Star Wars Episode IV in one picture....

[O Dinas Powys]

I went to see Star Wars in 1977 and I'm sure it was episode IV even then, as I remember we were all rather puzzled as to why.

Yup!

I never saw Star Wars at the cinema, but remember being confused when I read the novelization (prior to the release of Empire Strikes Back) that it said Episode IV.  

Written by Alan Dean Foster, it added an extra level of confusion because it contained all the cut scenes that were later restored (a human Jabba the Hutt at the spaceport; Biggs and Luke being reunited prior to the attack on the Death Star; etc) and possibly more.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Stunned

[Raider4]

It was always called Episode IV...

No, it wasn't.

Cheers, Martyn
--

[O Dinas Powys]

It was always called Episode IV...

No, it wasn't.

Cheers, Martyn
--

I'm going to have to bow to the wiser heads who were there about the truth of this matter!   
I was only six when Star Wars was released and never saw it in the cinema 

So, having done what I believe is officially regarded as the requisite amount research for a modern, under-graduate essay (ie 10 minutes the web/Wikipedia), I'm going to modify my statement to:
It has been called Episode IV for as long as I can remember... (bearing in mind I never saw the original theatrical release, only read the novelisation - where it is referred to as Episode IV because I distinctly remember being confused by it at the time (although I'll only be able to prove this if I can find that book in my Mum's loft! (I'll post in this thread if I ever do!)) - prior to the release of The Empire Strikes Back, and it being Episode IV when I first saw it on the telly, whenever that was...") 

So, I hope that that clarifies things!

So, whilst the original release of the film was purely known as Star Wars, it's worth noting that the truth of when it acquired the sub-title "Episode IV A New Hope" is fairly confusing!  From Wikipedia:

The film was originally released in 1977 with the title "Star Wars". The subtitles Episode IV and A New Hope were only added to the opening crawl in subsequent re-releases. Accounts differ as to when this designation was first added; some date the change at the theatrical re-release of April 10, 1981, while others place it much earlier at the re-release in July 1978. The retroactive addition of these subtitles was intended to bring the film into line with the introduction to its sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, which was released in 1980 bearing the designation "Episode V". It is uncertain if the introduction of an episodic naming convention was an indicator of Lucas's original intent, or if this was simply a later redraft of the narrative. According to some accounts, Lucas has claimed that he was discouraged by Twentieth Century Fox from using an episode number on a new film because it would confuse audiences. Gary Kurtz has stated that he and Lucas had originally considered using an episode number for Star Wars to emulate the chapter numbering used in the 1936 Flash Gordon installments, but they were uncertain whether they should designate it Episode III, IV or V. However, some of Lucas's early script drafts bear titles such as "The Adventures of the Starkiller (Episode One): The Star Wars" (1975) or "The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as Taken from the Journal of the Whills:Saga One: Star Wars" (1976). The Revised Fourth Draft of the script dated January 1975 acquired the subtitle "Episode IV - A New Hope - from the Journal of the Whills" when published in the 1979 book The Art of Star Wars.

This is the cover of the novelisation I owned:


So, if my novelisation was based on that 4th draft (or later) script that could be where I got the idea from! 

Although, having now done 10 minutes on the novelsiation, it seems that there a multiple versions of the name/title in that as well 

Anyway, real life calls!

Cheers!

Meirion

[Last Hussar]

They should make that into a movie.