The Star Wars films take place in a futuristic galaxy with all manner of high-tech weapons and starships, which only makes it stranger that such an advanced technological universe is nowhere to be found on the Internet.
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That’s all about to change on Friday.
Both the original and prequel trilogies will be available for digital HD download on that date from a number of retailers, including VUDU, Google Play, Amazon, and iTunes. You can buy the films as an entire collection or individually, with prices set by each retailer.
Keep in mind that these will NOT be Lucas’ original cuts. They will be the same versions released on Blu-ray, alterations included.
But that’s not all. Making these versions even more essential, each film will come with two new, exclusive behind-the-scenes featurettes in addition to other bonus features that have already been released.
These two series, called Star Wars: Discoveries from Inside and Conversations, will delve into untouched on material with interviews with key cast and crew members across all six films.
Here is a list of the new and old bonus features for each film, via Collider:
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Conversations: Doug Chiang Looks Back (Documentary)- Design Director Doug Chiang provides a look at Star Wars conceptual drawings and models and reveals the lessons learned from George Lucas that helped him create some of cinema’s most lasting and iconic images.
- Discoveries From Inside: Models & Miniatures (Documentary)- Steve Gawley and Lorne Peterson discuss how they created miniscule and massive models that became classic pieces of the Star Wars universe, plus, how emerging technology altered the course of the Millennium Falcon and the art of “painting with 3D parts.”
Legacy Content:
“The Beginning”; The Podrace: Theatrical Edit; plus eight deleted scenes.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
New Content:
- Conversations: Sounds In Space (Documentary)-Legendary sound mixers Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood meet at Skywalker Ranch to discuss how they came to work on the Star Wars films, share the surprising sounds that made the movies roar to life and celebrate the franchise that defined their careers.
- Discoveries From Inside: Costumes Revealed (Documentary)-W. Rinzler and Laela French look at some of the most iconic wardrobe pieces in cinema history and share anecdotal fun facts about the costumes of Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Han Solo and other fascinating Star Wars characters.
Legacy Content:
- “From Puppets To Pixels: Digital Characters In Episode II”; State Of The Art: The Previsualization Of Episode II; and “Films Are Not Released, They Escape”; plus Episode II Visual Effects Breakdown Montage and six deleted scenes.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Conversations: The Star Wars That Almost Was (Documentary)- Jonathan Rinzler and Pablo Hidalgo, historians and writers for the Star Wars empire, reveal how iconic moments and stories from the Saga almost took very different paths – and discover original ideas behind classic characters and quotes.
- Discoveries From Inside: Hologram & Bloopers (Documentary)-W. Rinzler and Monica Chin-Perez enter the Archives to view original work prints for the 35mm hologram of Princess Leia, an early version of the Death Star explosion, a recently discovered blooper reel featuring actors’ flubs and more.
Legacy Content:
- Documentaries “Within A Minute: The Making Of Episode III”; The Journey Part 1; and The Journey Part 2; plus six deleted scenes.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
New Content:
- Conversations: Creating A Universe (Documentary)-Longtime collaborators Roger Christian and Joe Johnston meet for the first time to discuss the impact that George Lucas had on their lives and share memories of building the Millennium Falcon and other iconic elements of the Star Wars universe.
- Discoveries From Inside: Weapons & The First Lightsaber (Documentary)-W. Rinzler and Roger Christian open up the hallowed Archives at Skywalker Ranch to showcase classic props created for the Star Wars empire, including the most iconic piece of all…the Lightsaber – plus, the Archives’ latest discovery!
Legacy Content:
- “Anatomy Of A Dewback”; Star Wars Launch Trailer; plus eight deleted scenes.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Conversations: The Lost Interviews (Documentary)- Listen to never-before-heard interviews with the cast and crew of Star Wars: A New Hope accompanied by rare, behind-the-scenes footage and pictures. Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and others reveal the thrills and challenges of their early days on set.
- Discoveries From Inside: Matte Paintings Unveiled (Documentary)-Esteemed artist and matte painter Harrison Ellenshaw discusses the nearly lost art of matte painting – an element crucial to the look of Star Wars and so many other classic films – plus, he shares a big find of pint-sized proportions from A New Hope.
Legacy Content:
- “A Conversation With The Masters” (2010); “Dennis Muren: How Walkers Walk”; “George Lucas On Editing The Empire Strikes Back 1979”; and “George Lucas On The Force: 2010”; plus six deleted scenes.
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
New Content:
- Conversations: The Effects (Documentary)- A team of legendary video effects artists celebrate the technological advances made possible by the Star Wars franchise and share stories, secrets and “happy accidents” from their groundbreaking work on the original films.
- Discoveries From Inside: The Sounds Of Ben Burtt (Documentary)- Ben Burtt invites you into his office at Skysound, a laboratory of artifacts used to create the unforgettable SFX of Star Wars. Discover the inspiration for the sounds of C-3PO, R2-D2, the Lightsaber and the ominous breathing of Darth Vader.
Legacy Content:
- “Classic Creatures: Return Of The Jedi”; “Revenge Of The Jedi Teaser Trailer”; Return Of The Jedi Launch Trailer; “It Began TV Spot”; “Climactic Chapter TV Spot”; plus five deleted scenes.
Here’s a statement from Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy on the new bonus features:
"“These films broke new ground in technology, design, sound, and visual effects, and we’ve created some very special bonus material which delves into the Saga’s rich history, including new and never-before-released conversations between legendary Star Wars artists – the masters who helped George bring his iconic universe to life.”"
Looks like Christmas came a bit early for Star Wars fans. Start saving your credits.