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Watch this jarring, 60 fps trailer for 1979's 'Star Wars Holiday Special'

Filed under: things you cannot unsee.

Software has made AI upscaling easier than ever before, and as a result, we’ve gotten some pretty jarring modern renditions of media that, let’s just say, wouldn't otherwise qualify as HD. Now, joining those retro-modern creations, is...

🎥: Denis Shiryaev via YouTube

The Star Wars Holiday Special.

Or a trailer to the Star Wars Holiday Special, at least.

This holiday gem is the product of Nick Acosta, who used AI software from Topaz Labs called Video Enhance AI, to upscale bits of the original recording frame-by-frame, and splice them into his own, decidedly modern trailer.

There’s a lot to behold in this two-minute journey, but some highlights include a very crisp-looking Chewbacca, an emotive closeup by the late, great Carrie Fisher, and even a cameo by the Cantina Band.

Also an appearance from an animated Boba Fett.

A before and after from Acosta’s Twitter.

Even if the experience is a little jarring, it’s well worth the two minutes. According to Acosta, this short snippet is about a night’s worth of work, so remastering the whole 98-minute event, while not impossible, would definitely be a proper project.

In the meantime, however, you can watch this nostalgic bootleg version for free on YouTube. Standard definition only.

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