Do you think there will ever be Special Editions of the Star Wars prequels?

[Border]

The Special Editions of the Star Wars Original Trilogy came roughly 20 years after their original release. It's been more than 20 years since The Phantom Menace came out in 1999. Is it time for Lucasfilm (or perhaps Lucas himself) to give the prequels a second polishing? Arguably there's even more here that can be improved than there was with the OT. I'm not really suggesting that they do the kind of dumb shit that they did with the OT Special Editions (adding new sequences and musical numbers), but they could certainly re-render a ton of the CG sequences and CG backgrounds. The digital footage could be AI-upscaled to 4K quality or something like it. The prequels are just so much more dated or stuck-in-time than even the Original Trilogy was in 1997.

I don't really even like the prequels that much, but it certainly seems like a good time to cash-in on the nostalgia bucks from all those people that did grow up avidly watching the prequels.

 

[Freddy=Legend]

I mean, they already replaced puppet Yoda in Episode 1 with CGI Yoda. I doubt Lucasfilm tinkers with them any further.

 

[Baladium]

 

[Deleted member 4874]

I think they tried rereleasing 3D versions like a decade ago, but they weren't too popular. Coincidentally, I'm watching the Despecialized Edition of the first movie right now

 

[RatskyWatsky]

They should add Ahsoka into episode 3 somehow.

 

[Vamphuntr]

They should add Ahsoka into episode 3 somehow.

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This is what I don't like with the now expanded SW universe. They added so much characters in animated series, TV series. comics, books and whatnot that it's very hard to believe important characters are simply doing nothing in III to VI while all hell break loose.

 

[Old Man Spike]

If Disney thinks it's a massively profitable endeavor to produce SE versions of the prequels, then yes.

 

[Jedi2016]

Pretty much all of them had additions for the home video releases. I don't know if there's much room to add more, especially now that Lucas it out of the picture.

 

[Border]

They should add Ahsoka into episode 3 somehow.

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Yeah, while some part of me thinks that prequel Special Editions should just be vanilla re-releases with improved resolution and special effects......you know they wouldn't be able to resist adding in a ton of fanservice stuff. Spider-Legs Darth Maul would probably be in Revenge of the Sith as well.

 

[Archduke Kong]

I thought the point of the special editions was that it was Lucas making his vision more accurate with more advanced technology. I don't think Disney would see a point to doing a Special Edition of the prequels without just flat out redoing the movies.

A cynical part of me does think that sometime after Lucas dies, we're going to see announcement of prequel "reimaginings" to make the prequel trilogy more in line with how the expanded lore/Clone Wars show depicts that era. Disney clearly sees value in canonically exploring that part of the story, and I think a lot of people want a version of that trilogy that isn't full of bad pacing and boring dialogue (with the occasional meme thrown in)

 

[matrix-cat]

There already are, at least for Episode I. The off-model Puppet Yoda has been replaced with CG, I believe they updated the CG Jabba in the podrace, there's a short new sequence added to the podrace where one of Anakin's couplings comes loose and he has to hook it back in again with a weird fishing pole, and there's an inconsequential new bit of footage when Anakin first gets to Coruscant and wanders off towards a speeder or something. In true Special Edition tradition, pretty much all the changes are for the worse and you can't see the original version of the movie any more without tracking down an old physical release.

 

[tidewatersouthern]

I think they tried rereleasing 3D versions like a decade ago, but they weren't too popular. Coincidentally, I'm watching the Despecialized Edition of the first movie right now

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Only Episode I was actually released, but I believe the 4K versions released on Disney+ were made for the 3D conversions.

As for actual special editions similar to the OT in the 90s? I doubt it. Lucas was the driving force behind tinkering with the movies, and he already did changes to Episode I, such as replacing puppet Yoda. I don't think there's any desire at Disney to do that, and unless they brought Lucas back to oversee such a project, it would probably be met with a pretty good sized backlash, and rightfully so. It's one thing for a filmmaker to do revisions to their own movie, quite another for someone else to do it.

The prequels are what they are. I think Disney would remake them before spending a bunch of money on new CGI for them.

 

[Big Boss]

They should just remake all 3 at this point.

 

[Danby]

Maaaaybe to fix the cgi. I dunno if the meme audience is big enough for it being worth the effort. Also people get upset if they can't access the original.

 

[Officer Big Mac]

They're already special

 

[JayCB64]

They'll make them 4:3 for no reason

 

[Gravidee]

This is what I don't like with the now expanded SW universe. They added so much characters in animated series, TV series. comics, books and whatnot that it's very hard to believe important characters are simply doing nothing in III to VI while all hell break loose.

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They weren't doing nothing though. There's a very good reason why Ahsoka wasn't in Episode III. And judging by her actions in Rebels and The Mandalorian, she's done all she could to help people out.

 

[Htown]

They should add Ahsoka into episode 3 somehow.

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there's not really room for it, unless maybe they want to add like five seconds of footage to Order 66

 

[Darknight]

This is what I don't like with the now expanded SW universe. They added so much characters in animated series, TV series. comics, books and whatnot that it's very hard to believe important characters are simply doing nothing in III to VI while all hell break loose.

Click to shrink...

They actually show this stuff in The Clone Wars, Rebels and then even The Mandalorian for post VI.

 

[Cat Party]

In your mind, prequel SEs would have better editing and some good additional or even alternate scenes that could make these movies less of a meme.

In reality, it would be an additional 30 minutes of space politics per episode and a lot more gungan "comedy".

 

[zombiejames]

#ReleaseTheSithJarJarCut

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

If George stuck around? Most likely. As is, there's zero chance. No one's touching any of the original six in any way beyond "basic" restoration work. It's George's vision and that's where they're leaving it, forever. And no, I don't think George will ever come back.

Hell, I don't think we'll ever get edits to any Star Wars movie, not even the new ones. They're all firmly "locked in".

 

[GamerJM]

Special Editions were a George Lucas thing right? Idk how much he's really involved with the property now.

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

In your mind, prequel SEs would have better editing and some good additional or even alternate scenes that could make these movies less of a meme.

In reality, it would be an additional 30 minutes of space politics per episode and a lot more gungan "comedy".

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Real talk though, I guarantee you a TPM SE would 1,000% restore the full, obscenely long podrace sequence (INCLUDING all of the extended prelude with the extra racer introductions and lengthened sequences of flag carriers and all of that) and probably add a couple MORE shots. Probably add back in the whole "Young Darth Vader totally beat the shit out of Young Greedo" post-race bit too. George looses all restraint when he goes into revision mode.

 

[SeroTyler]

They'll make them 4:3 for no reason

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There's so much green screen it wouldn't be impossible.