Special Edition theatrical poster
The Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition, alternatively titled Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition, served as a commemorative theatrical release of the original trilogy, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the initial premiere of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
These three films were screened in American cinemas from January to March, unfolding at one-month intervals. A New Hope premiered on January 31, 1997, with The Empire Strikes Back following on February 21, 1997. Return of the Jedi had its initial scheduled premiere on March 7, 1997, but due to the financial success of the initial two films (particularly A New Hope, which generated the highest earnings among the re-releases), its debut was delayed by one week to March 14. The original plan was to launch the release during President's Day weekend, but this was moved to January 31 by October 1996. A 1997 CNN report indicated that George Lucas invested $10 million in revising his original 1977 film, which was approximately the original production cost. Of this sum, $3 million was allocated to the Special Edition's audio track. Lucas also allocated $2.5 million to each of Episodes V and VI.
The purpose of this trilogy was to refresh the movies in the minds of both older and younger audiences, and to set the stage for the forthcoming release of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.
To accomplish this renewal, the image and sound were digitally remastered with extensive cleanup and restoration. Lucas also implemented a series of changes to the films with the intention of "finishing the film the way it was meant to be" (as Lucas stated in a September 2004 interview with the Associated Press) so that someone who started watching the saga from the prequel trilogy would not perceive the 20-year aesthetic gap.
The most prominent modifications were mainly cosmetic, generally adding special effects that were not previously feasible. This included the incorporation of previously filmed but cut scenes (such as Han Solo's encounter with Jabba the Hutt), the introduction of new digitally created sequences (like the arrival scene at Mos Eisley), and at times, the complete replacement of older scenes (such as the flight to the Death Star).
However, some other changes are seen as impacting the plot or character development. These changes, including the alteration commonly known as "Han shot first" and the replacement of Lapti Nek, have sparked controversy, leading to considerable criticism of George Lucas from the fanbase.