Many of the films in the Star Wars franchise have been , both theatrically and on home media formats. Franchise creator George Lucas often altered the films for the . These alterations range from minor refinements (such as color grading and audio mixing) to major changes (such as the insertion of new dialogue, scenes, and visual effects). The original trilogy was altered the most, although revisions were also made to the prequel films. According to Lucas, some changes brought the films closer to his original vision, while others were attempts to create continuity with other films.
Different versions of the Star Wars films have existed since the 1977 release of the original Star Wars film, which was retroactively subtitled Episode IV – A New Hope. However, the first major changes were made in 1997, when remastered Special Edition versions of the original trilogy films were released to commemorate the franchise's 20th anniversary. A major motivation for these changes was to test visual effects for the forthcoming prequel films, especially 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 fans and critics felt that many of the smaller changes were innocuous or justified, most larger changes were received negatively—particularly those made to the original three films, the theatrical versions of which have never been officially released on home video in high definition. Although the master negatives of the original trilogy were dismantled, another set of high-quality duplicates was created for long-term preservation.
Background
Prior to making Star Wars, George Lucas experienced dissatisfaction with the changes made to his previous films by the studios that produced them. His first feature, THX 1138 (1971), had five minutes removed by Warner Bros. His next film, American Graffiti (1973), had several minutes removed by Universal Pictures. Following the success of Star Wars, Lucas's original version of THX 1138 was theatrically released in 1977. The original version of American Graffiti was released theatrically in 1978 and was further altered for the 1998 DVD release with a CGI modification to the opening shot. In 2004, Lucas supervised a director's cut of THX 1138, which included new special effects.
As an advocate for the moral rights of artists, Lucas spoke before the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988 in support of legislation that would discourage studios from altering films without the consent of their creators. Lucas stated:People who alter or destroy works of art, and our cultural heritage, for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians ... Today, engineers with their computers can ... add or subtract material to the philosophical taste of the copyright holder. Tomorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with "fresher faces," or alter dialogue ... Attention should be paid to the interest of those who are yet unborn, who should be able to see ... the past generation as it saw itself, and how it worked with the mediums that were available to it.In 1989, the original release of Star Wars was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry (NFR). In 2014, it still did not have a "working copy" (a copy available for public viewing) of the 1977 film; Lucas refused to submit the original, stating that he no longer authorized the release of the theatrical version. Lucasfilm offered the 1997 "Special Edition" release, but the NFR refused it as the first published version must be accepted. The U.S. Library of Congress (LC) subsequently used a 35-mm print of the film submitted in 1978 as part of the film's copyright deposit to make a digital copy, which in 2015 was made available to watch in person at the LC. In June 2025, the British Film Institute screened the original film in its unaltered form at a film festival. In December 2025, Lucasfilm announced that a restoration of the unaltered original film would return to theaters on February 19, 2027, in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
Release history 1977: In May, Star Wars had a limited theatrical release. After its success, a wider release of the film included a few special-effects changes and reformatted credits. 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. Notably, the mono mix print featured several alternate and additional sound effects and lines of dialogue.Burtt, Ben (2004). Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, audio commentary (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Event occurs at 1:23. Later in the 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 and the opening chase slightly redone. 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 (featuring a fusion of Lucas's preferred audio takes from the three 1977 mixes). 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. 1997: The Special Edition of the original trilogy was released theatrically from January through March for the 20th anniversary of Star Wars. This release featured the first significant changes, which were intended to prove that Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) could effectively produce CGI visual effects for the prequel trilogy. For the Special Edition of A New Hope, the additional sound effects and lines of dialogue from the original mono mix print were carried over. 1999: In May, Episode I – The Phantom Menace was theatrically released. 2001: In November, The Phantom Menace was released on DVD, which features a slightly extended cut from the theatrical release. 2002: In May, Episode II – Attack of the Clones was theatrically released. A version made for digital-projection theaters included a few special effects which were not ready for the initial wide release; the DVD features the digital version with some extended lines of dialogue. A version was also made for IMAX theaters using IMAX's then-new digital-mastering process, with the aspect ratio cropped to 1.81:1 and the duration reduced to 120 minutes due to IMAX film platter limitations at the time. 2004: In September, the original trilogy was released on DVD. Further significant alterations were made, including a rework of Darth Vader's voice in A New Hope and replacing Latin script text with the fictional writing system Aurebesh. 2005: In May, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was theatrically released. The DVD release features a minor editing change. 2006: In September, Limited Edition DVDs of the 2004 versions of the original trilogy were ; these contain the original unaltered versions on bonus discs. These match the 1993 LaserDisc release, sans the subtitle Episode IVA New Hope. 2011: The original and prequel trilogies were released on Blu-ray. Alterations were made to all six films. 2012: The Phantom Menace was theatrically re-released in 3D, with an additional minor change to one shot. 2015: The original and prequel films were released as a digital download. They are identical to their Blu-ray release, except for changes to the opening logos and fanfares. The sequel trilogy film The Force Awakens was theatrically released in both standard and IMAX formats. 2019: The original and prequel films were released in 4K resolution and HDR on Disney's streaming service, Disney+. Color, compositing, and minor effects adjustments were made to all three films of the original trilogy.
