If you’re a Star Wars collector, hold off on buying any more Christmas gifts until after the New Year; you’ll be glad you did. George Lucas is releasing a deluxe edition of still frames from each of the six Star Wars movies that he personally selected over the space of a few years. After sifting through more than 200,000 frames per film, Lucas said this about the chosen images:

“Cinematography is not about technology. It’s about lighting, it’s about composition, it’s about taste. In the end, it’s about understanding your craft.”

Though it will set you back $3,000, the case itself appears to be of high quality hardwood, which houses the real treasure, six spring-loaded booklets of frames. Each side of the case features a sculpted medallion (one of Darth Vader, one of Yoda) and the centerpiece holds a numbered certificate of authenticity. Hit the jump to watch a short behind-the-scenes clip of Lucas selecting the frames and more images of the collection itself.

Via Wired:

The collection will be available from shop.starwars.com beginning January 8, 2011. There are only 1,138 pieces available in this limited edition. For those of you who think this number is strange, it refers back to THX 1138, Lucas’s first film and a number that is featured throughout the Star Wars movies.

star_wars_frames

While the price is pretty steep and some people will accuse Lucas of simply squeezing more money out of his franchise, the above clip hints at how much time Lucas actually put into the preparation of this set. He and his crew viewed over a million frames of film over a two year period beginning in 2005. Lucas makes it clear that each frame must have significance, not only in the world of Star Wars, but in the world of filmmaking. Even the positioning of the frames next to each other in the set carries weight, as he says they “complement each other.”

This is probably as close as you’ll get to seeing the world of Star Wars through the eyes of its creator. Whether you think the set is worth the money will depend on how big a fan you consider yourself…and how deep your pockets run.