George Lucas, the man behind arguably the most significant Sci-Fi franchise in history, has always been a unique character. The Star Wars creator has been described as introverted, yet he will not hold back any opinion if asked. As the popularity of Star Wars grew and Lucas received intense feedback of both acclaim and criticism, he had become more forthright in interviews.
Whether it's sharing his thoughts on his favorite Star Wars character, the direction of the franchise, or the nature of the industry itself, Lucas is not known for being a man who minces words. Lucas was said to have been torn over selling the rights to his beloved galaxy. This may have caused a brash honesty that some fans may have found difficult, yet others found refreshing.
11 Lucas Thought He Would've Had More Say Over Recent Star Wars Films
There are many different issues Lucas had addressed after he sold Star Wars to Disney in 2012. One aspect of the epic sale that Lucas bemoaned was that he expected to have "a little bit more say" over the last three films of the Skywalker Saga. While disappointed, Lucas' response to author Paul Duncan seemed very zen, explaining that Disney decided to "to go a different way."
Lucas reiterated this to interviewer Charlie Rose, where he compared the sale to a breakup, saying one just has to move on and can't look back or it will open old wounds.
10 Lucas Said Star Wars' Success Led to Limiting Creative Freedom
Lucas revealed he's annoyed by many of the changes his beloved space opera brought to Hollywood in an interview with Charlie Rose. One of the grievances is that, in Lucas' opinion, studios are more risk-averse in taking creative chances because they're more concerned about making money. This caused, in his view, studios to focus less on a story and more on if there's a movie with spaceships in it.
He goes a step further saying that filmmakers under the Soviet Union had more artistic freedom than Hollywood directors. While many of these statements can seem controversial, it's clear that Lucas feels the focus on profit that arose from his hit Sci-Fi series is detrimental to artists.
9 Lucas Gave Credence To The Theory Mace Windu Is Alive
One popular theory that hit Twitter was that Mace Windu, played by the legendary Samuel L Jackson, survived his fight with Anakin in Return of the Sith. Jackson had a Q&A where he purported that Mace may have survived his intense duel. Jackson also asserted that Lucas had given credence to the scenario where the beloved Jedi survived.
This gave fans hope that there may be a reprisal of Mace Windu in future films and series. Hopefully, Jackson can return with the purple lightsaber, and hopefully, it's in the capable hands of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau.
8 Lucas Always Wanted To Have Lightsaber Fight With Yoda
Lucas has a lot of complaints about the changes that Star Wars brought, in terms of the use of digital technology. "Whenever there's a new tool, people are going to abuse it," Lucas had said. But one thing about technology that made him happy was that viewers saw Yoda duel with a lightsaber.
In the past, Lucas couldn't do much with Yoda as he was a puppet in Empire and ROTJ. Fans were treated to an epic battle with Count Dooku at the end of Attack of the Clones. Lucas may be right about the abuse of technology, but watching Yoda backflip while fighting Count Dooku put CGI to good use.
7 Jar Jar Binks Was His Favorite Character
Lucas always stated that he viewed Star Wars as a children's story, which is why he may see Jar Jar Binks as his favorite character. In fact, Jar Jar Binks was inspired by the Disney character Goofy. Fans of course not only hated the prequels but hated Jar Jar Binks.
So much so that the actor dealt with mental health issues because of the backlash. Fans of the prequel probably would cite Darth Maul as their favorite character, so it may surprise some that Lucas loved one of the prequel's most despised characters.
6 Lucas Was Disappointed With The Force Awakens
The Force Awakens divided fans between those who loved the nostalgic feel vs those who felt it lacked originality. Lucas was in the latter camp. Lucas apparently complained to his long-time producer Katherine Kennedy upon seeing the film that it was "nothing new." Lucas later criticized the film for its retro tone.
Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney, was upfront that the goal was to remind fans why they fell in love with Star Wars. This could explain Lucas and other critics felt The Force Awakens was just A New Hope frozen in carbonite.
5 Lucas Was Dissatisfied With A New Hope
Just like Force Awakens, Lucas was disappointed with the movie that started it all. While Steven Spielberg claimed A New Hope changed the industry, Lucas was very dissatisfied with how it came out. Lucas told Rose in the same interview where he criticized commercialism that A New Hope was only "35% of what he wanted."
Part of this was because of the lack of technology, but there almost certainly was creative pushback from the studios, who didn't understand a flying spaceship with a talking dog. The one thing that Lucas and the studios agreed upon was their distaste for the final cut of a film that revolutionized the Sci-Fi genre.
4 Lucas Implied That Anti-War Sentiment of the '60s Inspired The Rebels of the Original Trilogy
Lucas had affirmed in other interviews that much of the political sentiment of the '60s influenced him, saying he would've been Michael Moore documentarian had Star Wars not made it big. In an interview with famed director James Cameron, Lucas said at the time there were some comparisons between the rebel alliance fighting the Empire to the Viet Cong fighting the United States government.
While Star Wars wasn't meant to be explicitly political, Lucas and Cameron acknowledge there are parallels between anti-colonialist sentiments and the Rebel Alliance's fight against the dreaded purveyors of the Death Star.
3 Lucas Is A Fan Of The Mandalorian
Negative press always gets attention as fans clamor to hear Lucas's hot takes. This can lead to positive praise on the direction of the franchise to be overlooked. Executive producers of The Mandalorian Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni opened up about how the original creator felt about the acclaimed show.
Filoni, who is said to be the galaxy's heir apparent, revealed that Lucas had been very complimentary about the show. Lucas told Filoni he "enjoyed getting to watch the show as a fan." This is high praise from someone who can be critical about the direction of Star Wars.
2 Lucas Would've Brought Back Darth Maul If He Still Had Control
During the prequels, fans were very vocal about what they didn't like about Lucas's vision. Many might be shocked that Lucas planned to bring back Darth Maul and make Leia "the chosen one" for the next trilogy.
These changes could've possibly been welcome by fans, who felt Darth Maul was the best part of the prequels. Of course, Disney went in another direction. But it will always feel like a missed opportunity to not have the fan-favorite Sith return to the feature films.
1 Lucas Sold Star Wars So He Could Raise His Daughter
Lucas shared the pain of departing from Star Wars in many interviews. He even referred to the movies as "his children." But Lucas decided to depart from his sci-fi children to raise his actual daughter, Everest. Lucas revealed that being a good dad to his daughter was the driving motivator in his retirement.
Lucas did not know if he would even be alive long enough to finish a new trilogy and instead decided to spend time with family. Out of all the decisions the most successful director in Hollywood history had made, this one is arguably the wisest.