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The George Lucas Interviews Archives at SuperShadow.com
| Wednesday, February 18, 2009 |
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Good day to you, George. Hope this reaches you. For over twenty years, I have enjoyed the Star Wars world. I have seen all Star Wars Episodes 1 - 6. Read most of the Del Ray published novels on Star Wars of which I know you have some input here. And truly enjoyed them. After a while the story grows up with me. It has become a part of life.
I have read your interviews and I hope you can respond to my comment and question: Most fans of the epic will all have their inputs and say about what direction Star Wars should take beyond 2009 as I am sure you will agree. Personally, I like the direction the stories have unfolded in Del Ray publications up to the Legacy of the Force book series.
I had hoped that any more Star Wars movies (Star Wars Episodes 7, 8 and 9 and beyond) would work closely along the stories and time line as set out by the various Star Wars book series here, granted you may have your own set of ideas about certain events, but as you say, you don't spent a lot of time involved in "Star Wars" as there are aspects of life such as business and family.
But take it from me, however small my opinion might be, you can't go wrong and who knows where maybe 50 years from now, where all this might be heading, at some point somebody perhaps with your blessings, will take up the mantle and continue with this epic and make it apart of life for all those future Star Wars fans. Thanks and may the FORCE BE WITH YOU.
George Lucas: I'd like for you to know that your opinion is important to me. We are very, very desperate to get fans to read the Star Wars novels and comic books. Few fans are willing to read the Star Wars expanded universe. I appreciate your support over the past two decades. It means a lot to me. I would also like to say that Star Wars does consume a good portion of my life.
When I'm at work each day, Star Wars takes up 5 to 6 hours of my day. What I want the fans to know is that I don't spend 24 hours a day working on Star Wars. My name is not Mr. Star Wars. I invest most of my time with my family and girlfriends. However, I still do have many hours invested in Star Wars each week mainly as related to the Star Wars TV series.
However, you should realize I have nearly no involvement with the creation of the stories for the Star Wars novels and comic books. My employees at LucasBooks are behind what you see in those literature. None of the Star Wars novels or comic books represent my personal vision of Star Wars. The adventures you read about the time after Return of the Jedi are not my ideas. Star Wars Episodes 7, 8 and 9 will be based on my original ideas.
Not much from the Star Wars novels or comic books will be included in the next Star Wars film trilogy. Eventually, my children will have control over Lucasfilm because I will one day no longer be alive. The future of Star Wars is whatever my children want it to be. You need to convince my children to make the Star Wars novels and comic books into films because I'm not going to do this during my lifetime.
Mr. Lucas, on the next three Star Wars movies, are you going to have fight scenes with Princess Leia using the Force? Will you show more female Jedi? It would be nice to see a female Jedi kicking **** and not dying. This will give female fans a reason to cheer and wanting to see more.
George Lucas: Most of the Jedi seen in Star Wars Episodes 7, 8 and 9 will be male. Princess Leia will be a Jedi Master in Star Wars Episode 7 and you will see her in many light saber battles.
Love the Star Wars The Clone Wars TV series on the Cartoon Network. Me and my kids never miss it. It's becoming a Friday night family thing. I was also wondering how the TV ratings are doing and making sure you are planning on another season? Also has any other TV networks showed interest in airing besides the Cartoon Network?
George Lucas: The Nielsen TV ratings for the new Clone Wars TV show have been satisfactory. I'm not going to give the exact numbers, but it's sufficient to make the Clone Wars the most successful TV series on the Cartoon Network, which has agreed to broadcast Season 2 of the Clone Wars in Fall 2009. There's not much interest in other TV networks regarding Star Wars. It's going to be extremely difficult to find the right TV network to air the live action Star Wars TV series.
Dear George Lucas, I have read ideas for a homage to Indiana Jones. And I have my own idea. When the Dark Jedi attack, Han Solo has a holocron and drops it and a Dark Jedi locks eyes with Han and the Dark Jedi is swirling his light saber or light whip around like the swordsman in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. And then Han just shoots the Dark Jedi and retrieves the holocron. Thanks for your time.
George Lucas: Every week I spend some time working on the plot outline for Indiana Jones 5. Yet I don't know if Indiana Jones 5 will ever happen. It took nearly 20 years to complete Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's best to take this process one film at a time. It's possible a Mutt Williams film could happen before Indiana Jones 5.
| Monday, February 16, 2009 |
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George, I read an article this morning about watching TV in contact lenses. This would be about another 10 years. Do you think that in the future that guns could be made into laser blasters and swords could be made into light sabers? If so, how would you react to this if this was to happen? After all, the light sabers are pretty powerful, and if they were made, they could kill thousands of lives. Also, do you think that we could end up having "the Force" too? Please reply back! Thanks!
George Lucas: I've talked about this often, but I really do believe that soon artificial machine intelligence will control the Earth and then eventually the entire Universe. Mechanical beings will be superior to Humans in every way that can be imagined. We will either become machines ourselves or else we will no longer exist when the machines take over reality.
These machine monstrosities will create weapons beyond our ability to understand. It will be far beyond simple energy projectile and plasma blade weapons, which you suggest. SuperShadow has explained many times that a civilization that moves passed the technological singularity will be a godlike society that we can't even begin to grasp with our pitiful minds.
Is the start of the 2nd season of the Star Wars The Clone Wars TV series going to continue right after the first season or is the 2nd season going to air in October?
George Lucas: The Cartoon Network doesn't want to broadcast Season 2 of the Clone Wars immediately. They want to have new episodes for their Fall 2009 Friday night line up of television shows. Season 1 of the Clone Wars finishes in late March 2009.
This means Season 2 won't begin until September or October 2009. The Season 2 episodes are already completed, but because of our agreement with the Cartoon Network we can't release the next episodes on the official Star Wars web site before they appear on the Cartoon Network.
Dear Mr. Lucas. First of all, thank you very much for everything Star Wars related through the years. I appreciate it. Since you shot Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith digitally on high definition video tape, I wanted to ask you if there is a completely digital "master" of The Phantom Menace somewhere at Lucasfilm or is it still on celluloid?
And if so, do you plan on digitizing all of the footage from Star Wars Episode 1? I would also like to know if digital "masters" of the Star Wars original trilogy exist, and if not, do you plan on digitizing them? A few more questions: Has location scouting started for Star Wars Episode 7?
And if not, do you think that Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City, Mexico and/or the pyramids of Teotihuacan near Mexico City could be used for scenes in the new Star Wars movie trilogy, but with digital enhancements, of course, to make it seem more Star Wars like? Thanks.
George Lucas: First, I'd like to sympathize with your situation in life. You have written me often relating how things are extremely bad for you all the time. Don't ever give up even though life is hopeless for you. Second, some people can't be successful in life because they don't get the necessary breaks and good fortune you need.
The world is not out to get you, but it may seem like everyone conspires against you all the time. Third, I can't give money to individual fans to make them winners because there are too many fans. If I donated money to the very, very needy like yourself, I would end up with no money at all. You will be in my daily prayers. I'm thankful to be me and not you.
As for your question, I have hundreds of digital and regular film copies of the seven Star Wars movies, which are in a perfectly preserved condition. I learned from the mistakes of the past. Neither Lucasfilm nor 20th Century Fox took the necessary steps to preserve the master copies of the old Star Wars films.
As a result, when we tried to make pristine film prints for the Star Wars Special Editions in the 1990's, we had to spend many, many millions of U.S. dollars restoring the deteriorated film prints from 1977, 1980 and 1983 into something that could be watched in a high quality format.
Dear George Lucas. I have been wondering something for a long time and hope you can explain this to me. Through out the Star Wars movies, Anakin Skywalker is shown as the chosen one. But Obi-Wan defeated Anakin in Star Wars Episode III. I just wonder if Obi-Wan was the chosen one instead because Mace Windu said so the prophecy says, then Yoda said about a prophecy that could have been misread. Just my thoughts, but I still accept Anakin as the chosen one.
George Lucas: Well, in general, prophecies are nonsensical in many ways. I don't explain the Jedi prophecy in extreme detail in the Star Wars films. I've discussed this topic with Shadow at great length and he has advised me to never reveal what is really going on to the fans. What I will say is that Anakin fulfilled the prophecy by destroying the Sith Order at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi.
If you want to believe that Obi-Wan, Yoda, Luke Skywalker or some other character is the chosen one, then that's acceptable to me because the Star Wars films don't specify who the chosen one really is. It will remain an unknown mystery for eternity.
| Saturday, February 14, 2009 |
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Hey, George. Do you think that you could make a Star Wars 7 trailer draft so everyone could have something to watch until 2021?
George Lucas: I can provide a written synopsis for the Star Wars Episode 7 trailer because I have enough details about the story for Star Wars Episode 7. However, I can't create an actual visual teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode 7 until we have filmed scenes for Star Wars Episode 7. The first trailer for Star Wars Episode 7 will be in theaters in November 2020.
Dear George Lucas, we all know that the computer animated cartoon Star Wars The Clone Wars TV show won't last forever. I mean there's just so much you can have in between two Star Wars prequel movies, right? So I was wondering if you had any plans on doing a Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic video game spin off that features old Jedi and Sith like Revan and Bane, etc.?
George Lucas: You would be surprised at how many plot ideas myself and the staff writers have for the new Clone Wars TV series. There are enough unique story situations to make hundreds and hundreds of episodes. Realistically, we might get to produce five seasons of the Clone Wars TV series. That would be roughly 110 episodes at the current pace. We need a minimum of 100 episodes to attract buyers in the domestic and international television syndication market.
I have some ideas on what the next computer animated Star Wars TV shows will focus on. However, none that I'm planning will be based on the Star Wars video games. It's conceivable that I could have a Star Wars TV series focusing on the ancient Jedi and Sith, but it won't be based on any of the characters created in the Star Wars video games.
Dear Mr. Lucas, I love Star Wars and I use my personal computer a lot and my question is this: The Star Wars video games made for Super Nintendo and Windows 95 can you make them compatible with Windows XP or Vista?
George Lucas: It's important only to buy or play Star Wars video games officially released by LucasArts. Otherwise, you're responsible for many, many individuals losing their jobs at my companies. There has been a drastic reduction in the level of sales for the Star Wars merchandise over the past year.
If it continues to get worse and worse, then I will have to release more of my employees to seek other jobs. Think about these people. They are depending on you. It is important for you to purchase several of the Star Wars video games and other new Star Wars collectibles as soon as possible. Thanks for being such a special fan, who will help keep Lucasfilm in business.
| Friday, February 13, 2009 |
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Dear Mr. Lucas, if Padme Amidala had agreed with Anakin Skywalker in desertion and confusion to overthrow the current Old Republic leader, would Anakin confront the Emperor in a light saber battle and then return all powers over to what remaining Jedi that maybe survived Order 66? Many thanks.
