Star Wars on Blu-Ray: Coming to A Galaxy Near You September 2011

From the Official Site's Announcement:

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release Star Wars in three distinct sets to meet the needs of every Star Wars fan:

• Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray (9-disc Set includes all six films)
• Star Wars: Prequel Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes I-III)
• Star Wars: Original Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes IV-VI)

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with three additional discs and more than 30 hours of extensive special features including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes, an exploration of the exclusive Star Wars archives, and much more.
Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will be available for $139.99 US/$179.99 CAN and the Star Wars: Trilogy Sets for $69.99 US/89.99 CAN. Pricing for each set will vary by international territory.

Official Site Trailer

So Lucasfilm will be releasing three different Blu-Ray box sets come September, an exact release date has not been announced but it will be a Tuesday as with all media releases (September 6th, 13th, 20th or 27th).  The Blu-Ray release will come in three different box set versions: 

Box Set #1:  Star Wars:  The Complete Saga

This is the big one, a 9 disc set.  That means we are looking at 6 discs  for the movies (1 each) and 3 Blu-Ray discs chock full of special features.  The press release claims we are getting over 30 hours of special features, that means roughly 10 hours per special feature disc.

I am really curious as to what they mean when they refer to the "Star Wars archives," it would be really interesting to see some form of interactive timeline with early versions of the script interspersed with concept art that tells the how the story evolved until it reached the big screen. 

This box set is by far the best value, if you buy the Prequel Trilogy and Original Trilogy separately its only a couple cents less then buying the Complete Saga, and for the same price you get the 3 bonus discs.  Save up and buy the Complete Saga it will be worth it. 

As an early adopter of HDTV and Blu-Ray, I have been waiting for this set for a long time.  Blu-Ray is an incredible format, The Clone Wars television show on Blu-Ray is stunning and one of the best Blu-Ray discs I have seen visually to date.  Given the exacting standards of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, and ILM I am sure that the conversion of the six movies to Blu-Ray will be stunning.  But don't just get stuck on the visuals lets not forget the music of John Williams or the sound effects of Ben Burtt and how awesome they will be on Blu-Ray. 

You can pre-order Star Wars: The Complete Saga at Amazon for $89.99, $50 off the retail price of $139.99. 

Box Set #2:  Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy

This seems like it would be the third best seller of the three sets.  If you have a Blu-Ray player and are a Star Wars fan, then why wouldn't you buy the Original Trilogy.  Whereas some Star Wars fans hate the Prequel Trilogy, while I don't understand this viewpoint, I think there is a large enough minority to make this box set the third place finisher of the bunch.

You can pre-order Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy at Amazon for $44.99, $25 off the retail price of $69.99.


Box Set #3:  Star Wars: The Original Trilogy

If you can't afford the Complete Saga, or just don't like the Prequel Trilogy, then this set is for you.  It doesn't sound like we will get the original theatrical edition packed in with this release, so if you don't mind the Special Editions, then this box set should provide a Star Wars experience that transports you back to the moment you first saw the Star Destroyer catch the Tantive IV.

You can pre-order Star Wars: The Original Trilogy at Amazon for $44.99, $25 off the retail price of #69.99.

Stay tuned to Lightsaber Rattling for more Star Wars Blu-Ray news as it breaks....