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For almost 30 years, Star Wars has been the gold standard for special effects driven epic science fiction. Until the most recent movie (not yet released as of this writing), all of the movies were G-Rated and so more or less suitable for family entertainment (unless movie violence is a no-no). I have seen all of these except the newest release, and don't find them particularly graphic (but there are definitely a few scenes that can give a parent pause).

If you happen to be one of the fifteen people in the US who have never seen a Star Wars movie, you might want to review them before letting your kids see them. I doubt you will find much that is objectionable. Again, families trying to avoid violent entertainment of any sort will probably want to avoid these movies.

I have included the decent buys I could find on Amazon. Right now, this is limited to DVDs and VHS videos. I may add books and toys later (check back soon). Be very careful about the DVDs - there were some lazer disc and video CD offerings that I did not list - neither will play in standard DVD equipment. I believe the items I did list are OK, but check the listings carefully!

A word about versions - apparently, there are at least two versions of some of the earlier Star Wars movies. I would like to say these are the "theatrical" and "special edition" versions, with the latter having some scenes changed substantially (and needlessly) from the theatrical release. I could be totally off base about this, and there might be more than two versions of each movie. For example, in the original "Star Wars", now called "Star Wars IV - A New Hope", the bar scene has been altered so that the creature sitting with Han Solo fires first, them Han returns file. In the original, Han Solo fires first. Leia kisses Luke on the lips in the original ("for luck"); this has been changed to a quick peck on the cheek in the altered version. If this kind of thing is important to you, I suggest you read the reviews and information on the Amazon pages very carefully, and be aware that Amazon tends to lump all the reviews for a given title together, regardless of version. You might want to consult one of several books with authoritative version information (I would avoid the official ones, since George Lucas had financial reasons for making the changes and would presumably not be as forthcoming about such changes as would be a book written by a neutral [or even a purist] third party). I have a hard time deciding which is which. A truly helpful Star Wars guide would include the ASIN or ISBN numbers along with a detailed description of the contents. If I find such a guide, I will put it up on these pages.

This page is incomplete - I plan on adding more later (particularly details about version information if I can find any). Please visit again.

Star Wars DVDs
Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
Star Wars Trilogy (Full Screen Edition)
Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition) (1999)
Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Full Screen Edition) (1999)
Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones (Widescreen Edition) (2002)
Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones (Full Screen Edition)
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
The original three movies in wide screen DVD format: "Star Wars" (now known as "A New Hope") (1977), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), and "Return of the Jedi" (1983), starring Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill. Great action science fiction.

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Star Wars Trilogy (Full Screen Edition)
The original three movies in full screen (TV) DVD format: "Star Wars" (now known as "A New Hope") (1977), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), and "Return of the Jedi" (1983), starring Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill. Great action science fiction.

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Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition) (1999)
Although this was the fourth Star Wars movie made (and after a sixteen-year hiatus!), it is the first in terms of the mythical story line. Traces the beginnings of Anakin Skywalker (Luke's father, later known as Darth Vader) as a child. Starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman. Wide Screen edition.

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Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Full Screen Edition) (1999)
Although this was the fourth Star Wars movie made (and after a sixteen-year hiatus!), it is the first in terms of the mythical story line. Traces the beginnings of Anakin Skywalker (Luke's father, later known as Darth Vader) as a child. Starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman. Full screen (TV) edition.

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Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones (Widescreen Edition) (2002)
Ten years after the events in Phantom Menace, Anakin Skywalker is chafing under the stern training of Obi-Wan Kenobi, developing an illicit romance with (former Queen) Senator Amidala, and allowing the dark side of the force to tempt him from the Jedi way. Starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen and Christopher Lee. Almost non-stop action, including an amazing light-saber duel between Yoda and Count Dooku. Wide screen edition.

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Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones (Full Screen Edition)
Ten years after the events in Phantom Menace, Anakin Skywalker is chafing under the stern training of Obi-Wan Kenobi, developing an illicit romance with (former Queen) Senator Amidala, and allowing the dark side of the force to tempt him from the Jedi way. Starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen and Christopher Lee. Almost non-stop action, including an amazing light-saber duel between Yoda and Count Dooku. Full screen edition.

