liked it better than having another guy walking around calling himself Jabba

  • @Godzilla52

    what other guy? if you mean the actor who was standing in for Jabba when that footage was shot, you know that scene was filmed but never put in the final movie. Lucas didn't really have to insert that scene, but of course with the current capabilities of CGI he had an excuse to "complete" the scene by inserting a digital Jabba. He just can't help himself, he must be obsessive compulsive lol

  • I still have the laserdisc versions of this.....AND I AIN'T SELLING THEM ON EBAY

  • geroge lucas is a rebel scum

  • if only we all knew this was the beginning of the mulitple stupid lucas edits...

  • to tell you the truth, if it wasn't for this, I wouldn't have become a fan of star wars, I was born in 1994 so I couldn't see this when it originally came out, but still, I got to see it before lucas made the prequel trilogy

  • where the fuck can I download the 1997 special editions? I really want to see them again, already have the originals but I grew up watching these on VHS and george lucas ruined them on the 2005 dvds, and completely destroyed them on the 2011 blurays.

  • I'm glad I had the opprotunity to see all three Special Edition films despite most die-hard fandom pledging alegiance to 1977's original edit and my parents sleeping through all three of those films lol. I still have my pack of mini micro machines promoting the special edtion. UNOPENED!! I just wish we could still get cool free stuff at movies for the arm and leg we all pay to see them...

  • '97 versions FTW

  • I know alot of diehards solemnly hate this special edition but me, Idk really. I kind of really liked this edit. I mean after all its the version that exposed me to the epic films in the first place and brought it back into mainstream popularity so respect is given there. And I kind of like the obscurities of it too because its like a sign of the times I guess lol. Thats just my opinion though.

  • if only we knew what was coming...

  • "..YOU HAVN'T SEEN IT AT ALL"

    damn right we havn't :\

  • Also, the only thing that offends me about the changes he makes is that he doesn't give us the option, we HAVE to have it if we want DVD versions. I also think it's terrible that he thinks he's creating his true vision by cluttering the screen with random crap that turns the films into jokes. Like, he labeled it the "final cut", and then continued to cut it later on. It's sad really. I just wish he'd stick with the way it was already made in the first place, considering the universal praise...

  • Also, the only thing that offends me about the changes he makes is that he doesn't give us the option, we HAVE to have it if we want DVD versions. I also think it's terrible that he thinks he's creating his true vision by cluttering the screen with random crap that turns the films into jokes. Like, he labeled it the "final cut", and then continued to cut it later on. It's sad really. I just wish he'd stick with the way it was already made in the first place, considering the universal praise...

  • I really don't know if I ever saw the original trilogy in all of it's glory. I had 2 different versions of A New Hope, one of which just said "Star Wars" on it, and I had 1 version of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

    They were ALL on VHS, and I don't have the original sleeves. So here's my question - was the special edition version only on the DVD? Because I only had Star Wars on VHS and it's been so long since I've seen them, and I don't have a VCR any more (and I lost Empire...)

  • @Bassbait

    the 1981 version of STARWARS has been on VHS and LD (LASERDISC) the 1980-83 version of Empire and JEDI have been released on VHS and LD (80s-90s) and are also on DVD (2006) (which also has the original 1977 version of STARWARS) the 1997 SE (special edition) is on VHS and LD, the 2004 SE on DVD and the 2011 SE (sigh) on blu-ray

  • @henkman00 I have the original Star Wars series from 1995 then, and no Empire, and I have the special edition of the first Star Wars. That's terrible that I lost Empire but kept the one Special Edition version I did have.

    But I have Episodes 2 and 3 on DVD so I guess it could be worse...

  • @Bassbait

    if you are looking for the uncut version of the Starwars trilogy on DVD they are still around. easy to find on places like Amazon. there should even be a box set.

    yes the 1995 VHS version of STARWARS liklely says ''Episode IV'' and there may also be some changed lines on these tapes.

    if you care about the prequels (i am sure you know they are not everyone's cup of bantha poodoo :P)

    they are all out on VHS and DVD however there are changes in them as well, and the blu ray has more.

  • @henkman00 I'm not interested in the prequels. I thought they were good when they were first out, but with Plinkett and Confused Matthew and many other reviewers, I've come to start to realize the issues with them and I can't overlook that anymore. And I always hated the CGI stuff put into the original trilogy. I have all of the original movies except Empire. Got to get that someday.

  • George Lucas+CGI+Star Wars=Distracting Ugly Cartoony Fake-Looking Mess in the middle of cinematic awesomeness

  • I miss old Yoda :(

  • I was born in 1995. The Special Editions were the versions I grew up with. And guess what? They were my favorite movies ever at that age.

    Yes, that's right, Star Wars dorks: the Special Editions didn't ruin the series.

  • @SergeantLuke

    I grew up with this version too. ironically however, i'm looking at all the new changes for the blu-ray, and i'm disgusted.

