Fans of the original Star Wars trilogy know the debate well: Han shot first! But in today’s versions of 1977’s A New Hope, this pivotal scene, along with many others, has been altered by director George Lucas. Over the past four decades, Lucas has tinkered with the original films for home video releases, adding scenes, changing moments, and updating the effects with CGI. These changes have been so controversial that fans have dedicated themselves to restoring the theatrical cuts. However, according to Lucas, those versions might be lost forever.

At the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where he received an honorary Palme d’Or award, Lucas defended his right to modify his films. He compared the process to Michelangelo’s work on the Sistine Chapel, where the artist continuously reworked sections until they matched his vision. Lucas, a pioneer of digital effects with his company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), believes the technology allows him to improve his creations.

However, Lucas acknowledges the limitations of the original theatrical release. “We did release the original one on laserdisc and everybody got really mad,” he said. “They said, ‘It looks terrible.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I know it did.'”

Despite retiring from big-budget filmmaking in 2012, Lucas remains interested in technological advancements. When asked about artificial intelligence (AI) in filmmaking, he called its use “inevitable,” comparing it to the shift from horses to cars. But fans can breathe a sigh of relief: an AI-made “special edition” seems unlikely, just as a 4K restoration of the original cuts appears out of reach. However, there’s a silver lining: those original laserdisc versions of A New Hope are still available and surprisingly affordable.