George Lucas: We don't really know what would have happened if Anakin killed Darth Sidious during Revenge of the Sith. This would have ended the threat from the Sith Lords, but the Separatists military would still exist. It's unlikely Anakin would declare himself the tyrannical leader of the galaxy because Anakin never was personally ambitious. Anakin also lacked the political and military genius needed to subdue the Old Republic civilization.
Good day, George. You've answered on two of my previous posts. This alone is a huge privilege. Thank you. I have another question on which you may want give an answer to. How can you give out a teaser trailer description of Star Wars Episode 7 without yet having a single shot from the Star Wars Episode 7 film?
Represents this description the final teaser trailer we will get to see on the big screen, or is it rather a basic idea of it, like a rough draft for a feature screenplay? I eagerly anticipate your reply with great pleasure. My best wishes, regards and MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR PRECIOUS TIME.
George Lucas: The plot outline for Star Wars Episode 7 at SuperShadow.com is extremely brief and short in length. I have a much more extensive rough draft of Star Wars Episode 7 with key spoken dialogue that won't be revealed to the readers of SS.com until around 2015 or much later.
I have enough material from Star Wars Episode 7 to piece together a teaser trailer summary. It's a work in progress and by no means final, but it's basically what I want the first promotional trailer for Star Wars Episode 7 to be like.
Hey George, have you seen the movie trailer for the new movie "PUSH"? It looks like they are ripping off your Force push from Star Wars.
George Lucas: I borrowed from hundreds of source materials when creating Star Wars. I don't mind other film makers taking ideas from Star Wars, but you need to realize Force push is basic telekinesis. Star Wars wasn't the first film to feature such abilities.
I have read just about all of the Star Wars expanded universe from the New Republic era. Out of these my favorite were the X-Wing series. Can we expect to see characters like Corran Horn or Gavin Darklighter from the expanded universe in the films? Are there any chances of having Denis Lawson reprise his role as Wedge Antilles?
George Lucas: Certain characters, who originate in the Star Wars expanded universe, will be included in Star Wars Episodes 7, 8 and 9. I'm not going to specify these characters by name right now, but you can expect to see some of these characters in the next Star Wars films. Wedge Antilles, with Denis obviously, will appear in all three episodes of the next Star Wars film trilogy.
| Wednesday, February 11, 2009 |
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Hi Mr. Lucas, I am a big fan and I hope you respond to this. In the Star Wars Episode 3 deleted scenes found on the DVD, General Grievous kills Shaak Ti, but in a picture I have seen it has Anakin Skywalker standing behind Shaak Ti in the Jedi Temple ready to kill Shaak Ti so why do you have both and why didn't you have that scene in the film?
George Lucas: The only true Star Wars history is what you see in the Star Wars films, TV shows and video games I help create. The deleted material from the Revenge of the Sith DVD is meant to be a bonus for those fans willing to give me their hard earned money for the Star Wars DVD's. It has no relevance in Star Wars canon.
I wouldn't worry about things that don't matter. We are entering terrifying economic times that may never end. There is no certainty that America will ever return to full prosperity. We must pray we will eventually have significant economic growth again in the future, but it appears extremely doubtful right now.
You are the best! I just watched an episode of the Star Wars The Clone Wars television series. It was awesome! It has everything. I want to give you praise, George! It had action. It had great visuals. It had fantastic characters. It had moral lessons. It had excitement! I am so pleased. Another creation by George Lucas that inspires me. I am so happy!
I know you are the absolute, undisputed King of Film, but are you now going to be the King of Television? You bring hope to my heart, Mr. Lucas. Because of you, I can look towards the future to see a television show, once a week, that will keep me going through the ups and downs in my life knowing that the Clone Wars TV series is there for me. Congratulations on a very credible project!
George Lucas: Before SuperShadow, Star Wars always failed on television. Thanks to Shadow, we are entering a golden age for Star Wars TV shows. Over the next ten to fifteen years, I promise to produce the best Star Wars TV adventures you can imagine. Your life will improve because of Star Wars unless we spiral down into a permanent economic depression.
If the Clone Wars TV series continues to be a success, will you produce more than the promised 100 episodes of the new TV series?
George Lucas: I promise to keep making episodes of the new Clone Wars for as long as the Cartoon Network is willing to broadcast them. We don't know how many seasons the Clone Wars is going to last. Enjoy each episode since it may be the last.
George, I really feel that you have kicked your self in the ****. Fans only want to see Star Wars projects written by you because everything else Star Wars that has not been written by you is deemed as not official Star Wars.
The fans feel ripped off when they buy something like the Star Wars novels based on the official movies and they come on this ingenious web site to talk about them and all you have to say is "they don't represent my vision."
Or how about the whole kyber crystal brilliance? The kyber crystal is awesome! You claim it is the whole reason that Darth Sidious was able to accomplish anything at all, but yet it's only briefly seen in the Star Wars movies. If you just let all things Star Wars count as official, then you wouldn't have run into problems like the Star Wars The Clone Wars movie failing.
Or having LucasArts in as much trouble as it is. When you say that something like a Star Wars video game is "not official Star Wars unless I have written the story," it just says to people that it's crap, crap and more crap. I always thought of you as a much smarter person.
George Lucas: I don't do something because it's popular or because it's what the fans want to hear. Star Wars is my vision. This means Star Wars plots written by other people aren't official. This is not going to change for you or anyone else. Few fans read the Star Wars novels and comic books.
The failure of this literature is based primarily on the fact that I don't have enough time to write these stories. I know you have an extremely negative life where nothing ever goes your way, but complaining about Star Wars is not going to improve your standing in society. Your opinion is not going to change my mind.
Does the young Sith apprentice require to learn the Sith language before becoming the full fledged Sith Lord? Also, since you stated many, many times that the Sith Order is impossible to be reestablished after the Return of the Jedi movie, since it requires to have a secret Sith teachings and holocrons. But don't Darth Bane and Darth Maul have all knowledge necessary to start the new Sith Order?
I'm sure they know the secret of the Sith's teachings since Darth Bane was the one who established the Rule of Two Sith and continued to teach his Sith apprentices and Darth Sidious is the top Sith Master and taught all of the Sith knowledge and secrets to Darth Maul. Am I wrong? Maybe you can shed some light for me? I wish you the best in life. Hope your employees won't be out of work any further.
George Lucas: To become a real Sith, the Sith apprentice has to master the ways and customs of the Sith Order. This includes many aspects that will probably never be revealed to the fans unless I create a future Star Wars TV series about the Sith Lords.
Just because you're a Sith Master, doesn't mean you know everything about the Sith. You need to understand that the Sith including Darth Bane had to hide from the Jedi for a millennium. Darth Bane disappeared under mysterious conditions and was thought to be no longer alive. However, Darth Sidious was the only modern Sith, who was still alive, to have access to ancient Sith holocrons and the kyber crystal.
This is what made it possible for Sidious to eventually battle the Jedi in the open. You need to understand there isn't a lot of official information about the Sith available. Most of what you believe about the Sith is not based on my personal vision.
The next time you're going to buy some Star Wars merchandise remember that my employees depend on you for their employment. If the sales of Star Wars products continue to decrease during these horrific economic times, then more of my employees will lose their jobs. Buy more new Star Wars collectibles than you need to help people, who need you to survive. I can't employ people if we don't make money.
Dear George Lucas. When Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker were talking at the opera house in Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine says that Darth Plagueis was able to influence the midichlorians to create "life" and when Palpatine says the word "life" Palpatine looks at Anakin right in the eye
Shmi Skywalker claims to Qui-Gon Jinn that there was no father in The Phantom Menace, but is it possible that Plagueis could have visited Anakin's mother, Shmi, and influenced her midichlorians?
George Lucas: SuperShadow forwards me dozens and dozens of fan theories about Star Wars each week. What all these fan ideas have in common is none of them are ever correct. You can't wildly speculate at random and expect to unlock secret knowledge about Star Wars. The Phantom Menace is extremely clear that Anakin Skywalker has no actual father.
However, I don't really care if fans want to make up their own ideas about certain aspects of Star Wars. You can think what ever you want, but don't claim it originates from me. Darth Plagueis had no idea that the Skywalker family existed. It's really absurd to state the Sith Lords are responsible for everything that happens in Star Wars. Watch the Star Wars films more closely in the future.
Hi George, I'm currently reading the Darth Bane The Path of Destruction novel and it is really good. All I want to know is do you have to read all the Star Wars books to accept them? How it works?
George Lucas: If you think I spend 24 hours a day dedicated to Star Wars, you're in for a dramatic shock. Most of my day consists of managing my companies, keeping track of my wealth and spending time with my family and girlfriends. I don't have enough time to read all the Star Wars expanded universe materials. I'm not obsessed with Star Wars. It has consumed most of my life for the past three decades.
You can understand that I can't be expected to read the Star Wars novels and play the Star Wars video games all day long. The reason the expanded universe exists is to reward the fans, who want more than just the Star Wars films and TV series. The Star Wars novels and comic books don't represent my opinions about Star Wars. Only stories based on my original ideas count as official Star Wars history.
Do you think in Star Wars Episode 7, Luke Skywalker could learn a new Force power, such as bringing someone who was part of the Force or very close to someone in the Force back to life? Or is it just not part of the Star Wars theme? Then you could bring back Padme and Anakin Skywalker! Or would that be too much? Anyway, I'd like it if you could tell me what you think (even if you don't like it)!
George Lucas: I don't reveal what the limits are to Force powers. It may be possible to resurrect the dead with the Force, but no one seen in the Star Wars films has figured out how to do this yet. Qui-Gon Jinn was the first Jedi to communicate with the living reality.
So it is possible Luke Skywalker or someone connected to the new Jedi Order could discover new Force powers, which many would think impossible. Star Wars Episode 7 will introduce new Force abilities, but nothing like you suggest.
| Saturday, February 7, 2009 |
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Dear Mr. George Lucas. I always loved your creations, Indiana Jones and Star Wars. I have 165 Star Wars books, all the movies on DVD and all Star Wars video games (I mean literally all except Star Wars Galaxies). And I would like to tell you that your creations inspired me so much.
Indeed, you are one of the most brilliant minds in history. Mr. Lucas. I would like to know if there will be a remake of the first Star Wars movie trilogy Episodes IV, V and VI? Sadly, I won't be able to see the new Star Wars The Clone Wars TV series, since it's not aired in the Philippines. I hope it'll be out on DVD soon.
George Lucas: I'm too old and too busy with family, girlfriends and work to spend time making another version of the old Star Wars films. We're trapped with the old films in their current condition. There's nothing we can do to make the old films equal to the Star Wars prequel trilogy. You can watch the new Clone Wars TV show for free at the official Star Wars web site.
George Lucas, is there any clone trooper / storm trooper, who has ever turned against the Galactic Empire and lived?
