Debate of the Day: Would You Want George Lucas to Keep Making Star Wars Movies?

This question comes from purely hypothetical land, as no, you haven’t missed some massive announcement that Lucas is planning to do another trilogy at long last.

But the question today is, would you want him to? And going further back, if you knew what the prequel trilogy would be like, would you want him to have made it at all? Is a shitty Star Wars movie better than no Star Wars movie?

All of these questions are very much tied together. We all want MORE Star Wars movies, I think that’s not really up for debate for fans. But we want them to be GOOD, and recently that would seem to mean wrestling complete creative control away from George Lucas, something it’s clear he shouldn’t have. The first three Star Wars films were a collaborative effort between many, many people, but now? Lucas is supreme overlord of the property, and the new trilogy was him from start to finish. If the same rules applied to new movies, would you even want him to make them? I’m not so sure myself, so discuss.

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36 Comments

  1. Ummm…no…no more movies from the world of King George (at least not those he does himself).

    Lucas has the ability to create interesting story ideas, but no actual way to flesh them out into something tangible. And he certainly cannnot write dialogue in any way, shape, or form. What would be ideal is if Lucas realized that his best ability is creating the detail of the Star Wars universe, and he hired a screen writer and director who can flesh out the story and make it come alive on screen.

    If I had known how crappy the prequels were going to turn out to be, I never would have watched them. They are a muddled mess, which is a shame, because in truth the “fall from grace” hero storyline in them could have been amazing. But in order for that to happen, we had to actually give a crap about the characters…which was impossible the way Lucas wrote the story, the scenes, and the dialogue.

  2. If you give him enough time, he’ll change his orriginal trilogy so much that they will have become three totally different movies. No need for new stuff at all…

  3. Oh Hell NO! Who in their right mind would want Lucas to continue? Just look at how the series progressed. Episodes 4 and 5 are the best and not surprising, they are the one’s that George had the least creative control. And we get a chance to see what he really would have done without the input thanks to his ego. The whole “who shot first” debate shows that George has zero concept of character development. He basically neuters the development of Han because George thinks his audience are idiots. Further along those lines, the single greatest scene in the films, where Lea is finally forced to express her love for Han, knowing this could be the last moment of his life, and Han utters that fantastic, sort of dickish, but perfectly for the character line “I know”…George hated that line. He fought like crazy to have the original dialogue he wrote put back in there.

    Just watch episode 2. Hayden Christensen gets a lot of flack for his portrayal of Skywalker but no one…I mean no one at all, could have made that hackneyed dialogue that George wrote work. If you really watch Skywalker and Padtai hang out together, Skywalker comes off like Ed Gein. It makes NO SENSE that any woman would stick around with that dude.

    And finally (sorry about the length of this rant but I really HATE George Lucas), no other director would make the mistake of trying to do prequels. Its a terrible idea, especially when it involves already establish characters. No one does this because its impossible to pull off effectively. George did it solely for cash and I don’t think even bothered with continuity. You watch the films together and the inconsistencies make you wonder if he even bothered to attempt to close the loop holes or the writing issues. The scripts literally read like there is a decline in George’s sanity as these films were created.

    KOTOR…when I played KOTOR, I got hugely pissed because for the first time, I realized that Star Wars could have been so much better. I always suspected it, but for the first time, I saw what could have happened if people other than George tried to use the universe in their own way. Realistic characters, acting logical, with a story that doesn’t assume the audience is a moron, none of this exist in the movies. I love Sci-Fi. I have a rule judging it. If you removed the Sci-Fi elements from it, would the film, book, or show still be good. Episode 4 and 5….I could make the argument that they are good films but with major flaws. 6 is iffy in my eyes, but episodes 1, 2, and 3 should have never been made.

    I hate to link to another site but there is a couple guys that did a series of long videos showing every single thing wrong with the Star Wars films. redlettermedia.com and just click on the links for the star wars films. It will really open your eyes about the history of the films and just how many things Lucas did wrong. And they are pretty damn hilarious.

  4. @Diablo totally correct man, also, Padtai? Hilarious.

