Long before it became a corporate empire, a streaming juggernaut, and a culture war battleground, Star Wars was just a movie. A groundbreaking, imperfect, endlessly imaginative movie. And now, for the first time in decades, audiences will be able to see that original version again—exactly as it was shown in 1977.
This summer, the British Film Institute will screen a rare 35mm print of the original theatrical release of Star Wars as part of its Film on Film festival. For longtime fans—and for those curious about what all the fuss is about—this is a chance to witness the unaltered genesis of a pop culture phenomenon, free from the digital flourishes and controversial changes that have reshaped it over the years.
The film will be shown twice on June 12 at BFI Southbank in London. According to James Bell, senior curator of fiction at the BFI National Archive, the goal is to recreate the emotional impact of the film’s original run. “In the case of Star Wars, the festival screening is a unique opportunity to present the film to audiences in exactly the same form as they would have watched it in 1977,” he said in a statement to The Guardian.
A Franchise Frozen in Time
While Star Wars: A New Hope remains one of the most beloved films in history, its legacy has been complicated by its creator’s compulsive revisions.
George Lucas began altering the film in the 1990s, starting with the 1997 Special Edition that added new CGI creatures, expanded scenes, and infamously changed who shot first in the Mos Eisley cantina—Han Solo or the alien bounty hunter Greedo. (In the original cut, it was Han. Full stop.)
Another major revision involved inserting a computer-generated Jabba the Hutt into a previously deleted scene, a decision that continues to divide fans. Despite decades of fan pressure to release the original versions on modern platforms, Lucas remained firm, once telling the Associated Press: “I’m sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it, but I want it to be the way I want it to be.”
Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, those early versions have remained largely inaccessible—making the BFI’s screening not just rare, but historically significant. The festival will also include other notable film prints, including the original U.S. pilot of Twin Peaks, introduced by Kyle MacLachlan.
Looking Back, While Looking Ahead
The return of Star Wars to theaters in its original form arrives as the franchise tries to find its footing in modern cinema. The last theatrical release, The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, left audiences divided and critics cold. Though it pulled in over $1 billion globally, it was widely seen as an unsatisfying conclusion to the nine-film Skywalker saga.
In response, Lucasfilm pivoted to streaming, producing shows like The Mandalorian, Andor, and The Acolyte. The latter premiered in June 2024 with strong viewership but quickly lost momentum, canceled after one season despite solid reviews. Fan backlash over its progressive themes highlighted the political fault lines that have come to define modern Star Wars discourse.
Next up is The Mandalorian & Grogu, a theatrical continuation of the Disney+ hit starring Pedro Pascal’s masked bounty hunter and the internet’s favorite Force-sensitive toddler. While details are tightly under wraps, the film is expected to test whether the franchise’s small-screen resurgence can translate back to blockbuster scale.
Until then, the past is present once again. And for those who believe the original Star Wars doesn’t need a digital polish to shine, the BFI’s screening offers something increasingly rare in a galaxy of remakes and reboots: a return to where it all truly began.