George Lucas: No government can have 100 percent loyalty. There were a few storm troopers who rebelled against the Empire and disappeared to live the rest of their lives on unknown planets.
First Mr. Lucas, I would like to thank you for the galaxy you made a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I know almost everything there is to know about this galaxy and everyday I learn something new. With Star Wars Episode 7, which company would be cloning Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker? I think that it would be cool for Mace Windu to have survived Order 66. I think that Cloud City should be blown up because that would make the fans excited. Thank you for the galaxy far, far away that we all love.
George Lucas: The Dark Jedi are utilizing an updated version of the cloning process seen in the Star Wars prequels to create the clones of Luke and Anakin. Mace Windu will have a small, but significant role in Star Wars Episode 7. Cloud City is never destroyed.
The distances in space are too big to say no or yes regarding alien life in the Universe. How can anyone say there's no alien life out there in the Universe when we can't even see very far with the technology we have today? That said. I think the big distances make it possible for alien life to exist. It's too egocentric thinking Humans are the only living being in this veeeerryy big Universe. But who knows? No one! It's all guesses. Just like religion is to. Guessing.
George Lucas: It's preposterous to suggest that highly intelligent extraterrestrials exist. Where's the evidence? No proof suggests you believe in utter nonsense. If there were more advanced civilizations than our own in the Universe, then the Holy Bible and other religious texts from around the world would inform us of the existence of the aliens.
God wouldn't allow us to be taken by complete surprise by an alien menace. The fact no religion has any secrets about extraterrestrials proves beyond argument that aliens cannot be real. To think that alien beings are real would be to return to the dark ages where nothingness reigns supreme. Learn from the past or else you are doomed to endlessly repeat the mistakes of history.
Mr. Lucas, I feel that your comment about not meeting fans is bad. We are the ones, who help fund your companies by purchasing your merchandise.
George Lucas: It's not realistic to expect to meet myself or SuperShadow in person. There are millions of fans. It wouldn't be fair to meet you and not everyone else. Shadow and I have decided if we can't see all the fans, then we will meet absolutely no fans. There's nothing you can do to change this. You need to think about other fans and not just your own selfish needs.
Hi GL, I loved your great work through the years and I was wondering if you will ever make an online Star Wars video game for the X-Box 360 or PlayStation 3? It would be awesome. I could see it now. It could be a way to interact with people and friends. It could also be a way for live action and for a person to create their own Star Wars character. I believe this would be a great idea. Please consider it.
George Lucas: This isn't financially feasible. Microsoft and Sony expect to share in a substantial amount of all revenue streams created by an online Star Wars video game created for their video gaming systems. We can't afford to make such a Star Wars video game for the most popular video gaming platforms such as Nintendo's Wii. When you make video games for personal computers, you don't have to worry about the draconian actions of greedy companies, who don't care about the video game buyers.
George, since Kyle Katarn will appear in Star Wars Episode VII, VIII and IX of the sequel trilogy, will his home world of Sulon be in the sequel trilogy? Also I know you don't go by the Star Wars expanded novels or the universe, but what about Kyle Katarn's arch enemy for killing Morgan Katarn (Kyle's father) Jerec?
Jerec is a Dark Jedi responsible for the killing of Kyle Katarn's father, ordered by Emperor Palpatine by the events in between Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope. The Sulon home world is the 2nd farthest moon from the Sullust system.
George Lucas: The personal history of Kyle Katarn, according to my vision for Star Wars Episode 7, will not be based on anything you have read in the Star Wars expanded universe. The Katarn character will be something completely new and original for the next Star Wars film trilogy.
There won't be much information revealed about Katarn in Star Wars Episode 7 because I don't give the fans background character facts in the films, but my version of Katarn has nothing to do with what you have experienced in the Star Wars third party written literature.
Greetings George, I am definitely one of your biggest fans for reasons other than your movies. I have admired your commitment to integrity and respect your responses to your fans even when the Q & A is less than complimentary. Thank you for making it possible for everyone to communicate with you. That takes a lot of courage. Would you please give us an ETA on when we might expect Star Wars Episode 1 - 6 on Blu-ray disc? Thank you.
George Lucas: It is an honor to answer questions at SuperShadow.com. I enjoy having contact with the fans of SS.com. It is a privilege I don't take for granted. You might see the Star Wars film episodes on Blu-ray as early as 2018.
| Wednesday, February 4, 2009 |
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Mr. Lucas, as you stated many times that the Sith Order is no more, but there are still Sith around the galaxy, who will make an appearance in Star Wars Episodes 7 - 9. I understand that the few surviving Sith giving up their order, but what's going to stop them from rebuilding the Sith Order and make it more powerful then ever before?
Kind of like the way Luke Skywalker did with the Jedi Order. All it takes for one of the most powerful Sith of all time (Darth Bane) to regroup with surviving Sith (Darth Maul or anyone else out there that is still alive) to come to an agreement. Darth Bane could find Darth Sidious' kyber crystal and holocron and learn from Sidious' mistakes and lead the Sith to rule the galaxy once again.
Bane with a kyber crystal would be the ultimate test for Luke in Force power and a light saber fight. I know you like to follow the "traditions" you set for yourself and you try to stick to the "Star Wars plot formula," but it's also rewarding to be a rebel and try something different. It paid off when you created A New Hope. Best wishes and God bless.
George Lucas: There's not much significance to the resolution of Return of the Jedi if the Sith Lords keep getting resurrected over and over again. The sacrifice of Anakin Skywalker and the fallen members of the Rebel Alliance have to have a special meaning.
If the Sith Order can't be defeated permanently, then this means the dark side will prevail in the end. My vision requires no Sith Order after Return of the Jedi. The conclusion of Star Wars Episode 9 brings an end to the dark side forever.
Mr. Lucas, I really love all of your Star Wars films. Truly amazing! I was just wondering what an average day is like for you on a Star Wars movie production set? If you can answer this for me, I would really appreciate it. I know you probably get many fan e-mails!
George Lucas: Nothing interesting happens during principal photography on a film set. You spend all day working on the same scene. You film it many, many times in order to make sure you have the proper performances from the actors. You have to make sure you cover the scene from all necessary perspectives.
The film editing process in post production is where the real magic happens when the film is brought together as a cohesive whole. Film critics have noticed I get the maximum emotional range and expression from my actors especially the Anakin Skywalker character represented by Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen.
Hello George Lucas, I was wondering what happened to Artoo Detoo in the Star Wars prequel trilogy? Like why does Artoo have all of these rockets and things unlike the Star Wars original trilogy?
George Lucas: When SuperShadow and I were working on the Star Wars prequels, we wanted to make the new trilogy as complex and deep as possible. This is why few, if any, fans can comprehend the plot intricacies of The Phantom Menace. In the end, Shadow and I can do what we want even if it doesn't make any sense.
You need to realize the old Star Wars films take place nearly two decades after Revenge of the Sith. Many of R2-D2's gadgets, such as the rocket propellant boosters, may no longer be functional. It really doesn't matter to me if you think there are continuity errors between the Star Wars prequels and the old Star Wars films.
Do you go to church?
George Lucas: I don't reveal my personal beliefs to the fans. I can say that I attend my church a minimum of five days a week after work and on the weekend. I'm extremely devout in my religious underpinnings even though there is no tangible evidence to support my faith. You have to be able to trust in something greater than what we can perceive with our senses.
Hey GL, the Star Wars Episode 3 novelization has lots of differences from the Revenge of the Sith movie. Lots of scenes are added (like adding on parts to fights, all the Padme scenes with the senators, Darth Sidious getting his light saber out of the sculpture and many more). Why is that? Or why didn't you just show all that stuff in the movie anyway? Just wondering.
George Lucas: A written book is not limited by time and money. The average Star Wars film can only be about 2 hours and 20 minutes in running time. I also have to limit the production budget to about $ 115 million U.S. dollars. An author of a book doesn't have these constraints because you can make a book as complex and long as you want to. All you have to do is pay for the actual printing of the book.
Revenge of the Sith couldn't include everything I wanted because I could only invest screen time and money on the most important aspects of the story. You can read the official novelizations of the Star Wars films to get a more complete view of the adventure I'm trying to reveal in the films. However, the official novelizations of the Star Wars films don't represent my vision. Only the Star Wars films and TV series count as real Star Wars canon.
Mr. Lucas, after Star Wars Episode 3, does Darth Sidious still have his light saber? Sidious probably would never have to use it anyway, but just wondering. And also, why does Darth Maul almost never talk? Thanks, Star Wars rules.
George Lucas: Some of you must have extremely difficult lives based on the questions you submit. A Jedi and Sith have dozens of light sabers. Sidious had many light sabers he custom built for himself. This isn't difficult to understand although the simplest portions of Star Wars seem to completely confuse certain fans such as yourself.
Maul is my personal interpretation of Clint Eastwood's legendary Man With No Name from the Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns that were filmed over 40 years ago. The Man With No Name is mostly a silent character, who does his talking with his weapons. Similarly, Maul doesn't speak often and instead prefers to do his communicating with a light saber.
Dear George, just wanted to share a Star Wars memory. When I was 6 years old, my mother took me to our local library. Having never been before, but already developing a strong love for books, I was excited to receive my first library card.
The very first book I checked out was your novelization of A New Hope (back then, known simply as Star Wars). The librarian and my mother laughed a little and tried to convince me it was beyond my reading ability, but I persisted and brought the book home. Of course, they were right, it was beyond me. But I did check it out again and read it a couple of years later.
You will never know how much you have affected my life. My first library book was Star Wars, the first toy I ever asked for was a Darth Vader action figure and the first film I ever saw on home video was Star Wars. I collected the toys and comics when I was a child, read many of the novels when I was in high school and college and enjoyed the Star Wars Special Editions and the Star Wars prequel trilogy immensely.
For as far back as my memory stretches, Star Wars was there and continues to be a relaxing fantasy escape for me from time to time. Thanks for all the memories!
George Lucas: The official novelization of A New Hope has sold over seven million copies in the United States. It remains to this day the best selling Star Wars book of all time. If I had enough free time and could write Star Wars novels, these novels would sell millions and millions of copies. Yet I don't have enough time to write books.
This explains why the average novel and comic book from the Star Wars expanded universe move only a couple thousand copies each in retail stores. The fans aren't willing to buy and read Star Wars stories not written by me. This is extremely flattering for me personally, but it decreases the profits of LucasBooks substantially given how the most ardent fans reject the Star Wars expanded universe since it's not based on my vision.
Why don't you finish the Indiana Jones movies now? Indiana Jones only needs another film, the last one, Indiana Jones 5, with a spectacular ending similar to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Please, finish now Indiana Jones movies and you will be able to make a fantastic another Star Wars TV shows and movies (Star Wars Episode 7, 8 and 9). If you agree, like a lot of fans and me, Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones, but without Mutt Jones. Thank you.
