Hal9000's Custom Star Wars: A New Hope Special Edition
(This is Version 4 of this project.)
If the following strikes you as esoteric, I invite you to peruse the forums of Originaltrilogy.com.
First and foremost, credit is due to OohTeeDee for presenting the 1080 and 2019 versions of the filM; CapableMetal, Jetrell1969, and SilverWook for their combined efforts at making the theatrical DTS audio from the 1997 Special Edition available; Harmy for producing the famed Despecialized Edition (used in V1 and V2); Team Negative 1 for producing 4K77; NeverArGreat for producing his technicolor version; Sir Ridley for visual FX work; TMWNN for a few FX shots and help; Dat_SW_Guy for a FX shot; ChainsawAsh for encoding a DTS mix; and MalàStrana for assisting with subtitles.
Having satiated my restlessness with the Star Wars prequels, I wanted to put together a custom 'Special Edition' of the original trilogy to place on my shelf alongside the original, theatrical versions (currently represented by Harmy's Despecialized Editions). I thought about calling them the "So You've Decided To Watch The Special Edition" version, because they wouldn't be intended as one's sole version of the films. Rather, a companion piece to the original versions, as a Special Edition should be.
I do not consider this a full-blown fan edit, as I am primarily hybridizing existing official versions of the film, keeping changes I can appreciate and excluding those I feel hinder the film. Of course, this is highly subjective, and everyone's perfect blend would be slightly different.
The primary video source is the ‘19SE’ as presented by OohTeeDee. The primary audio source is the 1997 Special Edition theatrical DTS audio. Exceptions are described in the list of changes.
This project is presented in 1080p BluRay-compliant video, with DTS and AC3 audio tracks, and subtitles in English, Spanish and French.
***Available as a 1080p BR-compliant mkv, 720p mp4, and a DVD5.***
Here follows a list of changes made to the primary video and audio sources for this project. Changes new to Version 4 are marked with an asterisk (*).
***Video Changes, beginning from OohTeeDee’s color corrected ‘19SE’ transfer
- Overall color correction based loosely on Adywan's color corrected 2011 BluRay transfer*
- Retimed the opening shot so musical cues correspond to the action as they did in the 1977 version, before the 'A New Hope' title was added*
- With help from Sir Ridley, retimed the “look sir droids” scene to the original theatrical version while retaining Special Edition imagery. The scene feels like the original version without resorting to its footage or shortening the scene to remove added shots (The following scene’s opening shot of the sandcrawler remains in its Special Edition version.)
- The ‘cone of light’ missing from the Special Edition version of R2 projecting Leia’s image in Luke’s garage has been restored (Sir Ridley provided FX to achieve this for V2, though in V3 this is achieved by using D+77)
- The entrance to Mos Eisley has been reconceptualized to feature as close as possible to the best of both the original and Special Edition versions. The intended effect is to retain some of the improved visuals while avoiding the poor pacing and tone of the Special Edition.
- Restored two shots of the Wolfman alien, who had been replaced for the Special Edition
- Removed an added ugly CGI stormtrooper dismounting a dewback outside the Cantina, though for Version 4 I used TMWNN's version which retains the SE dewback in the background*
- New subtitles for the Greedo scene have been added, borrowing from Catbus’ Project Threepio in order to match the look and feel of the originals as closely as possible
Removed the added floating CGI droid to the stormtroopers’ search of the streets
- Removed the scene between Han Solo and Jabba The Hutt added for the Special Edition, using a wipe transition rather than the original theatrical version’s crossfade in order to retain quality
- Replaced the shot of Alderaan being destroyed with Dat_SW_Guy's version, removing the Praxis shockwave*
- Thanks to Sir Ridley, a new FX shot depicts the Falcon traveling through hyperspace toward the Death Star, and the following cockpit interior has been updated to correctly appear to be traveling through hyperspace (this was done for continuity with a subsequent change)
- Restored blaster damage to the chests of Imperial officers in a few shots which were censored for the Special Edition
- Used a shot from Dat_SW_Guy to fix an awkward effect on Vader's mask for one shot, which was done for the SE*
- Restored the original dianoga
- Thanks to laborious work from Sir Ridley, the Falcon’s interior is properly depicted as traveling through hyperspace, with a blue flicker present in the cockpit and through its windows. The establishing shot of the following scene has been gently modified without altering sync to depict the Falcon exiting hyperspace as it approaches Yavin IV.
- Added engine glow to a SE shot of a TIE fighter where it was missing*
- Fixed Y-Wings disappearing for one frame, a 2004 change that was lost in the 19SE remaster*
- Recreated the original theatrical timing of the closing iris wipe, avoiding an awkward point at which the frame freezes during the Special Edition version
***Audio Changes, beginning from the 1997 Special Edition theatrical DTS audio mix:
- As a nod to the original mono mix, the Cantina band can be heard softly outside the Cantina, leading into the point at which the song has progressed when cut into the interior
- Used a line from the mono mix as Wedge flies to assist Luke, going from “Blast it, Biggs, where are you,” to “Blast it, Wedge, where are you?”
- Added a brief line from the radio drama after Biggs is killed, allowing Luke to react to the death of his friend to provide greater continuity to the scene between the two of them establishing them as friends in the Special Edition
(I have included an alternative audio track that omits the following audio change.)
- Altered Kenobi’s line to Luke introducing the lightsaber for continuity with the prequels. Rather than, “Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough,” it now reads, “I wanted you to have this when you were old enough.”