Star Wars Uncut

In the 'Once Upon A Galaxy: A Journal of The Making of The Empire Strikes Back’ book, published in 1980, by Alan Arnold (page 177) - George Lucas states…
https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/George-Lucas-Unreliable-Narrator-and-Time-Travelling-Revisionist-/id/66986

Star Wars: A Nice Look into the Future

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMh7UH0DbCPGxQyEOdmfmYiFnh3lgoBNNLCPnHTQnvyCtXQnScSo8L_vR3x6A9y_Q?key=aDFfLXE3clp4SldVcndkalc3UjJ4UlU2ZUlDb0JB

Image Source: https://marciokenobi.wordpress.com/2015/11/15/star-wars-original-trilogy-changes-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-part-3/

Should Original Content be Edited or Changed to Fit New Ideas or Norms?

As I was reading some of the threads from “George Lucas: Unreliable Narrator & Time-Traveling Revisionist”, I was interested in a quote taken from an interview with George Lucas in the Rolling Stones magazine in 1977.  Lucas said, “I realized a more destructive element in the culture would be a whole generation of kids growing up without that thing, because I had also done a study on, I don’t know what you call it, I call it the fairytale or the myth.  It is a children’s story in history and you go back to the Odyssey or the stories that are told for the kid in all of us.” After reading this quote, it almost seems as if Lucas chose to re-edit and modify Star Wars as an attempt to keep it up to date with each new generation as he was targeting the movie at children it would make sense that he would re-edit it to modernize it.  What does that mean for the people who grew up with the original Star Wars in the 1970s as it was a part of the society that they were growing up in at the time?  It does not seem productive to have the original protected by copyright laws, all versions of the film should be enjoyed.  The Harry Potter franchise would be the most relevant to me in terms of pop culture I consumed as a child and teenager. What Lucas did with his films(s) would give a similar reaction if JK Rowling re-edited the Harry Potter series to be more appealing to future generations. 

Who Should Own Creative Content?

Something that the combination of this BAD uncut film and the Vox article "This is the best version of Star Wars--and watching it is a crime" got me thinking, is who has a right to create something, contribute to it, and benefit from it? My first reaction to watching Star Wars uncut was that it was horrible, and there is such a thing as giving fans too much power in fandoms. In the past, some films or television shows have listened too heavily to fan theories and input, and have sacrificed the integrity of said media entirely. But on the opposite end, some creators have completely gone overboard and ruined their own creative work in certain ways--for example, George Lucas in the case of adding in terrible CGI to the original Star Wars and other terrible additions he made, and JK Rowling tweeting unnecessary additions to the Harry Potter world that none of us asked for (also for her blatant transphobic tweets...but that's another issue entirely). I'm all for world-building, but these extraneous circumstances are completely unnecessary! My first reaction is that someone should limit Lucas' control over the original films and I'm glad Rowling has no power over any of the HP films, but then as a writer...I would want all creative control and ownership over my work that I created! The Vox article accurately talked about how out of control copyright laws are, so my question is...

Should copyright control be limited to the creators of said creative work? If so, what does that look like?

Star Wars Revisions and Ownership

[image source: Star Wars: A New Hope Visual Comparison (HD Branch)]

As a relative outsider to Star Wars culture, it may be easy to dismiss superfans who put so much importance on the integrity of the original cut of the films.  It is, however, important to understand the impact of the originals with which these fans have grown so fond.  Media that we attach ourselves to will always hold an important place in our hearts. And when someone, no matter who, makes revisions to that media, we are left questioning how that revision affects the zeitgeist. When a piece of intellectual property is released, it can change hands multiple times from the creator, to the production company, to any number of conglomerates.  This ownership provides guidelines as to reproduction, licensing, and continuation.  But fans can have as much ownership, albeit less claim to profit, as those who spent billions on a property.  As soon as a film, an album, or a television show debuts, it belongs partly to whoever holds the license, and partly to the world, the fandom, or the culture as a whole.  So get mad, nerds! In revising Star Wars, George Lucas is changing something that belongs just as much to you as it does him.