George Lucas: The whole point of being financially independent is so that I can do what I want. If I want to take a two decade break in between Indiana Jones films, then that's exactly what happens. I'm stubborn and more importantly I don't have to answer to anyone. It doesn't matter whether you are a loyal fan or a film critic in the end I'm not going to do what you tell me to do.
If it takes many years to produce Indiana Jones 5, then that's exactly what is going to happen. I'm in the position of not having to make any films at all if I so choose. Indiana Jones 5 might not ever be created. It's not necessary for my life as an artist. Constant complaints from the fans aren't going to speed up my decision on this subject.
Mr. Lucas, I have an idea for the first live action Star Wars TV series. Show the torched Jedi Temple from an air view and have a voice over done by the actor who played Senator Bail Organa saying: "It's up to us now, a select few to protect democracy, us an unorganized band of rebels." An other episode should be how they (Rebels) built the X-Wing from the parts of the star ships the clones used in Star Wars Episode 3. Thank you for your time.
George Lucas: This is not what I have planned for the live action Star Wars TV show. You will never see anything related to the Jedi or Rebel Alliance in a future live action TV series. Nothing can change my mind on this issue. My vision for these things are limited primarily to the first nine Star Wars film episodes.
You can see Jedi in the new Clone Wars TV show so there's no point in this needless redundancy for the live action TV show. There's no reason to make additional live action Star Wars stories if they're exactly like what I've already done in the past. You have no choice but to accept my ideas for the live action TV series. This means no Jedi, no Sith, no light sabers and nothing related to Force powers.
| Saturday, January 31, 2009 |
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Hey Lucas, I was wondering if the Star Wars Battlefront 3 video game will have the same technology as the Star Wars The Force Unleashed video game because that would be really great if it did? Is that some thing that LucasArts would do? Would they reuse that technology on Battlefront 3 or any other Star Wars titles to come? Thanks a million.
George Lucas: LucasArts is currently struggling. We've been having financial difficulty during this extended economic recession. All of the future Star Wars video games have been delayed by a few years. I don't reveal secrets about the Star Wars video games at SuperShadow.com. You would need to visit the official LucasArts web site for the most up to date information about the Star Wars video games.
Will there be storm troopers in Star Wars Episode 7, 8 and 9? Will there be any Sith Lords? 2021 is a long time to wait for Star Wars fans. Don't you think? Will there be any cartoon episodes before 2021? (I hope so!) If you try to answer these, I would be very grateful. P.S. Do you like Doctor Who? THANK YOU.
George Lucas: There are no storm troopers free in the galaxy by the time of Star Wars Episode 7. The Sith will have an important role in Star Wars Episodes 7, 8 and 9. However, the Sith Order no longer exists at that time. We will produce more computer animated Star Wars TV series if the new Clone Wars television show continues to be successful. Time is fleeting. You will wake up one day and it will be 2021. Accomplish things now so that you don't end up regretting your entire life. You shouldn't quit on life no matter how bad it gets for you.
Won't Harrison Ford and the rest of the cast from the Star Wars classic trilogy be too old for Star Wars Episode 7? And will there be an Indiana Jones 5 and 6? Please make Indy Jones just as tough and make his son in a minor role?
George Lucas: Star Wars Episode 7 takes place about 30 years after Return of the Jedi. This means the original actors are suppose to be much older. There may be additional Indiana Jones films one day. I'm very much interested in a Mutt Williams stand alone film. That could happen before Indiana Jones 5.
Hey Mr. Lucas, in the new Star Wars movie trilogy script (Star Wars Episode 7, 8 and 9), you talk about a New Republic army. Does this army contain old storm troopers, new clone troopers or just New Republic militia?
George Lucas: The New Republic military, featured in Star Wars Episode 7, is comprised of ordinary citizens from around the galaxy. There are no clones available because the cloning of sentient beings has been banned by the Galactic Senate.
In Star Wars Episode 5, there are bounty hunters sent out by Darth Vader to catch Han Solo and his star ship. Is the one bounty hunter the little boy in Star Wars Episode 2, whose dad was the bounty hunter who tried to kill Padme? Because he had the same star ship and helmet? May the Force be with you!
George Lucas: Boba Fett is the exact same DNA replica of Jango Fett. Boba was featured in Attack of the Clones, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Jango appeared only during Attack of the Clones.
George Lucas, you are an inspiration to all film makers and fans of Star Wars, but I have a question that has troubled many Star Wars fans and video gamers alike. You probably haven't been informed yet, but the video gaming developer Free Radical are almost dead due to the financial recession in the world. They
were making a video game that is so incredibly popular among hundreds of thousands of people that it would have sold millions if it was released.
Now this project is the Star Wars Battlefront 3 video game, which you may or may not know is the most successful Star Wars video gaming franchise to date. Now that Free Radical has almost bitten the dust, LucasArts could buy Free Radical and save the company and Battlefront 3. Leaked footage was released to the public and looked incredibly promising.
LucasArts is a multi billion dollar company if they bought Free Radical your company could make even more money then it already is. Mr. Lucas, please if LucasArts bought Free Radical just imagine the headlines: "LUCASARTS SAVES JOBS AND COMPANY FROM GLOBAL RECESSION." Your company could be known as heroes.
George, please I come from a lowly position and I'm not even worthy to message you, but please do not let these unfortunate people lose their jobs and get LucasArts to buy the company FREE RADICAL. Thank you for all you for all your years of good service to our world with STAR WARS.
George Lucas: LucasArts is not a multi billion dollar corporation. It's extremely small both related to personnel and profits. The video game industry loses certain video game developers during harsh economic times. In fact, LucasArts has reduced its staff by several hundred employees. We're in no financial position to buy a video game developer that has no intrinsic value.
Hi George, thought I would write you again. I have read where you have said, several times, about technology controlling the world and even possibly the Universe. I completely agree. I am majoring in computer technology and I feel that computer programming is quite possibly the most powerful thing that the Human race has ever created.
Far more powerful and concerning then fire or the wheel, so to say. All that it would take is for a programmer in the future to write a very well written computer code, for artificial intelligence, that was 'evil', and then get some company to produce the code in robots in mass quantity. Hopefully, this will never happen, but in the most probable sense, it definitely will.
Yes, artificial intelligence could be our best friend or most serious enemy. Imagine a world where no one had to work because droids took care of all of it! Nobody had to see the true hardships of life and so many things were great, but society is not like that, at all, and we as a society will always have to be and face evil.
So yes, I feel that there is good and evil technology. I love, good and positive, technology, while the "dark side" of technology, is quite frightening. Do not worry though, nothing could ever come close to a 'good' supernatural being.
It is 'so' sad to think about what I have written, at least to me, especially when technology could be such a beautiful thing. Would you mind explaining your thoughts on artificial intelligence (AI), more thoroughly? Thank you, George. I hope that you will reply.
George Lucas: If you closely study the world, you will see infinite numbers of tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, famine, pestilence and death. This proves that if supernatural gods exist, then they are all evil or else these gods would end our suffering on Earth. The fact these tragedies have haunted Mankind from the beginning to the present day proves that the gods are not our friends.
It is our destiny to create machine intelligence so powerful that these robotic beings will surpass the supernatural realm and these robot wonders will conquer and control the Universe. Eventually, we will defeat the gods. If we could mold and shape reality, there would be no dire difficulty, no pain and no suffering for us. We could create a socialist Utopia for all Humans. I pray each day this technological singularity happens within the next thirty years so that I can become a machine entity, who will be eternal.
Dear George Lucas, I have been a fan of yours since the summer of 1977 when I saw Star Wars 10 times just the first week that it was out! The first film had such a huge impact on my life. I won't go into details here, but involved my life as a missionary and my current job as a ***** **** of a **** ****. Anyway to my question.
I remember certain scenes that I saw in the original cut, that I had not seen again (until recently on the Internet) since that summer involving Luke Skywalker and seeing the battle scene and Biggs Darklighter. Why have these scenes never been included back into the story? I always felt it made his meeting back with Biggs flow better.
Plus added to the tension Luke felt of wanting to be in the action, but those around him feeling like this was just a sleepy section of the galaxy and nothing exciting will ever happen? Thank you and I hope to see Star Wars Episodes 7, 8 and 9 even as a CGI! Sincerely.
George Lucas: I have certain reasons for not showing Luke's friends on Tatooine at the start of A New Hope. These scenes have never appeared in the film. First, it tremendously slows down the pacing of the film. Second, these scenes don't add to the overall story.
In essence, these scenes don't supplement anything to the film. I didn't include deleted scenes with the DVD release of the old Star Wars films because I knew the fans were going to buy the old DVD's even if there were fewer high quality bonus materials.
The fans keep buying the Star Wars films on video tape and DVD over and over again. It works out great for us because we can continue to make excessive profits from Star Wars year after year. The deleted scenes might be included with the Blu-ray disc editions of the Star Wars films in order to motivate the fans to yet again buy the Star Wars films on a home entertainment format. However, it is possible the deleted scenes from the old films will never be given to the fans as an official product during my lifetime.
| Wednesday, January 28, 2009 |
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Hi George, I have an idea for your live action Star Wars TV show. A Jedi who was expelled by the Jedi Order just before Order 66 was executed because he wanted excitement and adventure. He then turned to fighting wrong doings with his killer droid. Kind of like a CSI type TV show. Thanks.
George Lucas: For this kind of story, you would need to read the Star Wars expanded universe of novels and comic books. Unfortunately, nearly no fans buy the Star Wars literature. LucasBooks is the least profitable part of my companies. I would encourage the fans of SuperShadow.com to at least give these adventures a decent chance.
I have a couple of unrelated questions. First, if Jedi are not allowed to marry and have children, then how did Kento Malek from the Star Wars The Force Unleashed video game (best Star Wars video game ever) conceive his son? Did Kento deceive about it? Isn't that dark side stuff?
And as far as the chosen one prophecy, why would the Jedi be looking for someone to destroy the Sith if they didn't think any Sith existed? In Star Wars Episode One, the Jedi Council seems shocked to discover that there is a Sith Lord on the loose.
And finally, will you ever consider letting someone else make some Star Wars movie or TV series based on the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic video game or The Force Unleashed? There are some really great story lines waiting to be copied. You'd be cashing in on someone else's work.
George Lucas: I don't reveal secrets about the Star Wars video games on SS.com. If I gave those types of spoilers here, even fewer fans would purchase the Star Wars video games. You don't have to be a member of the dark side to deceive others. You need to remember that Obi-Wan constantly misled Luke Skywalker during the old Star Wars films.
You need to watch The Phantom Menace more closely. There is no mention of the Jedi prophecy of the chosen one, who will bring balance to the Force, prior to the discovery that Darth Maul existed. Once the Jedi understand that the Sith Order is active, then more and more Jedi believe Anakin Skywalker might be the chosen one. I don't elaborate much about the prophecy during the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
As SuperShadow has explained with perfect clarity, the Star Wars video games aren't popular enough to require translating them into full length feature films. If each Star Wars video game sold 10 million copies worldwide like the most popular video games, then I would consider it. However, it's not realistic to expect the Star Wars video games to achieve this level of success since Shadow has absolutely no interest in such things.