Significant changes Star Wars Title and opening chase The franchise-originating film was released in 1977, under the title Star Wars. The subtitle Episode IVA New Hope was retroactively added to the opening crawl for the theatrical on April 10, 1981, to align with the titling of the sequel, Star Wars: Episode VThe Empire Strikes Back (1980). Additionally, the background starfield was changed to the one used in The Empire Strikes Back, "Rebel" was capitalized in the crawl, and the opening chase was recomposited, with a new visual effect for the engines.
Tatooine Lucas noted that original Aunt Beru actress Shelagh Fraser sounded a "little British" during filming, prompting the rerecording of her lines for the 1977 mono release. Additionally, the 1977 wide release featured improved blaster lasers and explosions during Han Solo's defense of the Millennium Falcon before it departs Mos Eisley.
A number of scenes on Tatooine were modified for the 1997 Special Edition, most notably an alteration to the Greedo scene and the restoration of a deleted scene featuring Jabba the Hutt. Additionally, during the Galactic Empire's search for the droids, two newly filmed shots of stormtroopers and CGI Dewback lizards were inserted. In another shot, a static Dewback was replaced with a moving CGI version. Writing in Wired magazine, Drew Stewart claimed the rationale for the added content was to illustrate the extent of the Empire's search, but criticized the new shots as "people wandering aimlessly".Anatomy of a Dewback (1997). Featurette produced for StarWars.com.
The sound Obi-Wan Kenobi makes to scare off the Tusken Raiders was changed for the 2004 DVD release and again for the 2011 Blu-ray release. In the scene in which R2-D2 hides in a cave, rocks were inserted in front of the cave for the Blu-ray release.
Other alterations introduced in various releases include a CGI replacement of the Jawa sandcrawler, the replacement of an external shot of Obi-Wan's hut with a new angle showing Luke Skywalker's parked landspeeder, and color and continuity changes involving the binary sunset. The shadow of the landspeeder was redone in one shot, and creatures, robots, and ships were added to Mos Eisley, including elements created for the Shadows of the Empire multimedia campaign. Some of the aliens in the cantina were replaced with new CGI characters and a shot of the Millennium Falcon fighting its way out of Mos Eisley was added.
Greedo
Han Solo is cornered in the Mos Eisley cantina by the Rodian bounty hunter Greedo. When Greedo begins threatening him, Han kills him by shooting under the table. The 1997 release of the film alters the scene so that Greedo shoots first and misses (with Han's head digitally pivoting away from the blaster bolt). The scene was changed again for the 2004 DVD release so that Han and Greedo shoot almost simultaneously; this was shortened by several frames for the 2011 Blu-ray release. The scene was further modified for the 2019 4K Ultra HD release with the addition of a close-up shot of Greedo speaking (without subtitles), as well as the removal of a reverse shot of Greedo, and a of the visual effects.