    Look at KOTOR 2 and Kreia’s views on the Force. That computer game alone holds more depth and character development in it that the entirety of the Star Wars films. It would be nice to see the whole franchise given over to someone else just to see if it could be improved at all.

    BUT, we can’t have more films now. We can’t have pre-prequels, nor EU adaptations, as all the post Endor books were awful until the NJO series. So even if Lucas was somehow ejected from his limpet-like grasp of the franchise we would probably be forced to get a reboot. Which would only be good if Christopher Nolan did it.

  5. Can someone dress up as Jar Jar Binks, walk up to Lucas and punch him square in the face?
    If this dude gave an iota of care towards Star Wars fans, he would of included the original unaltered versions along with his “reworked” ones.
    I love the original 3, don’t get me wrong. But he ruined it. I REFUSE to watch them how they are now. It hurts to say it, but its true.
    The new crap that he threw in was SO POINTLESS!! Why does Han need to walk on Jabba’s tail? Crap is thrown in, for a cheap laugh, but you see it and just shake your head in disappointment.
    Bottom line, the added crap is beyond stupid, and insults the viewers intelligence.
    I’m still waiting for Lucas and Speilberg to destroy Indy. You know its just a matter of time. You cannot talk about one without talking about the other.
    Wait, I just remembered about the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
    I for one, cannot wait for Shia lebeef to take over the Indy franchise. Maybe the series will then die a quick death, like The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. I’d rather both franchises die than become the mockery it is today.

  6. If he can stick to producing and doing secondary directing (letting another person do the directing), then yes. I would absolutely love to see something based on A New Jedi Order, one of the most well developed character arcs of all time. The only issue is that the Yuuzhan Vong is not a very relatable enemy. You despise them every step of the way. They are so detestable that it would possibly be enough to keep away masses. But it would be an ideal trilogy. Showing their arrival, Sernpidal, the Helska battle and maybe the fall of Ithor (Corran Horn needs to be seen on film) in the first film, the Centerpoint Tragedy, the fall of Duro, and first battle of Coruscant in the second film, and have the Jeedai Heresy along with the second battle of Coruscant and, out of order, the sacking of Yavin 4 in the final film. It would follow the arc-style of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings where the final film would be just one epic battle after another.

    The only other option, as far as I am concerned, would be to do one of the earlier Sith Wars. It’s a common enemy that everyone knows, though not nearly as well as the film would show them, and it would be a very easy story to adapt. I don’t think that would ever happen, though. With NJO, Luke, Leia, and Han are quite a bit older and, with a bit of makeup, you could easily have Hammil, Ford, and Fisher reprise their characters. There aren’t any characters in The Old Republic stories that have been seen before, so it would be like starting anew. Though, I think the two cinematic trailers for The Old Republic video game prove how great it could be.

    All that said, Lucas shouldn’t write the story. Hire one of the extended universe authors to write the script. James Luceno, RA Salvatore, or Greg Keyes would be ideal, in my eyes.

  7. Look, do you really want to have Stormtroopers with walkie talkies instead of laser guns? HELL NO.

    The dude should enjoy retirement and make space for dudes like J.J. Abrams who know how to make good entertaining reboots.

  8. The prequels gave us the Red Letter Media reviews, so it was worth it. Even without RLM, the prequel trilogy, IMO, should be required viewing in film classes. To show aspiring writers, directors, etc… how NOT to make a movie. Also, IMO Return of the Jedi has the “jaws” music playing slowly in the background. As the ewoks, the happy ending, the re-hashing of a Death Star explosion, and of course, Luke and Leia being siblings have shown that Lucas had already begun to be more interested in selling toys and appealing to the broadest audience possible, than telling a good story.

    And yes, I have this website to thank for the link to the Gary Kurtz interview from last year to find out most of this information lol.

  9. the originals were the best. the pre-quils… meh. Re-doing the orginals was ok for the most part. Re-doing them again for blue ray; now I’m irritated. More star was? well, if they’re anything like the re-dos or the prequels then I’m ok without them.