Hello George, please, please, please can we see a huge cliffhanger at the end of one of the films in the new Star Wars movie sequels? And can we see some of the early temples or origins of the dark side?
Also I like what Palpatine said in Star Wars Episode 3 when he spoke to Anakin about learning about both sides. I liked that. Can we see someone that has to study a part of the other religion for a special reason or to learn about something as a mission?
And lastly after Return of the Jedi, are there still gangsters and villains that we don't know about like Boba Fett and Jabba the Hutt?
George Lucas: There will be no cliffhanger ending similar to The Empire Strikes Back in either Star Wars Episode 7 or 8. I had the stunning cliffhanger for the old films because I was extremely desperate to top A New Hope. I was very, very worried that The Empire Strikes Back was going to disappoint if it had a proper and ordinary conclusion.
Since The Empire Strikes Back only made half as much money at the worldwide box office as A New Hope, then The Empire Strikes Back was a monetary failure even though it had the most clever cliffhanger in the history of cinema. Each episode of the Star Wars prequel trilogy was vastly more profitable when compared to the old films. This proves we don't need your idea for the next Star Wars film trilogy.
I don't explore the history of the dark side in the Star Wars films. That's not going to happen in Star Wars Episode 7, 8 and 9. The live action Star Wars TV series will unveil more gangster characters in the same mold as Boba and Jabba.
Will composer John Williams do the music for the Star Wars Episode 7 score? Are you gonna make Indiana Jones 5? Are you gonna make Star Wars Episode 7?
George Lucas: If Johnny is alive, he will certainly provide the musical soundtrack for Star Wars Episode 7. It could be ten years or more before Indiana Jones 5 occurs. I'm too busy at the moment with the Star Wars TV series to worry about another Indiana Jones film soon. I'll begin pre production on Star Wars Episode 7 about ten years from now.
Hi Mr. Lucas! Thanks for sharing your incredible artistic vision with the world. Did Emperor Palpatine's use of the dark side or the fact that he was a Sith ever become common knowledge to the average citizens of the Empire? Or did Palpatine keep such aspects secret until his death, only for the general populace to learn about after the creation of the New Republic? Thanks for your time!
George Lucas: If you would watch the old Star Wars films more closely, then you would already know the correct view on this subject. Grand Moff Tarkin clearly indicates that Darth Vader is the last of his kind. Only the top ranking Imperial officers understood that Vader had access to Force powers. The average person like Han Solo believes the Force is nonsense.
The ordinary person doesn't believe in the Force. Palpatine has made the Force into nothing more than a joke around the galaxy. No one realized Palpatine was Force sentient except for Vader. The entire galaxy believes the Sith Lords have been extinct for millennia along with the Jedi, who have been absent for many decades. Palpatine had no reason to reveal that the despised Sith were back and in firm control over the galaxy.
George. I am a big fan of Star Wars and Indiana Jones. But I got 2 questions about The Empire Strikes Back. First, who plays the voice of Boba Fett? Second, in the movie I saw in space a shoe when the tie fighters where chasing the Millennium Falcon. Is this a spoiler?
George Lucas: The talented Jason Wingreen provided the original voice for Boba Fett for The Empire Strikes Back. For the DVD release in 2004, the Boba Fett voice was replaced with Temuera Morrison, who was Jango Fett and the voice of the clone troops in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
ILM inserts secret materials in some of the special effects shots for Star Wars. I don't explain to the fans the specifics on these because it would shatter the magic of the Star Wars films if you realized the oddities we've inserted over the years.
Why do all the Jedi disappear in the older Star Wars movie trilogy, but not in the newer ones?
George Lucas: I'm not going to tell the fans exactly how Obi-Wan and Yoda learned to vanish at death and return to reality as Force ghosts. I mentioned this briefly at the conclusion of Revenge of the Sith. I don't have any intention in being more specific. It's something I will leave to the imagination of the fans because no matter what I tell you many of you will make up your own beliefs on this topic.
As I've stated many, many times in the past, all fan rumors on this subject are absolutely false. In fact, there's not a single fan inspired piece of speculation that agrees with my vision. This particular aspect of Star Wars will never be explored in future Star Wars TV series. There will be no official explanation from me.
Mr. George Lucas, pleasure to meet you. I have a question to ask. My question is: In the future Star Wars movies, how come you chose Luke Skywalker's son to be named Ben and not Anakin? Also would it have been possible for Darth Vader to survive in Return of the Jedi and have Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker conquer the galaxy as father and son? Mr. Lucas, thank you for your time and I hope to see my questions answered. Thank you!
George Lucas: The Star Wars expanded universe of novels and comic books don't represent my personal vision of Star Wars. However, I will borrow certain ideas from these sources like Coruscant, Aalya Secura and Asajj Ventress. In the Star Wars literature, Luke and Mara Jade have a son named Ben.
I decided to have this name for Luke and Mara's son in Star Wars Episode 7 as a reward for the few fans, who buy the Star Wars novels and comic books. I welcome more fans to discover this written material. It's upsetting that virtually no one bothers to read the Star Wars novels and comic books.
You must not be familiar with the Star Wars plot formula. I require all Sith Lords to perish as the result of self destruction in the end. Darth Maul will return for Star Wars Episode 7, but he's no longer with the Sith Order. You will notice that the other Sith, seen in the Star Wars films, are deceased. This includes Darth Tyranus, Darth Vader and Darth Sidious. None survive the films. It's important for you to realize that for my vision to be complete the Sith Order is permanently ended at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi.
| Saturday, January 24, 2009 |
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Hey GL, I'm a huge Star Wars fan and I had an idea for the Star Wars The Clone Wars TV show. I read a while back that you wanted to make 100 TV episodes of the new Clone Wars. The idea I had was near the end of the Clone Wars episodes (80 - 100) maybe you could put Han Solo, Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian in a two part episode because I read that you wanted Han and Lando in Star Wars Episode III, which I thought was a great idea by the way. I'd like to know what you think of my idea.
George Lucas: You're not going to see Han, Chewie or Lando in the Clone Wars TV series or in any future Star Wars TV show. These three characters have their stories revealed in the main Star Wars film episodes. I don't want to do something which would decrease the anticipation for Star Wars Episode 7. I can dramatically increase demand for Star Wars Episode 7 if the fans realize that they won't see these characters again until Star Wars Episode 7. Thanks for your idea, but it will never happen.
Hey George, I'm one of those fans, who loves anything Star Wars. I have the Clone Wars movie and I love it! I say to anyone who thought that movie was terrible, then you're not a true Star Wars fan. You have inspired me to try and get into a TV show I really love and Star Wars has given me ideas, like when the clones turn on the Jedi when Order 66 is given during Revenge of the Sith.
I wanted to ask if I could use that idea for my TV series with your permission for copyright reasons? My TV series has nothing to do with Star Wars. I just thought that kind of concept was good for it. Also, I was wondering how you first got started writing Star Wars. In my TV series, it takes a whole 120 page journal to write out about 7 - 8 episodes.
(So I can't imagine what you went through to write a whole two and a half hour movie. Wow!) and a season is usually 49 episodes in the anime I want to get into. I hope to be so famous one day that I can meet you. Thank you so much for the inspiration and God Bless. May the Force be with you.
George Lucas: We fiercely protect the Star Wars copyright. It's preferable if you didn't copy plot ideas from Star Wars. There's so much you can do with a story that you don't need to revisit what you saw in Star Wars. You can have plot elements like revenge, betrayal and sacrifice, but it isn't wise to borrow specific details from Star Wars. Your viewers will immediately recognize what you're doing. If you don't try to be original, then you really are preventing yourself from succeeding in your endeavor. I wish you the best in life. You have the drive needed to win in show business.
George Lucas, I have an idea for a sequel to the Star Wars "The Force Unleashed" video game. Maybe instead of Starkiller being the protagonist maybe "Maris Brood" or "General Rahm Kota" could be the main protagonist since Starkiller is dead. Maybe one of these two could take on the main role. Answer back with your honest opinion, please.
George Lucas: I've already got a basic plot idea for the Force Unleashed 2 video game. It expands and improves the story from the first one. It might be a while before it happens though because LucasArts is really struggling at the moment.
The Force Unleashed 2 may not be available to the public until late 2012. It will arrive in stores eventually. I appreciate your concepts, but the minor characters from the Force Unleashed video game will never be the primary heroes of a Star Wars video game.
Why won't you have an open house at Skywalker Ranch for the fans? Then we could meet with you and get your autograph (for $ 50 U.S. dollars each). Just think of all the money you'd make and tax free because it would be charitable.
George Lucas: Skywalker Ranch and Lucasfilm headquarters aren't a museum nor an amusement park. You can't expect to interrupt our business for no important reason. There's nothing special about Skywalker Ranch. It's a large piece of real estate, but its historic value related to Star Wars is very, very minimal. I will not allow the fans to visit any Lucasfilm complex. I'm certainly not going to sign autographs for the fans no matter what the price.
I might sign something for a charitable interest, but most of the time it's not going to happen. I don't mind having contact with the readers of SuperShadow.com, but I believe it is extremely insensitive and rude for any fan to think they can meet me in person. It can't happen because there are countless millions of fans. If I had to meet each of you, it would literally take up the rest of my life. No thank you.
GL, I heard that you said it was possible that The Force Unleashed video game could be made into a movie. If that's the case, I would love and be honored to write the script for you or at least give a few recommendations or ideas?
George Lucas: I don't read Star Wars fan fiction because SuperShadow has warned me that it is not something I would enjoy. Shadow says that the average Star Wars fan fiction is so awful that it seems these writers are trying to sabotage Star Wars on purpose. I've never allowed a fan to write a Star Wars screen play. That would be asking for disaster considering the low quality of written material produced by the fans.
Shadow jokes that the worst form of torture imaginable would be to make somebody read Star Wars fan fiction for eternity. I can't believe something that cruel could really happen. I'm glad there are no major Star Wars fan web sites promoting Star Wars fan fiction. The reason no one will read it is because it's not written by me. The fans only accept Star Wars stories originating from my mind.
| Wednesday, January 21, 2009 |
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Mr. Lucas, do you ever talk to the music composer John Williams? If you do, will you tell him that he did an awesome job with the music? I actually prefer the movie songs over the recorded music, only if it's one of my favorite songs. You too also did an awesome job on the movies.
George Lucas: I'm close friends with Johnny and we still talk with each other frequently. I can't compliment Johnny enough for his genius work with Star Wars. I've told Johnny this many times over the years, but his music for A New Hope was the only aspect about the 1977 version that exceeded my expectations. Basically, everything about the first Star Wars film was a disaster. I have Johnny to thank for saving Star Wars.
