Editorial

TheForce.net recently asked who doesn't want the Episode I DVD? Well I for one don't. I'm not just saying this because I don't have a DVD player and have no immediate plans to get it. I'm saying this because I would prefer to see the DVD's in a boxed set. This said I will not mind if the Episode I DVD is released this year, I just won't buy it. Instead I will wait patiently for the full set to be released.

I will also be doing the same with the VHS versions when they are released. I have decided not to buy the re-released trilogy with the Episode II footage because I don't need to. I already have two versions of the trilogy. Instead I will wait until the whole set is complete before buying. This will keep me going until I do decide to buy the boxed set of the DVD's. I will still buy Episode II and III when it is released on VHS.

You may think that I am not looking forward to the DVD release, on the contrary I am excited about the release because I hear of all that is possible for DVD. GalacticEmpire.net used to have a feature on the site called 'The DVD' in which someone would explain all that could be put on the DVD. For example they said that three versions of 'A New Hope' (the original release, the special editions and any new edition) could be put onto one DVD. This could be repeated over all six movies. This doesn't include all the documentaries or left out scenes that could also be placed on it.

However if the Episode I DVD were released now it probably won't have any added scenes on it. The documentaries, yes but no new scenes. You will still have to buy the DVD again in five or six years to get this new version. If this was done for all the movies this could add up to a lot of DVD purchases not including any VHS releases in the mean time. As you can imagine this would be a great expense to all the fans (but loads of revenue to George Lucas).

Another plus about waiting is the fact that after so many years of waiting, you can finally get to see the full saga, in it's entirety and in any new form for the first time. I believe it would be like watching the saga all over again, with new eyes. By this time there could also have been great advances in DVD technology. They could be of better quality, they may be able to store more information and any bugs or faults that are in the system at the minute could've been ironed out by that stage.

So what will you do if (and when) the Episode I DVD is released this year? Will you buy it and enjoy it now? Will you rent it out and enjoy it in the short term? Will you get a mate to buy it and go around to his/her house every time you want to watch it? Or will you, like me, wait patiently until 2006 to when the full Star Wars saga, all six movies, is released possibly in a new form and enjoy them all over again?