the ORIGINAL "original" Star Wars trilogy on DVD

This just in: On September 12, Lucasfilm will release the original, non-Special Edition versions of the classic Star Wars trilogy on DVD. My friend Chris points out that he predicted just such an occurrence, though he was off by a year.

While I appreciate George Lucas's change of heart about releasing the original SW trilogy on DVD, I'm not planning to be among the many fans who will eagerly buy this nostalgia-filled edition of the movies on DVD the minute the stores open. I rarely watch the SE DVDs that I already have, so I don't think I need to spend more money on the trilogy. I don't actually hate the SE versions. Aside from the "HAN SHOT FIRST!" butchering (which was somewhat better on the SE DVD), I think the SE trilogy is an improvement over the original. I like the updated special effects and the added footage with Jabba the Hutt at Mos Eisley. I'm not a Star Wars purist or a completist, so it's not that important to me to own these editions as well. Besides, they're selling the 2004 SE DVD and the original edition in the same package, so I'd be re-buying something I already own.

I think I'll pass.

However, I am excited about the release of LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy on the same day. I LOVED the first LEGO Star Wars video game, which let you play through the prequel trilogy as LEGO versions of the movie characters. In fact, I recently re-installed it on my computer so I could play it again. It's ostensibly a kid's game, but it's so much fun to play and re-play that I don't care. Check out the link above for the trailer for the sequel, and you'll see what I mean. I'm not kidding about how fantastic the original game was. If you're a Star Wars fan and you own a decent computer or a video game system, you should have LEGO Star Wars in your collection, if for no other reason than the chance to chop Jar-Jar Binks into little LEGO pieces.