The Star Wars Special Editions of the Original Trilogy — I Actually Like Them

The Star Wars Special Editions of the Original Trilogy — I Actually Like Them — Scott James Reeves

- February 27, 2026

First things first…if you don’t know…The Star Wars Special Editions are updated versions of the original Star Wars trilogy released in 1997 by George Lucas to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first film and to update the movies with new visual effects and changes.

Many people strongly dislike the changes that George made. I, however, hold these particular versions close to my heart (I may be the only 40-year-old that does, haha. People around my age hate them). I recommend reading up on all the changes, there were quite a bit.

I went with my mother and brother to a showing of Space Jam on a cold Saturday in November of 1996 and I had no idea that there was going to be such a thing as a “Special Edition” coming. The trailer came up and all the hairs on my arm just stood up. I was ECSTATIC.

It’s still the most electrifying moment of my movie-going career. People went NUTS. Nothing today even comes close. And sitting there in the theater for the first time seeing A New Hope was a life changing experience for me. And finally getting them on VHS — I will always love the version from the gold box (weren’t they the widescreen versions?), from the gold box, from the artwork to the interviews before each movie. I remember it having a “new box smell.” But I wasn’t allowed to watch them until I got certain chores done. Parenting done right I suppose.

I loved the changes to Cloud City, the visuals, especially out the windows. I always thought why would you build a floating city with a gorgeous skyscape and not put in any windows? Isn’t the scenery a selling factor? And I love the expanding of Mos Eisley and the shots of Tatooine that were cleaned up. The original shots were extremely grainy I thought, especially a lot of the shots with the droids and Jawas.

I still have that gold VHS box, by the way.