Because commercial film prints degrade, fade, and accumulate scratches over decades, finding viable prints required deep connections in the film collector community. The team successfully acquired several prints, including an original 1977 Eastman Kodak technicolor print, and utilized a custom-built, professional-grade film scanner to digitize the cells frame-by-frame at native 4K resolution.
4K77 is a fan-made, non-commercial restoration of the of Star Wars (1977), scanned from a 35mm release print. It contains no Special Edition changes (no Greedo shooting first, no CGI Jabba, no “Episode IV: A New Hope” subtitle in the opening crawl). The project was created by the team at The Star Wars Trilogy (TSWT) .
It is distinct from commercial releases because it lacks the "Special Edition" alterations added by George Lucas in the 90s and 2000s (no Jabba the Hutt in Mos Eisley, original CGI-free Death Star explosion, etc.). It offers a nostalgic, authentic viewing experience aimed at film preservationists and enthusiasts who want to see the film as it was originally exhibited. 05-star.wars.4k77.2160p.uhd.dnr.35mm.x265-v1.0.mkv
At its heart, Project 4K77 is not just about pixels and codecs—it is a direct ideological response to George Lucas's controversial 1997 statement:
: This suggests the version of the file or the encoding process, indicating it might be the first version of this particular encode. Because commercial film prints degrade, fade, and accumulate
Keeps all original film grain, dirt, and imperfections.
If you are looking to deep-dive into the technical logistics behind this fan edit, or want to explore similar restorations for the rest of the original trilogy, you can read the community's progress updates directly on the Original Trilogy fan forums or track similar community discussions via Reddit's FanEdits Community. It contains no Special Edition changes (no Greedo
. This version has been "cleaned" to remove some of the natural film grain for a smoother, more modern look. : Indicates the source was a 35mm film print.
– Keep this file as a great “cleaner” version of the original. But if you want the ultimate filmic experience, find 4K77 No-DNR v1.4 (or later). For casual viewing on a 4K TV, your DNR v1.0 is a solid choice.
This specific filename refers to the Project 4K77 restoration of the original 1977