Return of the Jedi, CED, CBS/Fox Video, USA 1986

Even Return of the Jedi managed to be released on CED. Production of players ceased as early as 1984, but software was released well into 1986. The completist in me is glad they hung on to release all of the first trilogy.

As you can see, they could not time compress Return of the Jedi to fit under two hours, so they had to release it on two platters (three sides).

The outer shell was called a caddy, and they came in blue and white variations. (The disc was inserted into a slot on the player, and the caddy retracted and put away during playback.) The colour of the caddy seems to be random across releases, and has no bearing on the collectible value of the discs. I can't say I've ever come across Return of the Jedi in blue caddies, but that's hardly conclusive. I must say, the white caddies are garish and makes the wear and grime show too much. Also, a blue caddy would complement this particular artwork much better.

There was also a variation in how the handles at the bottom were formed. They could be either recessed or raised. On later disc there was no handle at all. Additionally, the plastic tray inside the caddy, called a spine, could also vary in colour, so any and all combinations of caddy and spine could be possible.

Maybe all variations should be considered unique and collected? Myself, I'm having a hard time finding any of the CEDs in something close to acceptable condition. Many of them suffer from excessive shelf-wear, especially on the bottom. These also look horrible on the back. What's up with that?.