We're written about this before, twice in fact. Lucas screened a rough cut of Star Wars (before it was A New Hope) for his closest friends in February of 1977. That version was reportedly a disaster. It was saved in editing and became the cultural phenomenon we all know and love today. That rough cut is what has been referred to as the "Lost Cut". That name implies that it's, well, lost. But according to the following YouTube video, that cut exists in the Lucas Film archives (article continues after video):
If there is any truth that this cut still exists, Disney should add it to Disney+, and it's not for some sort of ironic hipster reasoning. There's no morbid curiosity on my part to see what a "bad" version of Star Wars looks like. I can't stand that nonsense.
My reason for wanting to see it is genuine. Star Wars is more than pop culture. It's our history. It's worthy of Smithsonian level preservation. This lost cut would be an invaluable historical reference. It's a time capsule. I would genuinely like to hear the recently departed David Prowse and Peter Mayhew actually voice their characters. I'm also curious if there are any new cantina references that can be unearthed. Finally, it would be a great object lesson in the power of impactful editing, an art that some say is dying in modern movie making.
If Disney+ announced they were going to stream the Lost Cut, I would look forward to it more than all the Marvel content combined.