Star Wars fans have long been waiting for the movie franchise to be released on Blu-ray.

The wait is almost over.

At CES 2011, Twentieth Century Fox announced pre-sale orders are now being accepted for the purchase of the six Star Wars films on Blu-ray, which will debut in September 2011. The movies will be released in three versions:

• The Complete Saga on Blu-ray (nine discs and all six movies)
• Star Wars Prequel Blu-ray Trilogy (three discs, includes Episodes I-III)
• Star Wars Original Blu-ray Trilogy (three discs, includes Episodes IV-VI)

The announced prices for the box sets are $140 for the six-disc set and $70 each for the three-disc sets.

“The Star Wars Saga is the most anticipated Blu-ray collection since the launch of the high-def format,” said Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment president Mike Dunn. “The epic franchise pioneered sound and visual presentation in theaters and is perfectly suited to do it again in the home with a viewing experience only possible with Blu-ray.”

Based on the reaction of Star War fans on the movies’ official Web site, the movies will sell well. “I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in joy,!” JustinL81 said on Starwars.com.

Robert Archer - Senior Editor, CE Pro

Bob is a dedicated audiophile who has been writing about A/V for Electronic House sister publication CE Pro since 2000.