There's no film in the history of the medium with a story like Star Wars. Originally filmed in the middle of the desert for as little cash as possible, the original movie redefined how blockbusters (and merchandise) are made. Then, the Prequel Trilogy was released and effectively soured the Star Wars name. Throughout that time, there have been no fewer than five different re-releases, all of them featuring some sort of edit, big or small.
One actor from Star Wars Episode VII seems to agree with everyone who balked at the changes made to the Original Trilogy. In an interview with Huffington Post, actor Oscar Isaac made his opinion on the edits clear.
"...so, you know, to go back and kind of tweak it with new stuff, it doesn't make it more interesting for me as a watcher. It makes it less interesting..."
From what it sounds like, Isaac agrees with just about everyone who's ever seen the original versions of the Star Wars trilogy. Despite disagreeing with George Lucas, Isaac acknowledged Lucas' right to go back and change the original films:
"As an artist, like, he made the sh*t, so why can't he do whatever the heck he wants with it. There's a part of me that appreciates that he doesn't really care if people are upset about it."
The Star Wars edits began in 1997, when Lucas announced the Star Wars: Special Edition home video release. Most of the edits were cosmetic, such as adding new CGI effects to many of the scenes. Most fans thought the edits were unnecessary (or just plain bad), but many of the new shots helped fix continuity errors between the films.
The next edit came in 2004, when Lucas released the Star Wars Trilogy DVD box set. This edition was created in order to tie the Original and Prequel trilogies together, though the DVD version is arguably the worst version of the original films yet. In 2006, Lucas released another box set, this time including the original theatrical versions as a bonus feature. In 2011, The Complete Saga Blu-Ray box set was released, which featured all six live-action films in one set. This version included several behind-the-scenes features, though it also included the infamous Darth Vader scream in Return of the Jedi (which has since become a running joke when referencing the edits).
A 3D theater release was planned for 2012 before Disney purchased Lucasfilm. The 3D re-release was put on hold while the company determined what to do with the franchise, and soon after, Episode VII was announced.
As of Oscar Isaac, the actor's role in Episode VII is still a secret. Until a trailer is released or someone leaks his role, it's likely to stay that way.
Star Wars: Episode VII is set for release on December 18, 2015.
