Reliance Media scanned the film in 4K in preparation for the cancelled 3D releases of the Saga.
Film was rescanned from the “original” negative (which is actually the 97SE). Most of the 04SE/11SE changes/fixes were redone in or upscaled to 4K.
Due to it being a different scan from the HD Branch, frames are cropped differently. It is now presented at the 2.39:1 aspect ratio to match the Disney-era films.
We shared our rough research on the changes/fixes with The Digital Bits:
We have started our full study on the changes between the original and this latest version, which you’ll find here.
Overview of the major changes introduced in this version not made for 04SE/11SE:
- A fourth take of Greedo Shoots First.
- A new Echo Base shield generator explosion.
- In redoing 2004 lightsabers, errors introduced at that time were avoided.
- The afterimage of Luke walking around the Lars homestead (introduced in 1997) was removed, along with the fly on the lens in the next shot.
- A black spot in the matte of Vader exiting his shuttle on Endor was filled.
- Multiple shots have been modified to ease the 3D conversion or add a sense of movement.
Release formats:
- Streaming (Disney+)
- Digital Copy (replacing the copies of “15SE“)
- Ultra High Definition Disc
- Blu-ray Disc (in sets that include UHD)
Star Wars Visual Comparisons 