  10. The hatred for the Lucas is, in my eyes, ridiculous. I could write an essay or two on the merits of the prequel trilogy (and may someday), but for now…

    I think Lucas, while he certainly possesses some odd tendencies and traits that make specific elements of his recent projects hard to swallow, is a vastly underrated director and storyteller. The prequels are partially loathed because of some decisions he made that enhance the mythology of Star Wars on the whole, and make the saga itself a more complete six-part series instead of two roughly equivalent trilogies. If he decided to return to that universe, I’d expect him to strike out in an equally bold direction with the new project, and be there opening weekend to see if I was right.

    Of course, such a trilogy would almost certainly just add fuel to the fire that is the nerd-rage against the prequels and Lucas himself, and on that level it doesn’t sound appealing at all.

    As a side note, Red Letter Media doesn’t mean a thing to me, at least as far as criticism goes. While he occasionally makes a point or two that resonate, he spends far more time on pointless nitpicks or on arguments that show a fundamental misunderstanding of the movies he claims to be reviewing.

  11. I’d love to see more films from the Star Wars universe, whether Lucas-led or not. The biggest issue with the prequels was the 30-year gap between the 2 trilogies. A great many things changed in 30 years. Heck, a lot changed between Star Wars and Jedi. Lucas got softer, more family-friendly. How else can you explain the Ewoks and Han Solo’s calmer, gentler attitude? Who would have thought hibernation sickness would turn someone into a wussier version of their original selves? Anyway, back to the original question.

    Any movies made from the Old Republic days would be awesome, as would any made after the original trilogy. It would be best if no original characters from either trilogy are included in the new films. Jump way ahead or way back and any movie should be a joy to watch. Let Lucas write it then hand it off to someone better to ‘tweak’ it.

    On a side note, I have always wanted to see a Shadows of the Empire movie made. That would have been epic.

  12. The clearest indication that George has lost is grip on reality is his insistence that Anakin is a tragic figure.

    You have to be able to sympathise with a man who force chokes his pregnant wife in order to believe that.
    Darth Vader was a cool character and then George went full retard and did that.

    Hell, even Padme was kind of likeable but then she gave up on life. She lost the will to live, even though she was giving birth to twins. A mother who taps out of raising her kids. Awesome.

    George should never be allowed to make movies again.

  13. Diva D…please explain to me the merits of Episode 1. That entire film is just an excuse to sell toys and video games. Space Alien Chinese people, who base their entire civilization on interspace trade, are isolating a planet filled with humans and minstrel show characterizations of black people, of which most of the story involves CSPAN inspired debates and the Jedi approval of slavery. Oh and of course the evil slave owner is a hooked nose flying Jew who’s own magical Jew powers protect him from the good powers of the white folks…er I mean Jedi. Oh and a small child, living in a situation that looks like he and the rest of the planet shits in buckets, managed to design and build a droid that would become the inter-galactic standard diplomatic robot, but apparently the child was too retarded to get him and his mom out of bondage…or point out to the Jedi that “rescued” him that leaving his mother in slavery is really fucked up and lazy.

    If it wasn’t for the fact that Star Wars was in the title, it would have bombed. No one left the theaters after episode 1 thinking “WOW THAT WAS WORTH IT!”

  14. Sure. Episode I is on the surface a fairly engaging adventure story (obviously, your mileage has varied), but the title “The Phantom Menace” is the key to what that movie really does for the series. While the story appears to resolve with a climactic explosion (a la A New Hope), it really only lays the ground for a much darker series of events yet to come (a la A New Hope).

    In a way, it’s the prologue to the series as a whole. We get to see the Jedi in action before the next two movies tear them down. We get to see who Anakin was before his fall. We get some idea of what the Republic stood for before it became the Empire.

    Qui-Gon represents the ideal Jedi (and father figure). This is what puts him at odds with the Jedi council, as well as his own apprentice, who are more firm and self-righteous – a trait that would come back to bite them in the ass when they tried to deal with the anomaly that is Anakin Skywalker. His death is in many ways the catalyst for Anakin’s downfall – with the last “pure” Jedi gone, the way was clear for the corruption (of the Republic) and arrogance (of the Jedi) to take hold of him.