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Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
The first Star Wars movie ("Star Wars" - "A New Hope" is a new name given to the movie long after release) with Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Judging from the high prices, I'd guess that this version is considered rare. If you just want the movies and don't care about collectibility, the trilogy is available in DVD above.

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Star Wars VIDEOs (all VHS)

Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition) (2000)
Star Wars Trilogy (2000)
Star Wars Trilogy (Special Edition) (1997)
Star Wars Trilogy Giftpack (1995)
Star Wars - Episode IV, A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars - Episode IV, A New Hope (Special Edition) (1977)
Star Wars - Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars - Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back (Special Edition) (1980)
Star Wars - Episode VI, Return of the Jedi (1983)
Star Wars - Episode VI, Return of the Jedi (Special Edition) (1983)
Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition Boxed Set) (1999)
Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones (2002)

Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition) (2000)
Trilogy of the original three Star Wars movies ("Star Wars", "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi") in VHS format. Wide screen edition.

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Star Wars Trilogy (2000)
Trilogy of the original three Star Wars movies ("Star Wars", "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi") in VHS format. Almost certainly "full screen" rather than "wide screen".

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Star Wars Trilogy (Special Edition) (1997)
Different from the above boxed set. Please compare the details in the respective Amazon pages to decide which one you want - I'm not such a Star Wars fan that I can detect changes made to the episodes. Apparently, there are several versions of each movie floating around, and some people may have preferences.

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Star Wars Trilogy Giftpack (1995)
Different from both of the above boxed sets. One of the reviewers on Amazon believes these are the theatrical release (ie, original) versions. Likely that is not quite so, since these are almost certainly "full screen" (TV size) rather than "wide screen" (the aspect ratio used in cinemas) editions. Read the details on the Amazon pages and decide for yourself.

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Star Wars - Episode IV, A New Hope (1977)
An unedited version (possibly - I'm not sure of any of the details of the several versions!) of the first Star Wars movie from 1977. According to the reviews, there have been several changes to scenes in certain versions, so be advised that this is not necessarily the same as the theatrical release. Please check the details on the Amazon page (including the customer reviews), and be advised that Amazon has apparently mixed the reviews for the various versions, so that comments from customers on a particular page may or may not refer to the exact version sold on that page. Consult a good Star Wars guide for details if you cannot tell which version is the one you want.

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Star Wars - Episode IV, A New Hope (Special Edition) (1977)
An edited version (possibly - I'm not sure of any of the details of the several versions!) of the first Star Wars movie from 1977. According to the reviews, there have been several changes to scenes, so be advised that this is not necessarily the same as the theatrical release. Please check the details on the Amazon page (including the customer reviews), and be advised that Amazon has apparently mixed the reviews for the various versions, so that comments from customers on a particular page may or may not refer to the exact version sold on that page.

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Star Wars - Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Hopefully, this is an unedited version of the second Star Wars movie. See the caveats about version confusion above.

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Star Wars - Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back (Special Edition) (1980)
I believe this is to be an edited version of the second Star Wars movie. See the caveats about version confusion above.

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Star Wars - Episode VI, Return of the Jedi (1983)
A hopefully unedited VHS edition of the original third Star Wars movie. See the caveats about version confusion above.

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Star Wars - Episode VI, Return of the Jedi (Special Edition) (1983)
I believe this is an edited VHS edition of the original third Star Wars movie. See the caveats about version confusion above.

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Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition Boxed Set) (1999)
The fourth Star Wars movie, wide screen VHS edition, in a fancy boxed set.

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Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones (2002)
The fifth Star Wars movie, VHS format. No information on wide screen, so presume this is full screen.

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Star Wars Books

Example TITLE of Star Wars BOOKS

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Star Wars Audio CDs

Example TITLE of Star Wars AUDIO CD

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Star Wars Audio Cassettes

Example TITLE of Star Wars AUDIO CASSETTE

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- Last Updated: 05/09/05 -