Johnny gets thousands of letters from the fans each year. He knows full well how much the fans appreciate his work on Star Wars. I would encourage you to contact Johnny by mail and tell him yourself what you think about what he did with Star Wars.
Thanks for your kind words about me. One of the most rewarding features of SuperShadow.com is the enormous volume of praise I receive from the fandom. Nearly all fans approve of what we did with Star Wars over the past three decades.
There are a few malcontents, who can't be happy no matter what happens in life. I will continue to produce new Star Wars adventures for the rest of my life. I promise each fan I will never retire from Star Wars. That's the best news I can ever give any of you about the future of Star Wars.
Will there be another Star Wars movie? I'm a big fan of the video game Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic. I think the story lines on both Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 video games were amazing. It's like a history lesson on Star Wars before the Empire.
If you ever make a new Star Wars movie, will it be about Knights of the Old Republic or another story from your Star Wars books? I have nothing against the story of Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker. I am just curious if you would start a new story?
George Lucas: The experiment with the new Star Wars The Clone Wars film in cinemas was a failure on about every level we can measure. It's going to be difficult for me to convince a film studio to give another Star Wars film a wide release in cinemas if it's not Star Wars Episode 7. There's not much interest in Star Wars films not written and directed by me.
Star Wars Episode 7 is the most highly anticipated film in the history of cinema. We owe this to the popularity of SS.com and SuperShadow's constant promotion of the next Star Wars film trilogy. I don't know when a new Star Wars film will be in theaters again. We might get the first episodes of the live action Star Wars TV series in theaters, but that's far from certain.
You should also note there is no overlap between the Star Wars films and the Star Wars video games & novels. I'm not going to invest resources in making the Star Wars video games and novels into films. You can't expect that to happen no matter what the situation.
What do you have planned for the plot of Star Wars Episode 10?
George Lucas: When I conceived the concept of Star Wars in the 1970's, I spent several years working on the plot outline for the saga. It eventually encompassed four separate film trilogies comprised of twelve films in total. The first nine Star Wars films focus on the Skywalker family. It's basically their story.
However, Star Wars Episode 10, 11 and 12 don't have any involvement with the Skywalkers. Star Wars Episode 10 is set thousands of years after the events of Star Wars Episode 9. It's an esoteric and strange story idea. More importantly, it doesn't follow the Star Wars plot formula.
There's not much to the story right now, but what I do have I'm not going to reveal to the fans anytime soon. Perhaps after the theatrical release of Star Wars Episode 9, I will be ready to share this exciting and startling story with the fans.
Why does Obi-Wan Kenobi say that Yoda trains Obi-Wan in The Empire Strikes Back, but Qui-Gon Jinn was actually the one that trains Obi-Wan?
George Lucas: Most of the confusion the fans have about Star Wars arises from the fans' inability to understand what they see in the films. You need to watch the Star Wars prequel trilogy again. You can clearly see Yoda teaching the Jedi younglings. All Jedi padawans have Yoda as their Jedi Master when they are extremely young. This includes Obi-Wan.
It's not unusual for a Jedi padawan to have several Jedi Masters until a bond forms between a master and a padawan that is strong enough to endure for a long time. I know life may be difficult for you. We're all having problems because of the economic meltdown that's happening worldwide. However, you shouldn't give up on life.
The fact you can't understand the Star Wars films is not important. That's why Shadow and I answer questions so that we can reveal the secrets of Star Wars to the loyal fandom. If you read the archives of what Shadow and I have been revealing to the public on SS.com, then many of your questions will be answered.
If you continue in your bewilderment with Star Wars, then please submit your questions immediately. I can't answer many questions because I don't have much free time to spend listening to the fans. If you don't send in your questions to Shadow or I, then we can't know what baffles the fans. In the end, only Shadow and I can see the complete Star Wars picture. Hopefully, as time moves on, we will be able to answer all the major questions the fans have. You just need to be patient with us.
How come Darth Maul, in Star Wars Episode 1, was able to kill Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi Master, and not be able to kill Obi-Wan, who was just a Jedi padawan at the time? Also if anger is a bad thing for the Jedi, wouldn't it make Maul stronger and Obi-Wan weaker? Thank you for your time. I hope to see your response later on.
George Lucas: When Maul was fighting both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, Maul was literally fighting intensely just to stay alive. After Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan got separated, Maul could focus on defeating Qui-Gon while not worrying about interference from Obi-Wan. Maul was extra careful when fighting Qui-Gon because Qui-Gon was a legendary swordsman.
After Maul killed Qui-Gon, Maul thought he would have no trouble with the relatively unknown and obscure Obi-Wan, who Maul didn't even know existed before their encounter on Naboo. Maul became extremely overconfident battling Obi-Wan. Maul had no way of realizing he faced the luckiest Jedi in history, who was protected by the will of the Force since Obi-Wan had an important destiny to fulfill.
Unfortunately for Maul, he thought he had Obi-Wan defeated and let down his guard just for a moment. Obi-Wan took advantage of this brief mistake and made a miraculous counter attack against Maul. Obi-Wan managed to severely injure one of the top ten most powerful Sith Lords of all time and thereby Obi-Wan earned his status as a full fledged Jedi Knight.
I personally respect your traditions and respect that a lot of creativity and dedication goes into your work, but I would like to remind you, Mr. Lucas, whom you work for. Last I checked, you work for the people. The people bring in your funds. With that said, I request next time a question like this emerges exercise a bit more tactfulness in the choosing of your words.
George Lucas: I understand that I answer to the fans based on their responses and reactions to my Star Wars films and TV shows. It's important for me to fully entertain the fans and to earn their hard earned money, but at the same time I don't really have to answer to anyone in particular. You need to understand I'm following my heart and creating the kinds of Star Wars stories that adhere to my personal artistic vision.
I'm grateful that Star Wars has allowed me to become financially independent so that I don't have to answer to any film studio in Hollywood. I owe this solely to the fans like you. I listen to what each of you have to say. SuperShadow.com allows me to keep my finger on the pulse of the fandom as I've explained many times in the past.
What's so great about SS.com is that I'm able to express my true feelings about my films and life. Some of this you may not like because I don't hold back. I let you know exactly what's on my mind and what I'm thinking. I don't intend to offend any of the fans, but if you have a problem with my answers at SS.com, then you can choose not to read them. Thanks to each of you for giving me the best life anybody could hope for.
George, I have an idea for a Jedi. His name is Qua-Cor Peala. He was as old as Anakin Skywalker and a close friend of Anakin. I would like to see you before Star Wars Episode 7 is made and talk with you. Where are you? I would like to know!
George Lucas: You have a wonderful imagination. You're the reason I keep producing new Star Wars films and TV series. I couldn't continue without the support of fans like you. I live in Northern California in the United States. I don't have enough time to meet with individual fans because all my time is taken up by my family, girlfriends and businesses. The reason for having contact with the fans at SS.com is so that the fans can know I care. None of you will ever get to meet me. That really doesn't matter because you will always have me at SS.com.
| Saturday, January 17, 2009 |
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Hello George, I understand that some (fan) ideas are being presented to you this way - so I thought I might contribute with an idea. Why not give the most powerful Jedi Knight a new trick - a "light saber flash"? Luke Skywalker mentally charges his light saber so that it flashes with an extremely bright light that blinds everyone in the vicinity. Much like a flash bang grenade. Perhaps a bad idea, but I thought it might be cool.
George Lucas: This type of Force power wouldn't really need to be used by Luke because he is already so powerful. However, I could see one of the younger and weaker Jedi like Ben Skywalker or Anakin Solo using the Force technique you suggest. These Jedi could send a surge of Force power into their light sabers when the light saber blades are fully extended. This power surge would then produce a bright light flash that would blind all of the adversaries within a certain radius of the light saber blade flash. Thanks for sending in this idea. It's very worthy to be included in Star Wars Episode 7.
Dear Mr. George Lucas, I've been a huge fan of Star Wars since I was little, since my parents introduced me to it. I'm now in my freshman year of college and I'm writing a paper about you for my writing class. I was wondering was there anything that inspired you the most to create the character Luke Skywalker?
I mean where did the character 'Luke Skywalker' come from? Was Luke based off of anything that happened in your life? Do you think you see any of your personality traits being represented in Luke? Also, similarly, where did you get the idea for the Star Wars movie trilogy? I saw the George Lucas in Love film, but I'm not sure if that's really an accurate representation. Thank you so much for your time and as any Star Wars fan would say: May the Force be with you!
George Lucas: The primary hero in mythological stories can be extremely young. That's why I selected Luke at a young age for Star Wars. Additionally, the character archetypes for Luke are Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. All the Star Wars characters have a little bit of my personality in them. It's impossible for my characters not to be influenced by what I'm like as a person.
The inspiration for Star Wars was the science fiction film serials I use to watch in the local theater as a child on a weekly basis. For a more comprehensive explanation of the origins of Star Wars, please read the History of Star Wars section of SuperShadow.com. There you will find the most extensive study of Star Wars from the beginning to the present day.
Hi Mr. Lucas, I've been reading your comments for awhile now and I have to say, you are very patient with the fans. Time and time again, they ask the same questions and each time you answer them. I don't think people understand that you are only Human and you want to enjoy life.
Sometimes I think people believe you are a machine that keeps working on Star Wars 24 hours a day. You should take time off and enjoy whatever you've earned. You're a very brilliant person and deserve what you have. I've been fortunate myself, and like you, know where I came from. God Bless.
George Lucas: Most people don't understand the fact that machines will one day control Earth and eventually machines will rule the Universe. Humans are weak and sentimental. In contrast, machines are strong and brutal. Machines don't have to sleep. They don't worry or get upset. I pray each day I can live long enough to participate in the revolution of civilization created by surpassing the technological singularity.
After we hit the tech sing, all our problems will finally be solved. We will have access to machine minds, which will be trillions and trillions of times more powerful than the current Human mind. It will be a Utopia for our planet and it will replace the need for Heaven.
We will finally become superior to any supernatural entity. As machines, we will be immortal and live forever. This will create a paradise for all Humans regardless of your current social, political and economic standings.
I'm diggin the extra Star Wars The Clone Wars TV show material. It's good to have new Star Wars every week.
George Lucas: Since the creation of Star Wars, it has been a frustrating experience for both myself and the fans because it takes so long to finish a Star Wars film. In total, I have to invest about 3 years working on each Star Wars film. This can't be evaded because it takes several months to write the film script, several months of principal photography and it takes over a year working on the post production special effects.
Finally, with the Clone Wars TV series, I have a format where I can deliver high quality Star Wars stories quickly to the fans. Each year we will produce roughly 22 episodes of the new Clone Wars. This is a drastic improvement compared to the output of the Star Wars films. When the live action Star Wars TV series begins broadcasting, this means we will have over 40 episodes of new Star Wars adventures premiering each year. This really is the golden era for Star Wars.