    On a more basic level, Phantom Menace is a relatively fast-paced adventure story with several memorable characters, some impressive action scenes, and a tremendous musical score. A story that riffs on cultural stereotypes doesn’t bother me unless it’s done hatefully, which I don’t think Phantom Menace is. Neither is Lord of the Rings, which has similar elements in this regard.

    One more thing: The Jedi work for the Republic. Tatooine isn’t part of the Republic. They have no jurisdiction to end slavery there. And your last point isn’t true; the prequels have many fans and always have.

  15. I think perhaps what you mean by “making” might be important, however in regards to “Star Wars” I think my answer is a complete and definite no either way.

    George Lucas had help directing the first one and he brought in other people to direct the second and third installments. He REALLY needed other people to direct everything he did. People who would feel totally free to criticise any decisions including asking for rewrites including shifts in emphasis.

    Could George Lucas provide ideas for other moviemakers out there? Does he have a new franchise up his sleeve? Who knows.

    However, Star Wars has suffered enough and needs to be left alone now.

    One thing’s for sure, George Lucas should never EVER direct again. Particularly not something he’s written himself. He doesn’t seem to get the best performances out of his cast and I don’t think directing is where his strengths lie.

  16. @DivaD
    “In a way, it’s the prologue to the series as a whole.”

    Um… isn’t that exactly what it is by definition?

    “with the last “pure” Jedi gone”

    Um… say what now? Yoda senses darkness in Anakin. Qui-Gon says “let’s train him anyway” and then insists that “Obi-Wan” train him as he dies. We know from the trilogy that Qui-Gon was absolutely and completely wrong in this final decision of his. So how is he “pure” exactly?

    It seems to me that if being pure also involves being wise, then Yoda is pretty pure.

    What confuses me most is not why Yoda’s subtle senses of emotion didn’t allow him to notice a conspiracy across several areas of the clone army to kill the Jedi, but how these elite warriors who can deflect billions of laser blasts with one swing of their lightsabers all managed to be taken out by a single shot from a blaster.

    “A story that riffs on cultural stereotypes doesn’t bother me unless it’s done hatefully”

    Oh good. Thank goodness the obnoxious cultural stereotypes weren’t hateful by your reckoning. They’ve all got the DivaD seal of approval, so we can all stop worrying, yeah? I’m afraid I’m not convinced by that. The cultural stereotypes are pretty hurtful to be honest and the main thing allowing them to be dismissed as “no big deal” is that this is a silly cartoon where one of its main memorable characters is a talking rabbit who comedically steps in excrement. If you want it to be taken a bit more seriously, you need to take the cultural stereotype issue seriously too.

  17. No.

    Nobody tells Lucas that. And that’s the problem, innit?

    No, George Lucas. No Jar Jar. No mitichlorians. No to your handwritten, crappy dialogue. Sorry. No.

    And lay off the CGI, will ya? You telling me you can’t hire some good model makers and program a camera for what you spent on CGI? IT DOESN’T LOOK AS GOOD.

  18. @FatPie42

    It’s not necessarily a prologue by definition. There’s a difference between a prologue and a first installment or chapter, and I think Phantom Menace errs more towards the former.

    I’m not equating purity with wisdom, but rather with… priorities, I guess. Focus. “Street” wisdom versus “book” wisdom.

    Had Qui-Gon trained Anakin as he planned to, I think the threat of darkness would have likely been avoided. Qui-Gon seemed more connected with the “living Force,” as he put it, than the rest of the Jedi. The others who opposed him – including Yoda, were arrogant. Sure, Yoda senses darkness in Anakin and he turns out to be right, but a lot of what brings about Anakin’s fall is the way the Jedi restrict and disrespect him. They invite him to betray a friend, they belittle his love for his mother, and they prohibit him from marrying the girl he loves. No wonder he takes an alternate route, when presented with one.

