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Lost 'Return of the Jedi' footage discovered on $699 LaserDisc

Lost 'Return of the Jedi' footage discovered on $699 LaserDisc

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R2D2 LaserDisc
R2D2 LaserDisc

Buyers of a rare LaserDisc used to demonstrate an 80s-vintage film editing system have found it full of raw footage from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, graciously posting clips to a Facebook account over the course of the past several days. Most of the clips are from Luke Skywalker's last visit to Yoda on Dagobah, but another gem features a full minute (without audio, unfortunately) of R2-D2 repairing Skywalker's damaged X-wing.

For the lucky buyer, $699 well spent

The origin of the LaserDisc isn't entirely clear, but it was purchased for $699 off eBay, apparently once used to demonstrate Lucasfilm's EditDroid station — one of the first digital film editing systems sold nearly 30 years ago. Ironically, George Lucas himself never used EditDroid to make a movie; the Star Wars clips were loaded simply to show off its capabilities to prospective buyers.

Lucasfilm, of course, is no stranger to fiercely protecting Star Wars copyrights, and it's reasonable to assume the disc buyer's clips may not stay online for long — particularly considering that they'd make a great addition to a future Blu-ray bundle.