George Lucasmay have createdStar Warsand reshaped the film industry, but he was also responsible for some of the franchise’s biggest mistakes. I greatly respect Lucas as an individual, his vision for theStar Warsmovies, and how he kept pushing the boundaries of what filmmaking technology could accomplish. He was skilled at creating ideas and encouraging others to do the same, overseeing some of my favoriteStar Warsprojects.
Even so, it’s no secret that Lucas made decisions over the years that hurtStar Warsand weren’t very popular with fans. Whether it was the quality of one of his movies, the questionable direction of some stories, or his disregard for things many fans loved, Lucas made some pretty unpopular choices. His 10 biggest mistakes withStar Warsin no way undermine his legacy, but I feel they are worth addressing so the franchise can avoid similar mistakes.
10Lucas Shouldn’t Have Taken Such A Long Directing Hiatus After Star Wars
He didn’t direct another movie until The Phantom Menace
Between the end ofA New Hope’s post-production in 1977 and the beginning ofStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace’s pre-production in the 1990s, Lucas took a long break from the director’s chair. He did keep plenty busy at Lucasfilm, coming up with the story and executive producing the original trilogy and many other films. Still, it’s hard to blame some people for being skeptical about him returning to the director’s chair after so many years.
It honestly shows inThe Phantom Menace, which many of us view as a significant step down in quality from Lucas' previous work. Lucas' directing improved significantly with each prequel, at least in my opinion, but maybe it would have been better from the start if he hadn’t been out of practice. Had he directed a few more films after the original trilogy, maybe it wouldn’t have taken him so long to find his groove again.
9Lucas Made Luke And Leia Siblings
Even though this clearly wasn’t intended
Now, this is a “mistake” I have more mixed feelings about, but I still wanted to address it. Lucas clearly never intended for Luke and Leia to be siblings, with Luke having a light crush on her in the firstStar Warsmovie and the two sharing a brief kiss in the second.Luke’s twin sister was originally supposed to be a new character, but when Lucas chose not to make more movies, Leia was the only viable option.
This is why I cut Lucas some slack for making Luke and Leia siblings, and subsequentStar Warsstories made it work pretty well. Either way, there’s no denying that it’s a bit awkward inReturn of the Jedi, and the reveal isn’t handled with the same weight and outstanding execution as the otherbestStar Warstwists. It may not be as big a mistake as other topics on the list, but I thought it was worth discussing.
8Lucas' Star Wars TV Movies Were A Very Mixed Bag
From somewhat enjoyable to completely unwatchable
In addition to the original trilogy, Lucas produced and developed the story for a fewStar WarsTV movies that weren’t very good.TheStar Wars Holiday Specialis infamously one of the worst television productions ever produced, with a convoluted plot and some of the most ridiculous skits that madeStar Warslook like a joke. Even Lucas once joked that he would hunt down and destroy every copy if he had the time and a sledgehammer.
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventurewas a pretty fun movie by low-budget standards, but it obviously doesn’t hold a candle to the theatrical films. Its sequel,Ewoks: The Battle for Endor,was a significant step down, immediately undoing the happy resolution of the first film and having Wicket speak Basic for some reason. Lucas may not have been as heavily involved in these projects, but he did approve and produce them.
7Lucas Tried To Erase The Theatrical Versions Of The Original Trilogy
They’re still not available to buy in high-definition
Arguably the biggest mistake that many fans still resent Lucas for is his attempt to erase the theatrical cuts of theStar Warsmovies from the public mind. Despite how groundbreaking Industrial Light and Magic’s visual effects work was,Lucas himself was famously unsatisfied with the theatrical cuts. This led to him creating theStar WarsSpecial Editions in 1997, and he continued making more alterations with each home video release.
Many have turned to fan projects like theStar WarsDespecialized Editions and Project 4K77.
While I acknowledge that Lucas has every right to change his movies,I can’t agree with his decision not to release the theatrical cuts alongside the Special Editions. Fans begged him for years, but Lucas refused every time, saying they"fell in love with a half-completed film"or implying that fans needed to grow up becauseStar Warswas his creation. Even though Disney ownsStar Wars, the theatrical cuts still haven’t been released in modern high definition.
6Lucas' Prequels Were Overly Reliant On CGI
A little more emphasis on practical effects could have gone a long way
TheStar Warsprequel trilogy has received much criticism, and one of the most common complaints is Lucas' overreliance on CGI over practical effects. I should clarify that some of the criticism is unfair, as Lucas' team still used practical effects and some of the digital effects were revolutionary for the time. Even if the CGI isn’t always perfect, some characters and locations couldn’t have been realized without it.
