To be fair, I don't think Lucasfilm were that conscious of what product was being put out in the early days by Fox Home Entertainment / Fox Video.
I can't really comment on Laserdisc, because I never had a LD player, but certainly there were several versions on VHS, which Lucasfilm probably never had anything to do with.
There was the original rental release.
Fox then released sell through versions in 1988, and as I recall, Star Wars was first released on it's own under a Fox All Time Greats banner in 1987. Empire and Jedi followed in 1988, and Star Wars was repackaged to match.
They later released a box set, which had all 3 films in uniform packaging.
Letterbox editions followed a couple of years later.
A couple of years on, about 1995, digitally remastered editions followed in the UK - but this was all done independently of Lucasfilm.
In 1996, Lucasfilm took control of the franchise. Remastered editions were released, supposedly for the last time ever before the Special Editions. This was when the definitive video box set came out.
The Special Editions were released in 1997 for a limited time. They didn't get reissued until 2002 when Attack of the Clones came out - 5 years later. That's not that different to Disney's policy with their films. The only extra on here was a 10 minute featurette on Attack of the Clones. There was no need to buy them again, and it's understandable them making them available when a new film is released. Any other studio would do the same. The biggest complaint was that the movies were on VHS again, not DVD.
Now we know the reason why is probably the extensive remastering and restoration and new scenes and effects which went into the DVD release.
This came out in 2004, just before Sith hit theatres. They were re-released in a slimmed down 3 pack the following year, but no-one was twisting anyone's arm to buy them, and what difference is this to releasing a 1 disc and 2 disc DVD. It gave buyers a choice between the 4 disc set with extras and a movie only release.
It's my understanding that pristine copies of the original theatrical cuts don't exist and it would have mean't a huge expense to release these. Quite honestly, they don't stand up well alongside the new DVD versions, the effects are dated now, and I would much rather see the new versions. I've watched the old theatrical cuts once since the release - but it's nice to have them in my collection, however I'm quite happy with the way they've been released. It's a bonus.
I don't feel that Lucas has ripped me off over the years. I think other studios have ripped off people far more than Lucas. What about Disney re-releasing vault titles in inferior versions - such as Tarzan? What about Paramount and the way they rip off Star Trek fans? What about the recent re-releases of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy?
No-one's forced anyone to buy anything. Lucas always comes across as a well-meaning, unassuming guy in interviews. He's as shocked by the success of Star Wars as anyone - and in many way's it's a victim of it's success. Because it's so successful, people seem to think they deserve and are due everything to do with Star Wars. This isn't the case - and they don't treat other film franchises in this way.
At the end of the day, it's Lucas' property. He is a business man and he has to manage that property successfully in order to do other projects. It's because he's done so, that he was able to complete the saga, and he was able to complete it without studio interference, and be true to his own vision (whether you like it or not - you have to admire him for making the movies he wanted to make).
If he was just out to make money, he could have continued pumping out a new Star Wars movie every three years after Jedi, just to satisfy the demand for a Star Wars film. He would be working on another trilogy now.
Instead, we have someone who's put so much money and time back into the film industry. If you listen to the way other directors talk, and here about how generous he is with his facilities at Skywalker Ranch, and in sharing technology, information and techniques. If he was so greedy, why would he have stuck out against union rules over the credits for Empire, and paid those fines, as well as those of director Kirshner - instead of sacrificing artistic integrity and bowing down to union demands. Why did he share profits from Star Wars and Empire with his staff.
I think it's downright rudeness and bad manners the way people bad mouth Lucas on the Internet quite honestly, and it's about time people grew up and got over themselves. No doubt I'll be flamed by some for this post, but it really annoys me that people who have achieved nothing can be so vitriolic to someone who has achieved so much and brought so much enjoyment to so many people. I don't set him up as an idol, he's a human being who is subject to the same foibles and weaknesses as the rest of us, but I don't believe he deserves all of these attacks.
To me, there are two great people in the world of entertainment, who both no doubt have their darker sides like all of us, but who have also made so many advances and brought so much to film and the entertainment industry in general. Those people are Walt Disney, and George Lucas. I don't think it's any accident that Lucas properties such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones are so prominent in Disney theme parks.
To me, their successes should be celebrated!
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