George Lucas: Legend, Meme, or Savior?

Steven Spielberg is Hollywood’s Wunderkind. His very good friend George Lucas would have to be something like his brother then—or at least a cousin. Because just like Steven, Lucas changed the film industry forever. More than once, in fact, even if in very different ways. And yet, the creator of Star Wars never enjoyed the same positive reputation as the creator of the summer blockbuster. Why is that? Why do more and more fans wish that Lucas would return to Star Wars? And could he possibly be both the problem and the solution for the future of the galaxy far, far away?

One Flop and One Hit

In 1964, a lanky young man began film school. Just 15 years later, he was a multimillionaire who had left his mark in film history. But of course, the road there wasn’t freshly paved or safe—it was full of potholes and stumbling blocks. Lucas’s first film, THX 1138—incidentally produced by another close friend, Francis Ford Coppola—was, despite its visual strengths, a flop. At least financially. For a moment, it looked as if Lucas’s first project might also be his last. After all, who wants to hand money to a young would-be visionary with nothing but a failure on his résumé? Luckily, Universal took pity on him and let Lucas tell a story about bored, car-obsessed teenagers in a small town—and landed a mega-hit with American Graffiti!

A Deal That Changed Everything

Two films: one meh, one fantastic. Exactly the kind of director whose next project nobody could predict. Especially since Lucas had an experimental space western rattling around in his head—one that didn’t sound cheap. Who would take that gamble? Not Universal, they passed without hesitation. However, Alan Ladd Jr. at 20th Century Fox took a chance. In part because George Lucas waived a $500,000 salary in exchange for nothing but the licensing and merchandising rights. That Fox actually agreed to this shows just how much faith they had in Star Wars.

It was a deal that would change everything. With toys alone, Lucas made so much money that he was (almost) no longer dependent on studio funding. This was the first real industry-shaping moment: Lucas and Star Wars practically invented the modern movie merchandising machine. But more importantly, all that money gave him one priceless asset: freedom.

Technology That Amazed

Lucas poured his new wealth into his sequels, especially into groundbreaking technologies developed at his company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). The Dykstraflex is a prime example: John Dykstra’s computer-assisted motion-control camera system made those dynamic space battles possible—the ones that earned the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

It’s a reminder not to underestimate the technical side of things. As sociologist Toby Miller once put it: “George Lucas took a genre that looked cheesy and made it look like a high-concept movie by investing in new ideas, technologies and people. Finally, the story and imagery have been the stars rather than the actors.” If that doesn’t sound like loads of modern day blockbusters, I don’t know what does.

And Then He Quit

The success of the first Star Wars—back then not yet called Episode IV: A New Hope—doesn’t need repeating here. What’s far more interesting is what George Lucas did next: the guy who had just delivered the year’s biggest box office hit decided to retire from directing! After just three movies! A decision that, like the merchandising deal, would prove golden in hindsight.

Stepping away from directing didn’t mean stepping away from Star Wars. Far from it—Lucas had total control over his film universe and could do whatever he wanted, Ewoks and Holiday Special included. But he wasn’t a Palpatine-style despot. He was a tech geek who knew his weaknesses. Which is why he brought in help for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The overall story was his, sure, but dialogue was handed off to writers like Leigh Brackett and a then-unknown Lawrence Kasdan. And while Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand didn’t enjoy full creative freedom—especially Marquand—they still brought their own vision to the table. That allowed Lucas to focus on what he did best: editing and, of course, special effects.

Worldwide Success #2

Enough foreshadowing for the prequel trilogy and its problems. Let’s first mention just how incredible Lucas’s streak back then was. Even his side projects turned into global hits, at least when it comes to Indiana Jones, which he developed with his buddy Steven Spielberg. And just like Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark left audiences speechless. The blend of breathtaking action, gorgeous direction, humor and suspense, a charismatic hero, and iconic music made Indy’s first adventure a masterpiece that still holds up today.

And then there was the spin-off The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. For its time, it set new standards for high production values. More importantly, it was here that Lucas began experimenting with digital techniques—experiments that would later reshape the prequel trilogy and once again revolutionize the industry, like the use of fully digital cameras.

Sure, Lucas wasn’t perfect. He had his failures—Howard the Duck comes to mind. But in just a few short years, the lanky film student had transformed into a living legend. A status nobody could take from him—except maybe himself.

