May the Fourth be With You!

I have to share...

On September 12, 2006, LucasFilm and 20th Century Fox will be releasing the original Star Wars Trilogy as it appeared in theatres in 1977, 1980 and 1983. That means Han shoots first, no extra crap and all the original special effects. It might be a bit expensive, though because this set will force fans to buy both the original version and the 2004 version (six DVDs in total).

Cash grab? Probably. You can't deny demand, but I remember how vehemently Lucas opposed releasing the original versions. They weren't his full vision, he said. Which makes Lucas' stock drop with fan I suspect. I mean, we thought we was a great film maker because of his original movies... and now we learn that what we loved wasn't what he wanted to do. That, in fact, we were more in love with the restrictions of his film making than his actual vision.

Still, Star Wars respresents a mythology for North Americans that didn't truely exist. In a culture concerned with immediacy and the "now," Star Wars was a vehicle for Western mythology--packaged in science fiction. It wasn't new, but it was new to us. And the popular discussion it launched about architypes and ancient stories captured our imaginations. We brought if further by making Star Wars part of the North American mythology--part of our creative history.

Fortunately, for the busines savvy among us, there is much money to be made in participating in a consumer culture's creative history. Go, George, you rich....

I'm helping, of course. I'll dutifully go buy the new DVDs and organize a viewing party. And soon afterwards, I'll buy Star Wars Lego II, because the original was so wicked!