The Empire Strikes Back, Laserdisc, Fox Video, Japan 1994

Part of the Star Wars Trilogy Definitive collection box set from Japan. The presentation and contents of this disc mirrors the US box set released the year before. The Empire Strikes Back is presented in widescreen, with original English sound and Japanese subtitles. The films are spread across three discs, all in the CAV format, enabling flawless still frames and slow-motion advance. The end of side 5, and the entire side 6 contain the bonus material, including regular interviews and featurettes, as well as still-frame galleries. The supplemental material is not subtitled. This release marks the first time the Star Wars films were released with audio commentaries, although the comments are only intermittent. After the Fox Video intro, both Empire and Jedi start with the CBS/Fox Video Special Widescreen Edition intro. The first Star Wars does not have this intro at the start, obviously due to the distribution rights being different on that particular film in 1994. The jackets have a glossy finish, which makes them a pain to handle if you want to avoid fingerprints. The covers from this set are sadly very generic. Even though they were never meant for individual sale, the designers could have come up with something a little more enticing. Sometimes, boxsets are split up and the contents sold off separately, but I have never seen any of these discs being sold on their own, even on the second hand market.

Assorted screenshots:

Pioneer intro	Fox Video intro	CBS/Fox Widescreen intro	THX Laserdisc intro
Fox fanfare	Title card	Opening crawl	Binoculars
I found them	Binoculars	On Dagobah	Alert all commands
Matte painting	Duel	Falcon dish in frame	End credits

Assorted screenshots (Supplemental material):

Supplemental Materials title screen	Trailers	Trailers	Trailers
Ben Burtt Interview	Ben Burtt Interview	Ben Burtt Interview: Sound Design	Ben Burtt Interview: Sound Design
Ben Burtt Interview: The Challenge of Empire	Ben Burtt Interview: The Challenge of Empire	Ben Burtt Interview: Darth Vader	Ben Burtt Interview: Darth Vader
Ben Burtt Interview: Chewbacca	Ben Burtt Interview: Chewbacca	Ben Burtt Interview: R2 D2	Ben Burtt Interview: R2 D2
Ben Burtt Interview: Lightsabers	Ben Burtt Interview: Lightsabers	Ben Burtt Interview: The Imperial Walkers	Ben Burtt Interview: The Imperial Walkers
Ben Burtt Interview: The Ultimate Explosion	Ben Burtt Interview: The Ultimate Explosion	How Walkers Walk	How Walkers Walk
The Flight through the Asteroids	The Flight through the Asteroids	Still frame gallery (Sample): Production Concept Art	Still frame gallery (Sample): Production Concept Art
Still frame gallery (Sample): Production Concept Art	Still frame gallery (Sample): Production Concept Art	Still frame gallery (Sample): Yoda Concept Art	Still frame gallery (Sample): Yoda Concept Art
Still frame gallery (Sample): Matte Painting	Still frame gallery (Sample): Matte Painting	Still frame gallery (Sample): Hoth	Still frame gallery (Sample): Hoth
Still frame gallery (Sample): Special Effects: Walkers	Still frame gallery (Sample): Special Effects: Walkers	Still frame gallery (Sample): Special Effects: Spacecraft	Still frame gallery (Sample): Special Effects: Spacecraft
Still frame gallery (Sample): Special Effects: Spacecraft	Still frame gallery (Sample): Special Effects: Spacecraft	Still frame gallery (Sample): Special Effects: The Space Slug	Still frame gallery (Sample): Special Effects: The Space Slug
Still frame gallery (Sample): Storyboard Reprise	Still frame gallery (Sample): Storyboard Reprise	Copyright notice	End of side 6