# Why do so many people think the only way to see unadulterated Star Wars is VHS (or laserdisc)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925 "2013-10-10T22:05:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/21 "2013-10-11T01:41:23Z")
Thanks PSXer. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/22 "2013-10-11T03:52:00Z")
That’s the only reason I keep my Laserdisc player hooked up. IRC the movies cost me about $100 each back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/23 "2013-10-11T05:06:58Z")
FTR, I have unopened copies of the original films on DVD. I’m gonna make a fortune on ebay at some point. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/24 "2013-10-11T06:02:09Z")
You must have to go way back to see the unadulterated versions. I have the 1997 Special Edition on VHS and even back then you have “Greedo shoots first” and a bunch of lame CGI crap. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/25 "2013-10-11T06:06:52Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > You must have to go way back to see the unadulterated versions. I have the 1997 Special Edition on VHS and even back then you have “Greedo shoots first” and a bunch of lame CGI crap. Nope, the DVDs are all of the first theatrical release of each film, no alterations. For instance, it’s _Star Wars_, not _Episode IV - A New Hope_. And Han shoots first. And there’s no Jabba. It’s like living in Paradise. (Which, coincidentally, I do!) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/26 "2013-10-11T06:46:10Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > FTR, I have unopened copies of the original films on DVD. I’m gonna make a fortune on ebay at some point. Better act fast. Disney owns the movie rights now, and I don’t see them sitting on a Blu-Ray release for much longer. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/27 "2013-10-11T11:33:25Z")
I never had a problem with the ‘Episode IV’ being added, as the film (originally) felt like we were joining a Buck Rogers type serial in progress. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/28 "2013-10-11T14:31:11Z")
I for one like the clunky SFX and matte errors. It isn’t _Star Wars_ unless I can see the end of the plexiglass rod that Obi-wan is waving around at Vader. ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/29 "2013-10-11T15:13:12Z")
I have the THX pre-special edition VHS tapes, but 2 problems… I no longer have a working VCR and they are FULL screen versions. Back before widescreen TV’s, I actually preferred full screen so… d’oh. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/30 "2013-10-11T15:29:17Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Untrue. The vast majority of DVD players will ensure it fits the screen. The picture might be slightly degraded, but the “black on all sides” problem is quite rare. If by “slightly degraded” you mean “completely distorted” or “cropped all to shit”, then yes. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/31 "2013-10-11T15:59:10Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > If by “slightly degraded” you mean “completely distorted” or “cropped all to shit”, then yes. Distorted? Cropped to shit? I’m pretty sure I don’t mean either of those. I think that unless you’re an insane nitpicker, the DVD versions of Star Wars are perfectly fine. Would I prefer Blu-ray or anamorphic DVD? Sure. Do I feel like I’m missing out with the DVDs I have? Not really. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/32 "2013-10-11T16:09:51Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Untrue. The vast majority of DVD players will ensure it fits the screen. The picture might be slightly degraded, but the “black on all sides” problem is quite rare. Ehhh. I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on what ‘slightly’ means. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/33 "2013-10-11T17:18:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Has any other movie been tinkered with so much after its theater release? I can’t think of one. There are director cuts using alternate scenes. But they didn’t totally reshoot scenes many years later. > > Stuff like reshooting Jabba the Hutt (remember the skinny guy in the original?). I lost track of all the stuff that changed in Star Wars. The movie I watched in the movie theater in 77 Doesn’t even exist anymore. I think that was in the 8th or 9th grade? _Blade Runner_. In addition to all the original cuts and the non-director “Director’s Cut”, it finally had a true director’s cut released in 2007: _The Final Cut_. In addition to fixing things up both visually and in terms of dialogue, they reshot the scene of Zhora (a stunt double with Joanna Cassidy’s face stuck on) crashing thru the glass when she is shot. IMHO, the new scene is not any better done than the old. The Wikipedia [article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versions_of_Blade_Runner) on _The Final Cut_ lists 33 changes. As to Jabba in _A New Hope_: A. He wasn’t in the original. B. The actor who played Jabba in the scene that didn’t make it into the original was Declan Mulholland who was hardly skinny. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/34 "2013-10-11T17:29:55Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > The title “Episode IV: A New Hope” was also not in the original, but was added pretty early on. Can you be more specific? The text crawl at the beginning definitely said “Episode IV: A New Hope” in the original, because I remember joking with a friend back in '77 that we must have missed the first three parts. I haven’t seen the DVD. Was it added someplace else? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/35 "2013-10-11T17:36:27Z")
> [@Cartoonacy](#): > > Can you be more specific? The text crawl at the beginning definitely said “Episode IV: A New Hope” in the original, because I remember joking with a friend back in '77 that we must have missed the first three parts. No, film historians all agree that “Episode IV - A New Hope” was not included in the original 1977 version. It was added in a 1979 re-release to prime audiences for Empire. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/36 "2013-10-11T17:36:49Z")
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: as a Trekkie, I’m glad that there is a fandom that is even more anal than we are. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/37 "2013-10-11T17:52:25Z")
> [@AtomicDog](#): > > I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: as a Trekkie, I’m glad that there is a fandom that is even more anal than we are. There is? I don’t think so… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/38 "2013-10-11T17:55:39Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > As to Jabba in _A New Hope_: A. He wasn’t in the original. B. The actor who played Jabba in the scene that didn’t make it into the original was Declan Mulholland who was hardly skinny. [Here’s a production photo of the unused Jabba scene in _Star Wars_.](http://www.bluemilkspecial.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/jabba-set.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/39 "2013-10-11T20:50:30Z")
> [@AtomicDog](#): > > I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: as a Trekkie, I’m glad that there is a fandom that is even more anal than we are. at least Star Wars fans don’t argue over what to call themselves as far as I know, anyway ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925/40 "2013-10-11T21:01:05Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > at least Star Wars fans don’t argue over what to call themselves > > as far as I know, anyway Oooh it’s on now! Can you give me a more useless waste of bytes to argue over for years and years than “Han shot first?” Who cares? I dare you to give me a Trek example that even nearly rises to such heights of anality! 😉 P.S. it’s Trekkie. Trekker is snobbish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-people-think-the-only-way-to-see-unadulterated-star-wars-is-vhs-or-laserdisc/670925.md?page=3)