  • @TehQuestion75 I'm not really "disgusted". They're pointless, but except for Darth Vader's "no", they don't alter the movie in any real fashion.

  • @SergeantLuke

    Damn it, that's not how the movie IS.

  • @Usul573 What do you mean? That I should go back and watch the original versions, because Han shooting first somehow makes them better?

  • @SergeantLuke

    It certainly hurts if nothing else.

    Han is supposed to come off as a killer looking out for himself at first but grows to caring about others, Greedo shooting first is absolutely ridiculous.

  • @Usul573 But the fact that Greedo shoots first changes almost nothing in the scene, despite what Lucas insists. We still get the shot of Han's gun under the table, we still get Han's smug "yes, I bet you have", and Han shoots so quickly after Greedo does that the first shot barely even counts. When I was a kid, I totally got that scene - hell, I barely even noticed that Greedo shot.

  • @SergeantLuke

    I mean maybe I do make a big deal out of this, but It will just always stick out for me seeing that, his head shifts digitally which looks hilarious, and Greedo misses from two feet away.

    The blu-ray version looks like it's the fastest version, but I see no point at all to the scene being changed in the first place.

    Most of the changes I don't really mind but some are annoying, it's still the same films yes.

  • @Usul573

    Maybe I wouldn't really care also if it wasn't Star Wars, but I watched these films like 100 times on the original VHS back in the day.

  • @Usul573 Hey, I'm not defending the changes at all. They were all totally pointless and unnecessary. It's just that that's ALL they are. They do nothing to alter the films at all in any meaningful way. It'd be better if nothing was changed in the first place, but in the end, you could watch any version and get the same experience.

  • @SergeantLuke

    More or less.

    If it's true for the blu-ray, that they really have Vader yelling NOOO at the climactic scene, that would be the worst change I feel. That is such a powerful scene.

    If they left that alone, left some more of the audio alone like the other changed lines and Boba having a new voice, trimmed the one second of Greedo shooting, left Hayden Christensen out, then I could get behind them.

  • This is still the version I grew up with so I enjoy it much more than the other ones.

  • I only watch the special editions for commentary stuff. The original versions are much cooler.

  • They should remake this trailer for the 3D re-releases. The x-wing-out-of-the-tv intro would make much more sense....

  • I hope Episode 4 doesn't come out in 3D until 2017, because that would be awesome for the fourtieth anniversary

  • @binxer5000 The 3D version of Return of the Jedi comes out in 2017, coinciding with the 40th anniversary.

  • Hated the new effects.

  • What a great time it was to be a Star Wars fan, especially a young one who didn't see these when they were originally released. I'll never forget it.

  • Sure, you get to see your favorite movies in theaters again with cool new special effects. But Lucas made a few minuscule alterations that were mostly mandated by the studio, so therefore they've been turned into total crap.

  • I get goose bumps just watching this!

  • i remember going to see this at the tender age of 6 after only ever seeing the originals on VHS (my copy of episode IV was for many years a recording of a christmas showing circa 1984 complete with adverts) i didn't care that the films had changed i didn't care new stuff had been added in, all i cared about was that this was freakin star wars, in the cinema, and that was awesome

    i still have fond memories of that experience and i will see the originals in 3d, fuck the prequels though!

  • Its a trap!

  • the force will be with you - always

  • "No. There is another."

  • It's no doubt the originals were better, but the special editions are still very inteesting.

  • OT purists are some of the most negative people you can ever meet and they are the reason Star Wars is slowly dying.

  • 'President's day is interesting' was my thought as I was shitting bricks at 9 years of age.

  • "Meant" to be seen? Tell that to those original trilogy elitists.

  • Iv want but have yet 2 c the originals in their theatrical versions. Im in 2 mind 2 see the original trilogy when it gets a 3d release (with no doubt even more unnecesarry changes for good measure) in 2015-2017 bcos I wasn't born when they were released between 1977 and 1983, nor did I see the special editions in 1997, so I've never seent hem on the big screen. advice?

  • Episode I 3D re release in 2012 soon followed by the following 5 films. Too bad they are space a year apart so some of us may be pushing daisies by the time episode 6 comes out.

  • @goldAUsilverAG due don't talk like that u will get there

  • I remember Jedi was delayed due to the release of Howard Sterns' Private Parts

  • @ff2paladin Actually I think it was delayed because the first two movies were making so much money. They delayed it so people had time to see all the movies. ROTJ was eventually overtaken at the box office by the Howard Stern movie.

  • @ff2paladin That's right and in looking back it may not have been necessary, since Private Parts did not have that big of an opening weekend.

  • @ff2paladin are you for real? if so i didn't know that why would they do that? I like Howard stern but noway they were afraid of going up against his movie which i liked by the way

  • Why is it OK to mess with the visuals to "update" them?