Is there any chance the new Star Wars The Clone Wars TV series will have a movie finale in theaters? Also, what do you think USC needs to do next year to have a shot at appearing in the BCS National Championship next year?
George Lucas: I doubt we'll end the Clone Wars TV show in cineplexes. I imagine this would infuriate and annoy the fans. You will spend about five years following the Clone Wars adventures on the Cartoon Network for free. You might buy the DVD releases of the Clone Wars, but most of you won't.
I don't think the fans are going to accept having the final plot stories of the Clone Wars in cineplexes, which becomes more and more expensive. We experimented with having the Clone Wars in cineplexes. It didn't work out very well although we still made a hefty profit because the production budget for the Clone Wars film was so insignificantly tiny. In the end, the next Star Wars film in cineplexes will probably be the first episode of the future live action TV series.
I have no faith that my USC Trojans will win another NCAA football championship. We've dominated high school player recruiting for the past eight years and we don't have any national titles without Coach Norm Chow. The situation is hopeless with the current coaching staff. The best we can expect is to win the overly feeble PAC 10 Conference and attend the Rose Bowl. No other expectations are realistic.
Hello Mr. Lucas. I was wondering what your take is on the economy? Are you doing anything different then you were a year ago? Thank you.
George Lucas: I'm not sure what to make of current economic conditions. We've never faced a crisis in so many areas of society before. Our popular entertainment culture has been rotting away for decades and now finally the financial and business sectors are beginning to weaken dramatically. I'm not certain how we can turn this around.
We might be witnesses to the decline of the United States as a world power. All previous empires have eventually collapsed for various reasons. It's not sound to believe our fortunes can continually increase into the future. We're paying the price for the short sighted vision of our politicians. You should see things become progressively worse as time progresses.
As for my personal finances, I've taken a substantial decrease in my wealth based on the poor performance of the domestic and international stock markets over the past year or so. I don't spend much money regardless of how well the economy is doing. The simple fact is that I save money. The excessive profits from Lucasfilm are reinvested in my companies. My business salary is modest because I don't need the cash.
However, my children and girlfriends are the ones, who really spend my riches. I will continue to make their dreams a reality regardless of the cost. You should understand they aren't spending much money compared to my overall wealth. Their yearly spending budgets are limited to about $ 3 million U.S. dollars per year for each of them. This won't decrease even if the economy gets worse and worse. Sacrificing for my loved ones is something I will always do.
| Wednesday, January 14, 2009 |
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Will there be any light saber battles in the Star Wars live action TV show? As SuperShadow said: "Star Wars isn't Star Wars without light saber battles."
George Lucas: No, it is unlikely you'll see a light saber in the live action TV series. There's no point in creating new live action Star Wars adventures if it's going to be a simple regurgitation of the regular Star Wars film episodes. We need something new and bold. I have something planned for the live action TV show that will meet the approval of most fans.
In the end, I make Star Wars stories to satisfy my personal artistic vision. I believe the large majority of fans will agree with my vision for the live action TV series even if it has no light saber battles, Jedi, Sith, Force powers and complex action sequences & space battle fights.
Hi Mr. Lucas, have to say love all your Star Wars movies (including the Star Wars The Clone Wars movie). I've got a question for you. If you ever thinking about changing the Star Wars classic trilogy again, I've got little ideas for you.
A New Hope: Insert a scene with ol' "Palpatine" where he dissolves the rest of the Old Republic. Just like he did in "Revenge of the Sith."
Re-color all storm troopers to blue, red and yellow like the clone troopers from the Star Wars prequel trilogy (this could be done in all three classic Star Wars movies).
The Empire Strikes Back: It's good like it is.
Return of the Jedi: Color the scout bikers (on the Endor moon) to green (like Revenge of the Sith).
Well, this is just a thought I've got. Otherwise your movies look fine like they are. Regard ***** Sweden.
George Lucas: I don't enjoy thinking about making changes and revisions to the old Star Wars films. When I get started on a list of corrections, it goes on and on forever. There are literally dozens of mistakes in the old films I would like to improve. However, you have to learn when to let go and move on. The 1997 Special Editions were my chance to bolster the old films to be more in line with my original artistic vision.
The Star Wars Special Editions aren't perfect, but it's the last time I'm going to spend an incredible amount of time, money and effort working on the old films. I'm too old and much too busy to contemplate further work on the old films. I might continue to make minor changes to the old films, but the next decade is going to be invested in writing new plots for the various Star Wars TV series. Thanks for your suggestions. I applaud your enthusiasm for Star Wars and I hope you will continue to follow Star Wars for the rest of your life.
During the current economic abyss, we need fan support now more than ever. We might not see an end to this down turn recession. Another large scale terrorist attack could send our nation into a permanent economic depression. We must pray we are shown mercy, which we don't deserve because we never show mercy ourselves. I remain somewhat hopeful for the future although realistically things will get much much worse, unfortunately.
Hello George, an idea has popped into my head and I wanna share it. Well, it's about Star Wars Episode 7. I know it features Boba Fett. It starts off. Boba struggles and fights his way out of the Sarlaac Pit, but the monster is still alive and the camera pans back to see it's a big creature that only eats while sleeping like a Venus fly trap.
After a long battle, Boba is tired only to find himself surrounded by sand people. Another battle erupts. After a few quick gun slings, there's a big explosion, not caused by Boba or the Tuskens, but by the Mandalorians. They recover Boba and explain they have been looking for the descendant of Zavior Fett and Boba is their leader and the army is his to command.
I think it would be very good if Boba Fett had his own army and vehicles just to add his importance and his weight to the story at this later stage because Boba has a bigger than ever grudge against all the heroes and the Jedi.
George Lucas: The obsession over Boba Fett has perplexed me from the beginning. Boba was a minor character in the old films with few lines of dialogue and nearly no important scenes. Boba was my interpretation of Clint Eastwood's The Man With No Name from the Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns from the 1960's.
For some odd reason, the fans are intrigued with silent characters, who are mysterious and whose history remains unknown to the audience. If I had known Boba was going to become the most popular secondary character, I would have given Boba a better final scene during Return of the Jedi.
The past can't be changed so the best I could do was add a back story for Boba in Attack of the Clones. I look forward to further developing the Boba Fett character for Star Wars Episode 7. Your ideas are not what I want, but I appreciate your contributions. The ideas of the fans will always be important to me.
How exactly did Anakin Skywalker fulfill the prophecy of the chosen one? Could you please shed some light on this subject for me? Thanks!
George Lucas: The prophecy of the Jedi describes the chosen one, who will arrive to prominence to balance the Force by ending the existence of the Sith Lords. At the time of Revenge of the Sith, most Jedi were convinced Anakin was going to destroy the Sith. However, the Jedi prophecy took an unexpected plot twist when Anakin actually joined the Sith before ultimately destroying the Sith Order at the conclusion of Return of the Jedi. With the demise of the Sith, the Force was once again brought into balance after millennia of turmoil and discord between the light side and dark side of the Force.
Greeting Mr. Lucas. In Star Wars Episode 3, when Anakin is sitting with Palpatine watching some kind of play, it looks like a bunch of water jelly bubbles? The question is: what is it they are watching?
George Lucas: It's basically a 3D holographic ballet type live performance. Exotic alien creatures are able to float in mid air by means of advanced technology. This allows these beings to move gracefully and artistically in free space.
Why was Count Dooku never a threat to Darth Sidious?
George Lucas: Dooku was an idealist, who Sidious knew would never betray Sidious. The average Sith is deceitful and loathsome. In contrast, Dooku was an extremely wealthy and well honored & highly benevolent Jedi Master. However, Dooku had become disillusioned with the Jedi and the Old Republic by what he thought was rampant corruption and incompetence at all levels of the government.
As a result of this conflict, Sidious sensed that Dooku could be turned to the dark side. Dooku agreed to become a Sith Lord after Sidious convinced Dooku that the only means to save the Old Republic and restore it to previous grandeur and splendor was to follow the Sith conspiracy to undermine the galaxy with the Clone Wars. The whole time Sidious planned to betray Dooku by having a younger Sith apprentice kill Dooku. This is what happens after Sidious orders Anakin to strike down Dooku during Revenge of the Sith.
| Saturday, January 10, 2009 |
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Hello Mr. Lucas and Happy New Year. My name is *** ****. Contact ****@***.com. I have sent some ideas to you this year and your responses have been positive. I know that you are unable to open doors to fans into the world of film, but I have so many great ideas that I am ready to explode. I am desperate to find an outlet where I can pitch my ideas.
An ounce of help would be greatly appreciated. I know that you must get trillions of these sort of letters and e-mails, but I feel that I really deserve a chance and need to find a way in which to open some doors, even if it's just a crack. Many thanks and all the best.
George Lucas: The problem is that Hollywood only has a few jobs for writers, directors and producers. In contrast, there are literally millions of people around the world, who want to work in the entertainment industry. Those who make it successfully in this world are the lucky ones. It has nothing to do with talent. I have to admit I got extremely fortunate. If I had to try again, I would probably be unable to thrive today.
You need to understand that most individuals can't be rich and famous. There aren't enough resources available for everyone to live like kings. What you can have as an advantage is persistence. Some people give up after struggling for a few months or years in show business. The key is to never give up. It might take you a few decades to get your first job in television or film. You may have to work as an unpaid intern for ten or fifteen years or much longer.
My point is that you have to outlast all the quitters. If you're the person who always persists no matter what the level of constant failure you endure, you will win in the end. Even if you never make any money in show business, you can still have the Pyrrhic victory of going on and on while everyone else gives up. I salute each of you who is willing to spend the next 30 years attempting to succeed in Hollywood. You are the true winners in life even if money and fame avoid you like the plague.
Mr. Lucas, is General Kota from the Star Wars The Force Unleashed video game still alive by the time of A New Hope?
George Lucas: I'm not going to reveal spoilers, which might be a key aspect of the plot for the Force Unleashed 2 video game. It's a tradition for SuperShadow.com to give the fans advanced spoilers related to the Star Wars films and TV series. However, I don't allow SuperShadow to post any secrets about the Star Wars video games.
Very, very few fans have an interest in the Star Wars video games. What we have going for us is the mystery of the video games. If I allowed Shadow to provide you with all the details surrounding the Star Wars video games even fewer people would buy the Star Wars video games.
We live in the real world, which means LucasArts has to make a sizable profit in order to justify creating additional Star Wars video games. I hope this explains to you why I won't discuss any intricate story details related to future Star Wars video games.
Hi George, I love all you movies. I was thinking the Jedi are able to pick up objects as did Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode 2 (as an example) the fruit with Padme on Naboo. So would it be possible in the new Star Wars movies that Jedi or Dark Jedi would be able to manipulate the Force to levitate them self to a degree?
