Harmy's Despecialized Edition: Difference between revisions

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'''''Star Wars: The Despecialized Edition''''', also known as '''''Harmy's Despecialized Edition''''', is a [[Fan edit|fan-created]] [[film preservation]] of the [[Star Wars original trilogy|original ''Star Wars'' trilogy]] films: ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977), ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' (1980), and ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' (1983). It is a high-quality [[replica]] of the out-of-print theatrical versions, created by a team of ''Star Wars'' fans with the intention of preserving the films, culturally and historically. The project was led by Petr Harmáček, then an English teacher, from [[Plzeň]], [[Czech Republic]], under the online alias ''Harmy''.

The original ''Star Wars'' trilogy was created by [[George Lucas]] and released theatrically between 1977 and 1983. For the franchise's 20th anniversary in 1997, Lucas introduced noticeable [[Changes in Star Wars re-releases|changes within the films]] to address his dissatisfaction with the original cuts. These versions, promoted as the "Special Edition", included additional scenes, different dialogue, new [[sound effects]], and [[computer-generated imagery]]. These changes, along with more changes added in 2004 and 2011, were carried over into subsequent home video releases. {{As of|20242025}}, the original theatrical releases are not commercially available, and have never been officially released in [[High-definition video|high definition]].

The new changes were met with a mixed to negative response from some critics and fans. Harmáček felt that changing the films in this way constituted "an act of cultural vandalism".<ref name=Hosie/> In 2010, he began to create a high -definition reconstruction of the films' theatrical versions. He and a team of eight other fans used the 2011 [[Blu-ray]] releases for the majority of material, the lower-definition 1993 [[LaserDisc]] releases as a guide to the original version, and various other sources. The first version was published online in 2011, and updated versions have been released since.

As a [[derivative work]], ''Harmy's Despecialized Edition'' cannot be legally bought or sold in the United States and other countries with treaties respecting US copyrights, and is "to be shared among legal owners of the officially available releases only".<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ultimate Introductory Guide to Harmy's Star Wars Trilogy Despecialized Editions |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLsvexWBVM8IYSGopKuSfsGk5YIgCwQWd23bqb5ryD4/pub |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222122728/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLsvexWBVM8IYSGopKuSfsGk5YIgCwQWd23bqb5ryD4/pub |archive-date=2017-02-22 |access-date=2020-05-20 |website=docs.google.com}}</ref> Consequently, the films are mainly available via various file sharing methods. Reaction to the project has been mostly positive, with critics generally praising the quality and [[aesthetics]] of the work.

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==Background==

{{Further|Changes in Star Wars re-releases}}

{{stack|[[File:Star Wars Logo.svg|thumb|''Star Wars'' logo.|alt=The words "STAR WARS" written in a large, yellow, outline font against a black background]]}}

The original ''Star Wars'' trilogy was a Lucasfilm production released theatrically by [[20th Century Fox]] between 1977 and 1983, and was subsequently released on home media during the 1980s and 1990s. The films were distributed by [[CBS/Fox Video]] on several formats, such as [[VHS]], [[Betamax]], and LaserDisc.<ref name=Goldberg/> In 1997, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of ''Star Wars'', Lucas re-released new cuts of the trilogy to theaters, naming them the "Special Editions". The purpose of this release was to change the films to meet Lucas' ideal vision that he could not achieve during their original productions. A number of changes to the original releases included additions of enhanced digital effects, previously unreleased scenes, altered dialogue, unreleased and newly recorded music by [[John Williams]], updated sound-effects by [[THX]] and [[Skywalker Sound]], and entirely new CGI sequences from [[Industrial Light & Magic]].<ref name=Miller/>

Reactions to the "Special Edition" versions remain controversial, with some commentators praising the picture and sound restoration, but criticising unnecessary additions such as computer-generated characters, creatures, and vehicles as well as alterations to the essential story;<ref name=Gordon/> most notably a short scene involving the bounty hunter [[Han shot first|Greedo shooting at Han Solo]] from the first film drew significant ire.<ref name="NYTimes2024" /><ref name=Hutchinson/> Further changes to the series were added to the [[DVD]] release in 2004 to establish continuity with the [[Star Wars prequel trilogy|prequel trilogy]] and to the Blu-ray releases from 2011. The final release of the theatrical cuts was in 2006, when unrestored masters used for the 1993 "Definitive Collection" trilogy on LaserDisc were added as a DVD bonus feature to a limited run – some fans pejoratively termed this release "George's Original Unaltered Trilogy" (GOUT).<ref name=Smith/>

