George Lucas had nothing to do with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and yet, new quotes of his feel like he’s speaking directly to it. Back in 2017, the polarizing reaction to Rian Johnson’s Star Wars sequel seemed like a major turning point for the franchise. The film got a lot of love, but also a lot of hate, and it was in that moment several plans for the future of Star Wars changed. Episode XI was reworked. Johnson’s planned trilogy went away. And ever since, a galaxy far, far away has felt oddly rudderless.
Were those changes Lucasfilm directly reacting to people who were mad about The Last Jedi? That’s never been 100% confirmed, but the timing and decisions certainly point to that. Everything that happened very much seemed as if the studio was listening more to people who hated the movie instead of the filmmakers working on the story. Whatever the case, it ended up being a bad decision, which brings us back to Lucas.
Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning, Lucas was talking about the reaction to his tinkering with the Star Wars movies for the 1997 special editions when he dropped in this little gem. “It’s hard to explain to the studios that if you listen to the people who are unhappy, it’s not going to turn out well,” Lucas said. “It’s going to be sad. Because they’re not people who know how to make movies.”
Now, was Lucas talking about what became of his franchise after he sold it? Not directly. But that sentiment of trusting the filmmakers and not the outside noise sure does ring true in a larger sense. Lucas never, ever, gave a crap about what people think. You love these movies? Thank you, but now Greedo shot first. You don’t like this little kid? Fine, here are two more movies about him. Oh, you want three more Star Wars movies? No, I’m going to build a museum. And guess what? In basically every instance, Lucas trusting his creative urges was the right call. (To be fair, Jar Jar Binks’ decreasing prominence in the prequels does feel, at least a little, like a reaction to fans, but that’s the exception, not the rule.)
We’ll see how the future of Star Wars plays out with the company now under new leadership, and we hope things get back on track. And if there’s ever a doubt, just look to the works of the Maker. Don’t listen to those who are unhappy.
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