However,it’s clear at times that Lucas used too many CGI effects and backgrounds when he didn’t have to, hurting the trilogy’s visual appeal.Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clonesis the most notable, with the entirely CGI clones being so noticeable that Lucas' team returned to costumes forStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The movies may have looked better if Lucas had fewer CGI shots that his team could focus on.
5Lucas Saved Too Much Story For The Final Prequel Film
Revenge of the Sith’s story feels a bit rushed
My biggest gripe with theStar Warsprequels is Lucas saving too much of the plot forStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. I understand why Lucas wanted to start with Anakin Skywalker as a child, and it does make his eventual turn to the dark side more impactful. However, it also makesStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacefeel like a prologue, so the next movie looks like it’s basically starting over.
If Lucas had started withAttack of the Clones,Revenge of the Sith’s most important story beats could have been fleshed out across two movies instead of being rushed into one.
Because of this approach,Revenge of the Sithfeels like two movies mashed into one, especially when you see how much Lucas had to cut for time. If Lucas had started withAttack of the Clones,Revenge of the Sith’s most important story beats could have been fleshed out across two movies instead of being rushed into one. It’s nowhere near as bad asStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but I can’t help but see the unrealized potential.
4Lucas Was Too Dismissive Of The Star Wars Expanded Universe
Despite how much many fans loved these stories
Lucasfilm’s old canon policy clearly stated that Lucas' movies and TV shows outranked everything in the originalStar WarsExpanded Universe, now known as Legends. This is an understandable approach, as there were countless books, comics, and video games Lucas would have had to keep up with. I also understand why the creator ofStar Warswouldn’t feel obligated to adhere to stories he had nothing to do with.
Lucas did use some elements from the Expanded Universe: Coruscant, Aayla Secura, etc.
Even so, Lucas' attitude toward the Expanded Universe led to unnecessary continuity errors or comments that seemed to antagonize fans.Star Wars: The Clone Wars, created and executive produced by Lucas, completely ignored the existing Clone Wars timeline, even though Lucas himself wasn’t the one coming up with most stories. Lucas also disliked many things fans loved, notably Luke Skywalker getting married to Mara Jade in the books.
3Lucas Shouldn’t Have Released Star Wars: The Clone Wars As A Movie
An odd start to the animated series
One of Lucas' more baffling decisions was introducing the world toStar Wars: The Clone Warsas a theatrical film. While that may not sound like a bad idea on paper, the way it was executed didn’t giveClone Warsthe introduction it deserved.The movie is actually four episodes of the TV series strung together and slightly altered for the big screen, and it’s incredibly obvious.
The animation is pretty rough and even unfinished at times, which isn’t surprising since they were some of the first developed for the series. you may also tell where the episodes would have ended and the next would begin, which isn’t what you want in a cohesive theatrical movie. Even without these problems,a plot revolving around saving Jabba the Hutt’s son doesn’t make for a particularly excitingStar Warsadventure.
2Lucas Should Only Have Sold Star Wars If Disney Used His Sequel Treatments
He was disappointed when they didn’t use his story
This is a bit of a tricky one, as it can be argued how much was Lucas' fault and if a different outcome would have been better. Lucas was upset that Disney chose not to use his story treatments for theStar Warssequel trilogy, something he had been led to believe would happen when he sold Lucasfilm. If this is what Lucas wanted, then maybe he should have made it a condition of sellingStar Warsto Disney.
10 Major Differences Between George Lucas' Sequel Trilogy Plans & The Disney Movies
Many have argued that George Lucas' sequel trilogy would have been better than Disney’s, but what would Lucas' sequel really have included?
I’m sure Lucas' treatments would have had their own set of problems, and the filmmakers may have felt creatively limited. At the same time,it would have resulted in a trilogy more consistent with Lucas' other movies and more original than the sequels we got. The sequel trilogy would also have had a clear outline to follow from the beginning, rather than constantly changing course as the final movies did.
1Lucas Sold Star Wars Before Several Projects Were Finished
So many great stories will never see the light of day now
Another consequence of Lucas sellingStar Warsto Disney was the cancelation of so many promisingStar Warsprojects.Star Wars: The Clone Warswas canceled before receiving a proper finale,several completed episodes ofStar Wars Detoursremain unreleased, and games likeStar Wars: 1313never hit store shelves. These are just a few of the manyStar Warsprojects that were affected by the Disney transition.
To be fair, these decisions were made after Disney took over, butLucas could have made sure some of these projects would see the light of day first. He was the creator and executive producer for the animated shows that got canceled, so you’d think he would made sure that wouldn’t get unceremoniously shafted. Either way,Star Warswouldn’t exist withoutGeorge Lucas, so remembering that is just as crucial as highlighting any of his mistakes.
