The Phantom Edit

[2][3] The Phantom Edit was originally circulated in Hollywood studios in 2000 and 2001, and was followed by media attention.

Rumor initially attributed The Phantom Edit to Kevin Smith, who admitted to having seen the re-edit but denied that he was the editor.

The editor was revealed to be Mike J. Nichols of Santa Clarita, California, in the September 7, 2001, edition of The Washington Post.

[5] Lucasfilm, the production company of series creator George Lucas, condoned the edit and did not pursue legal action against its distributors.

The 2010 documentary film The People vs. George Lucas cites The Phantom Edit as a key example of the remix culture created by the Star Wars franchise.