It doesn't matter if the original film elements exist or not. Many different early-generation film elements exist, such as internegatives and interpositives, a

It doesn't matter if the original film elements exist or not. Many different early-generation film elements exist, such as internegatives and interpositives, all of which are capable of yielding resolutions much higher than 2K (or even 4K) with the right equipment. Furthermore, many hundreds (or even thousands) of the theatrical 35mm and 70mm film reels still exist for all three films. (They're in the hands of private collectors and LFL.) Sure, they're beat to hell, but a restoration team worth its weight should be able to handle such a job if the situation were so dire. For more information, see http://www.originaltrilogy.com/ http://www.originaltrilogy.com/ and http://www.savestarwars.com/ http://www.savestarwars.com/.