Despite a high demand and many online fan petitions, Lucasfilm has refused to release the theatrical versions of ''Star Wars'' in HD quality. In 2010, Lucas stated that bringing the original cuts to Blu-ray would be a "very, very expensive" process;<ref name=Brew/> {{As of|20242025|lc=y}}, the films are still only widely available in their altered versions.<ref name="Hutchinson, Lee" />

==Production==

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===Legality===

The legality of downloading ''Harmy's Despecialized Edition'' is contentious.<ref name=Goldberg/> As a fan edit, the cut cannot be legally bought or sold, and treads a line between [[Fair Use|fair use]] and copyright infringement.<ref name=Broughall/> OriginalTrilogy.com states that the edits are "made for culturally historical and educational purposes" and that they are "to be shared among legal owners of the officially available releases only".<ref name=Brew/> Consequently, the films are only available via various [[BitTorrent]] trackers and through specialized rapid download programs using file sharing sites.<ref name=Gordon/><ref name=Machkovech/> Harmáček himself remarked: "I'm convinced that 99% of people who download this already bought ''Star Wars'' 10 times over on DVD."<ref name=Eveleth/> {{As of|20232025}}, he had received no legal challenge from [[Walt Disney Studios Motion(division)|The PicturesWalt Disney Studios]], the owner of [[Lucasfilm]] and [[20th Century Studios]], over the ''Despecialized Edition''.<ref name=Hosie/>

==Translated versions==

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== Team Negative 1, Project 4K77, and subsequent restorations ==

{{Third-party|section|date=November 2023}}

Although Harmy's Despecialized Editions have been widely praised, some have remarked that Harmy's Despecialized Editionsthey are still technically reconstructions using digital effects and upscaling of low quality sources,<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDz8VMMJU6I&t=767s |title=Introducing the Despecialized Edition and Its Sources |date=2021-03-11 |type=Motion Picture |language=en |publisher=Harmáček, Petr |place=Czech Republic |access-date=2023-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725204203/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDz8VMMJU6I&t=767s |archive-date=2023-07-25 |url-status=live |people=Harmáček, Petr (Director)}}</ref> rather than truly unaltered preservations. This led to subsequent efforts to improveattempts onat itimprovement, such as the ''Silver Screen Edition''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dreamaster |date=2016-04-22 |title=Info: Improving Silver Screen Edition colors on the cheap |url=https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Info-Improving-Silver-Screen-Edition-colors-on-the-cheap/id/49565 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725204204/https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Info-Improving-Silver-Screen-Edition-colors-on-the-cheap/id/49565 |archive-date=2023-07-25 |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=Original Trilogy.com}}</ref> and ''Skywalker Edition.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Collipso |date=2018-09-18 |title=**4K77** - Released - Original Trilogy |url=https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/4K77-Released/id/60815/page/17#1241141 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725204203/https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/4K77-Released/id/60815/page/17#1241141 |archive-date=2023-07-25 |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=Original Trilogy.com}}</ref>

One of these efforts, ''Project 4K77,'' is a fan project to scan and restore original 35mm prints of ''Star Wars'' from 1977.<ref name="NYTimes2024" /> The project name refers to the [[4K resolution]] used and the film's release year of 1977.<ref name="NYTimes2024" /> In 2016, a few 35mm prints were located and donated to a group of fans called "Team Negative 1" (TN1), who scanned these prints at 4K resolution. TN1 released the film online in May 2018, first in the form of a 4K UHD file and then a [[1080p]] downscale. According to the ''Project 4K77'' website, 97% of the restored video came from a single print that was dubbed in Spanish, with the remainder from an alternate print and some frames upscaled from the official Lucasfilm Blu-ray.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Project 4K77 {{!}} The Star Wars Trilogy |url=https://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com/project-4k77/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028162528/https://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com/project-4k77/ |archive-date=2020-10-28 |access-date=2020-10-04 |language=en-US}}</ref>

TN1 followed ''4K77'' with ''Project 4K83'', based on an original 35mm print of ''Return of the Jedi'' (released in 1983) that was discovered and scanned in 4K.<ref name="NYTimes2024" /> According to their website, this print required little cleanup, and the restoration was released in October 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Project 4K83 {{!}} The Star Wars Trilogy |url=https://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com/project-4k83/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028162547/https://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com/project-4k83/ |archive-date=2020-10-28 |access-date=2020-10-04 |language=en-US}}</ref> TN1 released a subsequent improved V2.0 of this restoration in 2023, which contains more "theatrically accurate" colors due to a technical error when encoding the original release.