    Why not the soundtrack as well?

    Why did John Williams score not get revamped with some drum'n'bass or 'dub?

    We can't have the younger generation thinking this is an old peoples' movie can we? After all.

  • OMFG...... I CANT WAIT.. OMFG OMFG OMG OMG;DSKRLNJ;KLFBDJHNGLKD I CANT WAIT HOLY SHIIIITII IM CRYING OMFG I CANT WAIT TO SEE IT IN 2012

  • What? The death star blows up? No way.

  • pretty gud 4 lucas' version and i like the effect at 0:17

  • Now these imo from 1997 are the TRUE versions of the original star wars movies! I swear the hatred towards the special editions has proven to me star wars purists have gone off the deep end at hating lucas and being divided. Its not going to change the the movies were remastered in 1997! Honestly i watch the originals (HELL put them here on youtube if you first gen star wars fans want to watch them again) and say they suck compared to the 1997 versions.

  • The real masterpieces of cinema history are "A new hope", "The Empire strikes back" and "Return of the Jedi".

  • Star Wars is the greatest American film saga of all time.

  • The rebels are winning! - Only 4 dislikes.

  • Only the most epic trilogy of all time.

  • .0:17 - My head almost exploded when that shit happened in the theater. The second coming of Star Wars fandom was secured right there.

  • I remember seeing all of the original ones theatrically when I was 6 years old. I can't wait to see all 6 of them theatrically beginning next year =)

  • I love the original versions and the special editions

  • The announcer in this trailer I believe is Percy Rodrigues.

  • I was was there at the premier of a new hope i was 7 years old and it was the best movie ive ever seen i remember trying to focus and stay up cause the premier started at 10 and went til 12 i have never stayed up that late before so it was the only movie i was interested in enough to not fall asleep star wars original trilogy is fucken boss!

  • i say they do the same thing with the episode 1-3 thumbs up if u agree

  • I was born in 1997

  • @mystarwarstv I was born in 1992.

  • @mystarwarstv Born in '97, eh? Aren't you a young'un! Lol.

  • Sure, you got to see them in theaters again, but they added a couple new effects in some scenes, so the entire series was ruined forever.

    Honestly, grow the fuck up, "fans".

  • Fuck I was 3 when I saw this in cinema.

    Thank fuck I had the originals on VHS otherwise maybe I'd have liked the prequels

  • I find this edition so fucking offensive because these new scenes are crap. The prequels suck ass. Original trilogy on Vhs is so much better. Oh and if you like the Prequels better then originals then i Suggest you watch the review from Redlettermedia so he can carefully explain how much of a fucking idiot you are.

  • @blackhole73 Its a matter of YOUR opinion, NOT others opinion on your opinion.

  • @blackhole73 I don't mine people not liking a movie. But to completley disrespect another person just because they DO like it, That's wrong and you know it. But I'm probably wasting my breath because you don't have a heart and the word Appology probably isn't in your vocabulary.

  • @eagle219406 I don't dislike these movies, they are amazing but this special edition just ruins it. They keep shoving more crap in when you're trying to pay attention to whats going on. The part I really hate is that they put that mouth thing inside the pit of Carkoon, it already had a mouth. Sorry but I'm telling you dislike these Its the prequels I really hate.

  • @blackhole73 you said it man! the special edition sucks ass, i love original star wars so much mainly because it has such a spectacular visuals and no computer CGI! it was actually kinda hard to find unedited original starwars without the CGI crap. and about the prequels, biggest piece of crap ever made! I hate CGI in general, CGI is only good when used properly like in titanic it has CGI but it is the right mixture, now you can make a whole movie in a green room.

  • @blackhole73 jajaja damn right man

  • ahh yes, this is first time i saw empire strikes back when i was kid and became a star wars fan ever since, brings a tear to my eye. lol

  • I love this. I remember how excited I was to see them all on the big screen. Jedi was the only I got to see at the theater. I cant wait for them to show again so my son can experience Star Wars the way it is supposed to be.

  • thats racist they forget lando

  • 1:23

  • These movies were widley praised as three of the greatest films ever made when they were first released. Hey Lucas, if it aint broke, don't fix it!

  • George Lucas killed the trilogy by adding scenes... Only the REAL star wars trilogy fans appreciate the original trilogy!

  • @thetruegladiator yes man, you said it!!! I'm sick of these children saying that revenge of the sith is the best one, just because it has lightsabers.

  • @zzyzx0788 yes i know. me too. this trailer changed my life for the better. getting to see star wars the greatest movies of all time as a kid on the big screen was the best. btw did u get your userame from that town in california? lol

  • I think if the changes were more subtle, people wouldn't bitch as much. If I were Lucas, however, I never would have expected fans to get medieval over two to three-second effects shots.