    Qui-Gon, on the other hand, seemed to be a more emotional, truly wise Jedi. He’s the one who doesn’t dismiss Jar-Jar, Anakin, or even Watto as lesser beings. Where Qui-Gon sees beings full of potential, Obi-Wan sees “pathetic life-forms.” Sure, Yoda is relatively wise, but he admits blindness (in Attack of the Clones) to what he should be able to see.

    “Wars not make one great,” he intones in Empire, but only AFTER the prequels, AFTER he sees what war did to him, his friends, and the Republic. That the Jedi would lead a clone army shows how far from their ideals they had fallen. Qui-Gon was closer to what I’d guess an “ideal” Jedi would be.

    “…how these elite warriors … taken out by a single shot from a blaster”

    I assume you’re talking about the Order 66 montage. All of those Jedi were in hostile environments, taken by surprise, and it’s not the first time in the series a Jedi has been killed by a sudden blaster attack (Attack of the Clones?). The Jedi are powerful, but not invulnerable. You’ll also remember Luke getting shot in Return of the Jedi.

    As for the stereotyping, I don’t know why you’re getting sarcastic and angry towards me. I’m simply saying that I don’t think Phantom Menace hurt anybody with its dabbling in those areas (indeed, as a kid none of them even registered with me). Adventure storytelling tends to utilize such ideas, whether it be Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, or The Mummy. Do you disregard all of these movies?

    As for taking the series “seriously,” one of the fun things about Star Wars is how it combines the somber with the absurd. It can be too much for some people, but I like the concoction Lucas makes. Why can’t I have fun AND be serious?

  19. Here is the problem with doing a prequel…and why no film director ever wants to do it (especially in regards to a fan base that borders on psychotic like us Star Wars fans), just look at the discussion we are having attempting to justify what occurred in the prequels. Unless the creators do a LOT of fleshing out, you end up with characters doing very retarded, confusing, and outright illogical things so that the results of the later films occur. Its not organic at all and its kills the story telling.

    Easiest example is Obi-Wizzle telling Luke about his dad in episode 4. Now compare that to what Ankle does in episode 3. He slaughters children….little kids. Do you think John Wayne Gacy’s old neighbors talk nice about the man now like “Well he kept his grass cut and was great with kids at parties”. This whole thing makes zero sense because rather than have Darth Vader’s decent into evil be well written and correctly paced, Anakin joins the dark side because his feelings get hurt. Everything is just painfully forced.

    I tell you THE one illogical occurrence that just straight up pisses me off the most…R2D2 getting jets on his legs. Its fucking retarded on so many levels as the whole point of it is to have a stupid, throw away comedy scene and in the process it completely invalidates the logic of the later films when the jets disappear.

    For Sci-Fi and Fantasy to work, a world has to be created with rules. Now the rules can be completely different than ours, but the rules must be followed. “Inception” did this and the film is great (though having a kick ass cast and soundtrack helps). “The Core” tried to be a realistic film, but the plot holes and the logic problems are so bad, that the film is comically bad. Decent cast, but its impossible to take the film seriously. Same thing for me with Star Wars since the Prequels have been made. I watch the films and its just one long train wreck to me. They spent more time on the costumes than on the script and it totally shows.

    This doesn’t just happens to Lucas. This same problem, where a talented director just cashes in happens all the time. Its the reason we have “The Godfather Part III”

  20. Kudos to Unreality for starting this thread, and kudos to (most of) the contributors for hilarious and true posts. I’ve just blogged about it on ThisSortOfThing.com, which is my blog about when Star Wars was actually good. I think a lot of you would enjoy it (but not Diva D!).

  21. Yes, more movies. whether Lucas directs them or not.

    I’m starting to think all the “fans” who hate the prequel trilogy are just trollin’ the true fans.

    Diva D there is no use trying to get these people to appreciate what Lucas has done but I do commend you for trying. Some people are just too simple minded.

  22. No, books have already been written that cover the future. The problem with new movies is that the actors are too old and it would have to jump past so much material that it would not make sense to fans of the movies.

  23. I have to vote no.
    George has lost a few steps over the yers and he still honestly believes to this day that Howard the Duck will be better appreicated.

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