''Project 4K80'', a restoration of ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980),<ref name="NYTimes2024" /> was begun by TN1 in 2020, reporting that although they have multiple prints, some were faded and they required substantially more cleanup, with a projected two-year time frame to complete.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Project 4K80 {{!}} The Star Wars Trilogy |url=https://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com/project-4k80/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001055812/https://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com/project-4k80/ |archive-date=2020-10-01 |access-date=2020-10-04 |language=en-US}}</ref> ThisIt iswas becausereleased unlikein 4K77February and2024.<ref>{{Cite 4K83,web which|date=2024-02-12 were|title=4K80 eitherIs primarilyFinally orDone! entirely{{!}} sourcedThe fromStar aWars singleTrilogy print, none of the prints available for 4K80 were complete|url=https://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com/2024/02/12/4k80-is-finally-done/ Each|access-date=2025-04-05 of the six sources used also had their own unique color timing, meaning additional re|language=en-grading was needed to match each source's colors to one another.US}}</ref>

TN1 has since discovered a complete print of ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), in substantially better condition than the sources used up to that point. They have announced intentions to eventually use this as the basis of a V2.0 with more theatrically accurate colors, similar to 4K83's V2.0, and have also announced intentions to do the same for 4K77 using since acquired prints.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} When discussing TN1's projects, Harmy expressed that he considered them "vastly superior" restorations to the Despecialized Editions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harmáček |first=Petr |date=2018-08-26 |title=**4K77** - Released - Original Trilogy |url=https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/4K77-Released/id/60815/page/7#1211042 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725204205/https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/4K77-Released/id/60815/page/7#1211042 |archive-date=2023-07-25 |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=Original Trilogy.com |quote=I have previously already recommended the SSE over DeEdv2.7 and this one is vastly superior to the SSE, so I’d definitely recommend this as the go to version, at least for now}}</ref>

==Reception==

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<ref name="Gizmodo">{{Cite web |date=December 18, 2015 |title=Two Entirely Different Ways to Watch the Original Star Wars |url=http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2015/12/two-entirely-different-ways-to-watch-the-original-star-wars/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221100315/http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2015/12/two-entirely-different-ways-to-watch-the-original-star-wars/ |archive-date=December 21, 2015 |access-date=January 27, 2016 |publisher=[[Gizmodo]] |___location=Australia}}</ref>

<ref name="Goldberg">{{Cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Matt |date=December 14, 2015 |title=Yes, an HD Version of the Unaltered 'Star Wars' Original Trilogy Lurks Online |url=httphttps://collider.com/star-wars-original-versions-hd-video/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221205606/http://collider.com/star-wars-original-versions-hd-video/ |archive-date=December 21, 2015 |access-date=January 27, 2016 |publisher=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]}}</ref>

<ref name="Gordon">{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Whitston |date=December 14, 2015 |title=Watch the Original Star Wars Trilogy As It Was Before George Lucas Screwed It Up |url=http://lifehacker.com/watch-the-original-star-wars-trilogy-as-it-was-before-g-1747927284 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151214232358/http://lifehacker.com/watch-the-original-star-wars-trilogy-as-it-was-before-g-1747927284 |archive-date=December 14, 2015 |access-date=January 27, 2015 |publisher=[[Lifehacker]]}}</ref>

<ref name="Hosie">{{Cite journal |last=Hosie |first=Ewen |date=November 17, 2015 |title='Star Wars: Despecialized Edition' Restores the Original, Unedited Trilogy |url=httphttps://motherboardwww.vice.com/readen/article/star-wars-despecialized-edition-removes-alterations-to-the-original-trilogy/ |url-status=live |journal=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |___location=New York City |issn=1077-6788 |oclc=30856250 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118153023/http://motherboard.vice.com/read/star-wars-despecialized-edition-removes-alterations-to-the-original-trilogy |archive-date=November 18, 2015 |access-date=January 27, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name="Hutchinson">{{Cite web |last=Hutchinson |first=Sean |date=January 22, 2016 |title=These Are the 5 Best 'Star Wars' Fan Edits |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/10533-these-are-the-5-best-star-wars-fan-edits |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160213060617/https://www.inverse.com/article/10533-these-are-the-5-best-star-wars-fan-edits |archive-date=February 13, 2016 |access-date=January 27, 2016 |publisher=[[Inverse (website)|Inverse]] |___location=San Francisco}}</ref>