Note to readers: All scores for video, audio, and extras refer to the original theatrical versions. Each of the updated films released last year were reviewed previously.
Money must talk an awful lot.
After stating on repeated occasions the original theatrical versions of the Star Wars trilogy would never be seen on DVD, it seems the upcoming holiday rush was too much of a risk to miss. As such, fans have been treated with an individual re-release of all three films in the original trilogy: A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
With the option to watch the original cuts alongside the new edits, it becomes an interesting comparison. As blasphemous as it may sound, the updates are better movies on the whole. Pushing aside memories of the '70s, hard to forget nostalgia, and a child's sense of fantasy, Lucas's updates simply do a better job of telling his story.
It does come down to the special effects in the end, creating a more immersive and accurate depiction of the fantastical universe. The added creatures, machines, and general background activity work to create stunning images far more believable than those featured in 1977, 1980, and 1983.
That's not to say the originals have no value. They're classics for a reason, and their status in pop culture lore is more than deserved. However, to try and accept some of land speeder effects so cheaply done, transparencies inside ships (overly noticeable in Empire), garbage mattes on nearly every shot of a vehicle, and general lack of scale, it's almost impossible. These are problems flawlessly taken care of thanks to today's technology.
Story changes are the second source of controversy, including the overblown "Han shoots first" debate. Fans can finally be happy and know that one split second of film is intact on these DVDs. Hayden Christensen is no longer shown at the end of Jedi either. Mercifully, the musical number on Jabba's barge in Jedi is gone too, one of the benefits of the theatrical cuts. If these edits were enough to prevent the purchase of the box set of all three films last year, these discs were likely aimed for you. 
Each DVD release is an individually priced two-disc set. They have not been released in a set officially. The first disc is the same as the initial DVD release, another redone edition with added scenes. These include 5.1 EX audio mixes and stunning picture clean up. The second discs have not been given that same treatment.
Article comments
1 - John Guilfoil
Spot on, Matt.
Their merch and games are still selling very well, The Wall Street Journal did a story on it recently. They're clearing trying to cash in on the residual success of the film-universe.
But can you really blame them?
2 - Paul Coddington
Are the remastered versions (disc 1) identical to the the previous box set in content? That is, do they make the previous DVD release redundant? Or are the extras different?
3 - Matt Paprocki
They're the same exact discs in every way, even the art on the top of the disc. The only extra is the commentary, the same one that was on the remastered discs originally.
4 - Distell
The cover art of these is better looking than the boxed set.
I am willing to give up my box set to get all 3.The pleasure of having them is you get to see both versions.