He may have created one of the most iconic movie franchises in history, but there were several times when Star Wars fans were done with George Lucas. It took a committed, visionary filmmaker like Lucas to pitch Star Wars and see it through to completion despite a troubled production and overwhelming stress. Star Wars inspired countless filmmakers and continues to spark the imagination of fans around the world, none of which would have happened without Lucas.
However, even the most creative individuals are still human, and as the franchise continued to grow with new Star Wars movies and TV shows, Lucas made many mistakes. Whether it was the quality of new Star Wars films, his approach to re-releases, or his input on the books and comics, many fans felt let down by some of Lucas’ controversial decisions. This led to 10 distinct examples where Star Wars fans would have considered themselves done with the man who created the franchise.
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10 Lucas Allowed The Star Wars Holiday Special To Happen
He admitted how bad it was and wished he could destroy every copy
While The Empire Strikes Back is regarded as one of the greatest movie sequels, the first Star Wars follow-up received a less-than-stellar reception. The Star Wars Holiday Special took the top spot in David Hofstede’s What Were They Thinking?: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History, appropriately labeled “the worst two hours of television ever.“ Apart from the cartoon segment that introduced Boba Fett, all the segments are ridiculous, from a Wookiee-centric plot with no subtitles to Princess Leia singing over the Star Wars theme. Regardless of Lucas’ level of involvement, he still allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to happen.
9 Return Of The Jedi Was A Significant Step-Down From The Empire Strikes Back
Lucas was ready to be done with Star Wars (and it shows)
Return of the Jedi is a classic film and an emotional conclusion to Lucas’ saga, but it’s also the weakest of the original trilogy. It isn’t as visually stunning or expertly crafted as The Empire Strikes Back, and the script is full of problems. Return of the Jedi‘s cast and crew were unhappy with Lucas’ creative decisions, as many felt that Han should die to give the film more weight, and Leia wasn’t originally intended to be Luke’s sister. Lucas had planned to make more movies but was burned out and going through a messy divorce, so his desire to wrap things up shows in Return of the Jedi‘s quality.
8 The Phantom Menace Changed The Force And The Jedi
The Force now had a scientific explanation (while the Jedi were incredibly flawed)
Fans had waited 16 years for Star Wars to return to the big screen, and they were ecstatic to see how Lucas would approach the long-speculated backstory of Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader. Unfortunately, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace proved disappointing for many viewers, who felt the movie lacked the same magic as the original trilogy. Lucas also introduced the concept of midi-chlorians to explain a Jedi’s Force potential, while the Jedi Order was presented as arrogant and out of touch with the galaxy. This didn’t sit well with viewers who grew up on a mystical explanation of the Force while imagining the Jedi Knights as heroes.
7 Lucas’ Input Resulted In A Fan-Favorite Character Being Killed Off
Anakin Solo’s story was deemed too similar to Anakin Skywalker’s
Lucas regarded the Star Wars Expanded Universe as a parallel timeline to his movies, but he did offer creative input and occasionally requested changes. The Star Wars: The New Jedi Order book series would have focused on Anakin Solo, the youngest Solo child in the Legends continuity and a fan-favorite Star Wars character. However, Lucas thought Anakin Solo’s story was too similar to Anakin Skywalker’s in the prequel trilogy, so he suggested that the authors focus on Jacen Solo instead. Anakin Solo was killed off in Troy Denning’s Star Wars: The New Jedi Order – Star by Star, relegating him to a false protagonist for the first half of the series.
6 Star Wars: Episode II Was Just As Disappointing As Episode I
Fans hope that The Phantom Menace was just a fluke
Despite The Phantom Menace‘s problems, fans were hopeful that Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones would get the prequel trilogy on track. These fans were disappointed again when Attack of the Clones hit theaters, suffering from an overabundance of CGI, a poorly written romance plot, and a time skip that made the movie feel like a second Episode I. Many argued that Attack of the Clones was worse than The Phantom Menace, and some even refused to see Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith out of fear of being disappointed again. Attack of the Clones is still ranked by many as the worst Star Wars film.
5 Lucas Only Released The Star Wars Special Editions In High Quality
The theatrical cuts have never been officially released in HD
The 1995 VHS release of the Star Wars trilogy was marketed as the last chance to own the original version of the films, and fans eventually learned that this wasn’t an exaggeration. Following the 1997 Star Wars Special Edition, which introduced several controversial changes, Lucas never released the theatrical cuts in HD. The best fans got was a 2006 bonus DVD that wasn’t mastered in DVD quality, and its non-anamorphic widescreen meant it appeared as a box on larger televisions. The Star Wars theatrical cuts have yet to be officially released in HD, leading to several fan restorations like Project 4K77 and the Star Wars Despecialized Edition.
4 The Clone Wars TV Series Ignored The Expanded Universe
The show’s timeline was incompatible with the books and comics
While the Star Wars EU wasn’t allowed to contradict the movies, Lucas was under no obligation to adhere to the books and comics, leading to two radically different Clone Wars timelines. Star Wars: The Clone Wars drew inspiration from the EU while ignoring its continuity, and many of these contradictions originated with Lucas. This understandably didn’t sit well with fans of the Clone Wars multimedia project or Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars 2D micro-series, which had already chronicled the war in detail between the release of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
3 Lucas Tried To Re-Release The Star Wars Movies In 3D
Many felt this was a gimmick designed to make quick money
Many iconic films have been re-released in 3D for studios to make more money without creating anything new, and Lucas jumped on this bandwagon in 2012 with the 3D release of The Phantom Menace. While fans were excited by a chance to see the Star Wars movies on the big screen, the 3D aspect meant that there would only be one movie a year, and many viewers found the 3D unimpressive in The Phantom Menace. The other Star Wars re-releases were canceled when Disney acquired the franchise, leading many to wonder why Lucas had bothered with 3D in the first place.
2 Lucas Kept Changing His Mind About Making More Star Wars Movies
He once claimed there would be nine films but later said the sequels wouldn’t happen
Lucas was inconsistent over the years in his statements about more Star Wars films, brainstorming a 12-movie plan in 1976 but asserting that there would never be more films in 2005. Lucas stated at one time that Star Wars was a nine-episode saga, but these plans faded when he chose to focus on the prequel trilogy. He claimed for several more years that neither he nor anyone else would make more Star Wars films, only to write treatments for a sequel trilogy when Disney expressed interest in buying the franchise. This made it frustrating for fans in the years between new Star Wars movies.
1 Lucas Sold Star Wars To Disney
Many fans were excited to see new Star Wars movies not made by Lucas
In a move that shocked the world, it was announced in 2012 that Disney had purchased Lucasfilm, leading to mixed reactions from Star Wars fans. Many were excited to see someone else write and direct after Lucas’ past mistakes, while others hesitated to trust Disney with the Star Wars brand. These reactions have only escalated over time, with some audiences enjoying the new Star Wars films while others wished Lucas had never sold his company. Either way, it serves as the final example of the many times Star Wars fans were done with George Lucas.
