Our friends over at ClubJade have posted a link to a comprehensive article that goes thru the exhaustive task of restoring the Star Wars: Special Editions released back in 1997.
See the intro below and then click HERE for the full (and lengthy) read.
"Many are aware that Star Wars was restored for its 1997 theatrical re-release, as video featurettes and television specials from the time often touted that the original negative was in poor condition and couldn't be shown as was. Somehow, as if by magic, the film ended up playing in theatres in January 1997 looking like it had when it was first shown twenty years earlier, arguably looking better than it had when it was first shown twenty years earlier. Featurette's talk about "washing the film" and "digitally re-compositing" the bluescreen elements, but these blur the line between restoration and enhancement, for the digital processing and elements added are outside of the restoration process itself. Fans and even many experts don't seem to have been able to trace exactly what was enacted to preserve the film; there are a couple articles and factoids floating around the internet and in books, but there's never been an exhaustive synthesis of all of this data, for it lurks in piecemeal form (the best sources are ILM: Into the Digital Realm, and the February 1997 issue of American Cinematographer). I am hoping that this article will amend this, and also inform people on the history of Star Wars as a physical medium, as the way in which we view and engage with it."
Rebelscum Breast Cancer Awareness Charity Patch Posted By Philip on November 25, 2014: Thanks to everybody that ordered patches. I sent a check for $1,600.00 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation on Monday. While it's not as much as I hoped for, it's still very much appreciated. They will remain for sale in the store for anybody that still wishes to purchase them. Details after the jump.