Return and Downfall

Twenty-two years after his last directorial gig, Lucas returned to the director’s chair for Episode I: The Phantom Menace. But this time, there would be no other writers or directors after the first installment. Lucas handled directing, writing, producing, and even—uncredited—editing across all three prequels. Basically, he did everything!

Looking back, that’s a shame. Because the original trilogy had thrived on the input of many people with different perspectives. But here? It was all Lucas, all the time. And while the prequels were financial juggernauts, many critics and older fans bounced off them hard.

So the prequels—especially the first two—got labelled as nothing more than kid’s stuff, meme fodder and a political misfire. And for many critics, there was one culprit: George Lucas. The man who had gifted us a galaxy far, far away had become its biggest problem. Midi-chlorians horrified fans, Jar Jar Binks was unbearable, and endless Senate debates alienated audiences. More voices behind the scenes might have helped. But who was going to say no to the living legend?

The Sale at the Wrong Time?

Fast forward to 2012, when George Lucas sold his life’s work to Disney. Officially, it was about age. At 68, he knew another trilogy would eat up at least a decade of his life. He wanted to focus on his family instead. Later, he cited streaming as another factor: "I said, 'I don't know what this is gonna be, there's gonna be a giant transition in the business, I don't know that much about it,' and I sold the company, and I retired."

Fair enough. But I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the backlash against the prequels might have played their part. Or can you imagine Lucas selling Star Wars if those movies had been universally beloved? From today’s perspective, that almost feels ironic—because right when he sold, the prequels were starting to be re-evaluated and, eventually, embraced.

The Absence of a Plan

Whatever you think of Disney’s sequel trilogy, one thing is obvious: there was no grand plan. They went film by film. Even Kathleen Kennedy has admitted how hard it was to continue the saga without Lucas’s framework.

To be fair, J.J. Abrams’s The Force Awakens was a spectacular start, even if it leaned a bit too heavily on A New Hope. Then came Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, which split the fanbase like no Star Wars film before. Critics loved it. Many fans hated it. Disney panicked, brought Abrams back, and swung hard in the opposite direction. A constant back-and-forth that didn’t help the movies.

The lack of planning showed elsewhere too: in the six years after The Rise of Skywalker, Disney announced 20 Star Wars films. To date, not a single one has actually made it to theaters, and only two are in active development right now. The TV shows have fared better, but even there, cracks are starting to show.

Turning Weakness Into Strength

All of this contributed to the prequels’ redemption arc. Hate them or love them, they’re consistent and cohesive. They tell one unified story, fleshed out further by the excellent spin-off The Clone Wars. What was once seen as Lucas’s flaw—that he had total control—has become a strength in hindsight. It’s exactly what Disney’s Star Wars lacked: a unified voice and vision.

No wonder fans now wish for a Lucas return. You see it all over internet debates, but also in surveys—like one from Elbenwald where 85% of respondents said they’d welcome a Lucas-led project under Disney. Which raises the question: What might Star Wars have looked like if Lucas had kept the reins?

Luke, Leia, Maul & the Whills

In his interview with Paul Duncan for The Star Wars Archives: Episodes I–III (1999–2005), Lucas revealed some of his plans. Let’s start with the Skywalkers: Luke, unsurprisingly, would have rebuilt the Jedi Order, encountering survivors of Order 66 along the way. But Leia would have been the true protagonist of the sequels. She’d rebuild the Republic, rise as its leader, and ultimately be revealed as the real Chosen One.

Lucas also toyed with standalone projects: a film about Sith Lords Darth Maul and Darth Talon (the latter from the excellent Star Wars: Legacy comics), even movies centered on Ewoks and Wookiees. But his boldest and most controversial idea was another trilogy that would actually deepen his ideas about midi-chlorians: "But there’s this world of creatures that operate differently than we do. I call them the Whills. And the Whills are the ones who actually control the universe. They feed off the Force."

Lucas and the Future of Star Wars

Of course, these were just ideas. And ideas change—as they did even mid-shoot on the original trilogy. But I’ll go out on a limb here: had Lucas not sold, his films—like the prequels—would have challenged us. They would have been bold. They wouldn’t have clung desperately to the past, as Disney has recently with its endless callbacks to the Skywalker saga.

I don’t hate everything Disney has done with Star Wars. But more George Lucas would certainly do the franchise good. He may not have been the best director, and definitely not a great dialogue writer. But he was a visionary who could tell a coherent story. And that’s exactly what the galaxy far, far away needs now more than ever.