  • @ForceMaximus84 the only problem I had with the special edition of the trilogy was Greedo shooting first. Other than that I had no problem with all the scenes what so ever.

  • @ssjcajas I bet that if Lucas fixed the Han/Greedo scene to it's original version, about 98% of "fans" would stop whining!! LOL

  • @ForceMaximus84 yea thats probably true

  • I owe this re-release for me being into Star Wars. Even though in retrospect some of the new things they added were kinda pointless and just plain looking out of place, I'm still so glad they put it back in theaters. One of my best childhood movie experiences ever was probably seeing the Death Star sequence from the original, it captivated me and the trilogy became some of my favorite movies ever

  • @zzyzx0788 I agree with you, if it wasn't for this, I would never have been a star wars fan

  • @zzyzx0788

    indeed, as i remember this trailer being my first introduction into star wars, and i remember thinking this was the coolest thing my seven year old eyes had ever seen

  • i think that the originals were more dark somehow, before the new bits were put in it seemed more real to me, the song in jabba's palace was much better in the original it kind of set the mood. if the special edition is george's original vision (?) he's not the man i thought he was, putting the new bits in hasn't ruined it but it detracted from an already perfect film, the originals gave room for imagination in the bits that you couldn't see, i didn't need him to fill in the blanks for me.

  • George Lucas fall towards the dark side started here...

  • This is the trailer of all trailers. It tells a story with a beginning, middle, and end, and makes you want to join your friends to become a part of something special...all over again... Of course, it helps that everyone in the audience already knows the story, and that the story has been strong enough to last 30 years.

  • I saw this trailer back in the summer of 1996 at the begining of the movie - Independence Day. On the big screen, with cinema sound, this trailer is awesome, it perfectly encapsulates all that is great about STAR WARS.

  • The changes Lucas added to these films (the Jabba dance scene in RotJ) that were completely unneeded should have been a foreshadowing of what was to come with the prequel CGI garbage.

  • The original trailer didn't say "President's Day 1997." I think it said something like "This January." Also, the first appearance was before Star Trek: First Contact.

  • @TylerGameVideos Depends on where you saw which version. I saw the one where it said "This January" before Space Jam; others said they saw the Presidents' Day 1997 version before Independence Day. It's just a matter of perspective.

  • they thought a computer generated jaba would look better then physical effects lol

  • i wish i could watch this on the big screen again.

  • @randymeeks81 in two years my friend in two years

  • The best part about this was watching the original movies in theatres as a kid and then getting to see these rereleases in theatre with my kids.

  • I remember seeing all 3 of these movies, i was so excited to finally see it on the big screen, after watching it on VHS tapes, and now that George Lucas has announced that all 6 movies are gonna be on blu-ray, and then in 3-D in 2012., I'm even more excited.

  • @Dgamer21 Keep feeding the cow. Lucas needs another yacht.

  • @Dgamer21 some people like me born in the 90's didn't discover star wars untill the 00's and it's incredible that we have the chanche to see them on the big screen

  • @Dgamer21 im excited to see star wars in 3D too

  • @Dgamer21 Shame that the original editions are not gonna be released in 2012.

  • I remember seeing the advertisment for this. AWESOME!

  • wait noone welcomming sidious i know his evil and all but why left him out thats mean

    even welcomming vader but not him noone welcomes him

  • its one day my dream of owing my own personal theater so i can always experience star wars "as it was meant to be seen" :)

  • It'll be great seeing a trailer like this for the 3D releases

    "See it again for the first time....again" ;)

  • @GeordieDan89 It think that they are re releasing Star Wars in 3d just so Lucas can make another $30 Million+ on each film that is released in threaders.

  • @jermster17 so, i dont see no problem in that as long i can experience my favorite movie on the cinema again

  • THAT'S IT! That's why I don't like Jabba in this movie. He has a NOSE! when we all know he doesn't! Look he has a little snout when talking to Han and when in Return it's more into his face.

  • I was smart I sold 50 jedi theater figure's for 200.00 each and invested in the vintage stuff from 1978-1985 thanks Lucas!! A&A acrylic's!

  • star wars in theatres = asses in seats!

  • han shot first!

  • @ktm8501 totally, screw these releases.

  • i always thought lando was a spic

  • saw them all first run 1977 I was 10 - blew my mind - changed me forever. Saw them all over again in 1997 re-release - still love them - watch them always and will until I die.

    the force is forever

  • This was awesome to go see these in the theaters lol. I saw them on video when I was a little kid but didn't see them in the theaters.

  • I was fortunate enough to see all 3 films with my Dad when I was 5! I'm 18 now and I'm proud to say I've seen every Star Wars film in theatres!

  • @nerdtalk326 Exact same here! :D

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  • Oh man, those title logos that flashed by at 1:26 movies are so classic.

  • Hehehe I only saw the special edition only once and in the theaters.

  • dam i was 13 years too late