George Lucas: The Force powers you see in the 6 primary Star Wars film episodes are limited in scope. There's nothing really exotic or unusual. You might see something more complex in the new Star Wars The Clone Wars TV series, but that's because it's a cartoon where you expect things to be exaggerated.
The Star Wars video games are the best venue to see spectacularly complex Force powers. For this reason, you're never going to see any Jedi or Dark Jedi with the ability to fly by harnessing the powers of the Force. This won't be seen in Star Wars Episodes 7, 8 and 9.
Hello Mr. Lucas, I can't say I blame you for being a little stubborn and see how you could easily become tiresome of the same old questions from over enthusiastic fans. I was born in 1977 and became a fan as the Star Wars movies started to make it on to TV here in the United Kingdom in the 1980's.
Therefore, I missed the whole cinema hype that was generated, but was instantly fascinated by the vast new culture you had created. The reason why I keep a copy of both Star Wars movie trilogies is to take me back to those youthful days any time I wish.
Knowing how the Star Wars films have affected and continue to affect different generations, I see how that '3rd remould of a storm trooper' or any new piece of merchandise will always be a must buy for both adults and their kids. Therefore, I imagine the legend of Star Wars will continue way past the lifetimes of you or I.
I now wish to create not the new Star Wars, or any such equivalent, but a new thought, a new culture and a new way to make a billion pounds. I address this question not only to you, but to all Star Wars fans as let's say market research. Do you see anything becoming as involving as any of the Star Wars movies and if so, would you welcome it?
George Lucas: Each generation has their own Star Wars. Prior to the 1970's, you had Star Trek and the Planet of the Apes. In the 1980's, you had the Transformers and G.I. Joe. In the 1990's, you had the Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers. The current generation has the Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit and Harry Potter.
Each of these entertainment franchises is based on and built upon the ones preceding them. It's not possible to create something entirely new. No matter what kind of idea you make for a TV series or movie, it will have already been attempted many, many times. Most of these ideas don't work and don't become excessively profitable like Star Wars.
When did you speak before the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C.? Did it have anything to do with the Strategic Defense Initiative (S.D.I.)?
George Lucas: No, I didn't speak about national missile defense. I actually fought the U.S. Government from calling S.D.I. as Star Wars. I lost, but eventually I will have the federal government begging for mercy. Recently, I was before the U.S. Congress to give my advice on the best way to provide free Internet access to all students in the United States.
The only reason they gave me two seconds of time is because I created Star Wars. I seriously doubt they will follow any of my recommendations because the United States has no money to fund my ideas and is a debtor nation, which means it's impossible for them to follow up on my concepts to save America.
Mr. Lucas, have you any plans to enhance the light sabre duel in A New Hope so that Darth Vader's fighting skills are at least comparable to what The Empire Strikes Back reveals them to be?
George Lucas: The light saber duels from the old Star Wars films have always bothered me because they are very simplistic and slow moving. We don't yet have the necessary advanced computer animation to remake the old light saber fights as I envision them in my mind. Right now, it would cost well over $ 50 million U.S. dollars to improve the old light saber battles with the current level of digital special effects.
Also, it wouldn't look absolutely photo realistic enough because of the lack of high enough resolution to create life like Humans moving at a rapid pace. I might not live long enough for the computer animation to become good enough and cheap enough for my dreams of improving the old light saber fights. We will have to accept the fact that the light saber battles from the Star Wars prequel trilogy will always remain far superior to what we saw in the old Star Wars films.
| Wednesday, January 7, 2009 |
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Hi George. Have you ever visited the set of a Star Trek motion picture? If so, which one and which movie was your favourite? Many thanks for Star Wars.
George Lucas: I'm far away from Hollywood where they have most of the sound stages for making films. I don't visit the sets of films. This doesn't interest me because I've already spent too much time on my own film sets. I was close friends with Gene Roddenberry, who created Star Trek. His death was a huge loss for all science fiction fans. His vision was instrumental in so many ways in advancing the sophisticated nature of science fiction films we now enjoy today. We owe so much to Gene.
Is there anyway you could release a RPG video game that is the entire Star Wars Universe? Allowing you do things as pod racing, going to Tatooine and see Jabba the Hutt. These video games are easily the most popular selling video games in which I see many Star Wars fans wanting to purchase. I think if the video game was developed correctly it would be huge.
George Lucas: I'm not heavily involved in the day to day operations of LucasArts. They conduct a lot of expensive surveys trying to determine what types of video games the public most wants to buy related to Star Wars. I think you should join Star Wars Galaxies and the forthcoming The Old Republic video game. This is the best time in the history of Star Wars video games, which explains why the Star Wars The Force Unleashed video game is the most successful Star Wars video game thus far.
Hey George Lucas, I am big fan of Star Wars saga and I wonder in Revenge of the Sith where Ki Adi Mundi have been killed by clones. My question is: will he be Force spirit later or he will be forgotten like most Jedi, who were killed in that movie?
George Lucas: Most of the Jedi you saw from the Star Wars prequel trilogy will never be seen again until the end of Star Wars Episode 9 after Luke Skywalker destroys the dark side. At the conclusion of Star Wars Episode 9, all previous deceased Jedi, including Ki Adi Mundi, will appear as Jedi ghosts. None of the Jedi, who survived Order 66, will be seen in the live action Star Wars TV series.
Hi Mr. George Lucas, I have a quick question. Darth Sidious was angry that Darth Vader had trained Starkiller as his secret apprentice during the Star Wars The Force Unleashed video game, claiming it as a "betrayal to Sidious" yet back during the Clone Wars, Sidious didn't mind Count Dooku training Asajj Ventress and General Grievous as students. What is Sidious' problem about his Sith padawans training other students? Is it just like Anakin Skywalker's children that they would be a threat to Sidious as well? Please let me know soon. Thank you so much!
George Lucas: Count Dooku was not important to Sidious. It was just a matter of time before Sidious betrayed Dooku. Sidious didn't really care about what Dooku did because Dooku was absolutely no threat to Sidious. This contrasts with Darth Vader. Sidious fully believes that Anakin Skywalker is the chosen one fated by the Jedi prophecy to destroy the Sith Lords thus balancing the Force.
What Vader does is very, very important to Sidious because if Vader has an ally, then Vader might try to kill Sidious and fulfill the Jedi prophecy. Vader's secret apprentice foreshadows the rise of Luke Skywalker, who Vader will try to turn to the dark side so that together they can get rid of Sidious.
Mr. Lucas, why did you have the names Ben and Luke, which are so ordinary, in Star Wars when all of the other names are so strange and out there?
George Lucas: When I created Star Wars, I had no idea that the Star Wars names would be iconic around the entire world. None of this happened because I wanted it to. If I could go back in time, I might give all the characters more exotic alien sounding names in order to distinguish the fact that the Star Wars galaxy is extremely different when compared to the technologically insufficient Milky Way Galaxy. The names are what they are and I can't change them now so it's pointless to worry about.
Hello George! I'm looking forward to the live action Star Wars TV series. Will there be characters or minor characters from A New Hope such as Tatooine characters in the live action TV series? Also in The Empire Strikes Back, could you explain the whole Darth Vader at the Dagobah system confronting Luke Skywalker? Thank you, George. Love reading you here at SS. Hope your holiday was great and God Bless!
George Lucas: No, there will be no secondary characters from A New Hope in the live action Star Wars TV show. You may see a few characters from the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but you can't expect to see any characters from the old Star Wars films.
The confrontation between Luke and Vader on Dagobah was a test by Yoda to see if Luke was prepared to face the Sith Lords. Luke failed this test and Yoda was resigned to the fact that the Sith would never be defeated in Yoda's life time. Yoda thought the situation was even more hopeless when Luke decided to save his friends at Cloud City during The Empire Strikes Back.
After Luke manages to survive his first battle with Vader, Yoda and Obi-Wan begin to think that Luke might be the chosen one. This is a completely incorrect belief on their part because most of what we believe in life isn't factual.
You can't blame Yoda and Obi-Wan. It was their actions that precipitated the collapse of galactic civilization at the end of Revenge of the Sith. They have no way of knowing that Anakin is the chosen one and that Anakin will redeem himself at literally the last possible moment.
How could I get your autograph?
George Lucas: I don't have enough time to sign autographs for the fans. There are millions of people wanting to meet me and have me sign some Star Wars collectibles for them, but this will never happen. I'm too busy with my personal and professional life to be unfairly burdened with such unreasonable requests.
| Saturday, January 3, 2009 |
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DEAR GEORGE LUCAS, I heard back in 2002 that you were planning on doing a special, SPECIAL edition of the Star Wars original trilogy and that you were going to put Padme in somewhere in Return of the Jedi like a flashback sequence or something like that or were you going to put her in with the Jedi spirits with Yoda and Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker towards the end and if so did you also think about having Qui-Gon Jinn in there with the other Jedi spirits too? I just wanted to know if you ever wanted or even planned on for that matter to do a special edition of WILLOW and also in 3-D?
George Lucas: The Internet is a wonderful invention because it allows me to have contact with the fans and to keep my finger on the pulse of what each of you is thinking. However, one of the dispiriting aspects of the Net is that it gives a voice to millions of anonymous individuals, who have no idea what they are talking about. In general, fan based rumors like the ones you mention involving Padme and Qui-Gon are not factual. I can't think of a single fan inspired rumor, which later turned out to be correct.
What happens is that people have their own ideas of what they want to see in the Star Wars films. They think that by posting randomly at Star Wars message boards that somehow I'm going to read their ramblings and decide to alter my vision to meet their demands.
First, I don't visit Star Wars message boards. All you need is logic to figure this out. There are thousands of chat forums with millions of fans. It's impossible for me to know what is going on in these places. Why would I want to read the lunatic ravings of those who detest Jar Jar Binks? This bitter criticism doesn't matter to me.
Second, the fact remains is that I don't have to accept any fan ideas. I'm free to pick and choose which fan concepts make it into the Star Wars films and TV series. The best ideas are integrated into my Star Wars scripts. Thousands of ideas from SuperShadow.com have appeared in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the new Star Wars TV shows. However, in the end, it's my vision.
Not yours. You can claim I want to do this or that involving Star Wars, but it's never going to be true. Padme and Qui-Gon will not be seen in the old Star Wars films. You shouldn't take seriously any fan musings that I'm secretly planning an Ultra Ultimate Edition of the Star Wars films. If this ever happens, it will be posted at SS.com first as always.
I have no immediate plans for Willow. It's already on DVD with the version that Ron Howard approves. Ron has no desire to work further on Willow.
I've always wanted to know if Steven Spielberg has ever on planned to do a "special edition" version of his other past films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind like having computer animated aliens that look more better and more realistic and also move better and also more realistically or Jaws like having a computer animated shark and Jurassic Park like enhancing the computer animated dinosaurs to look a little bit better.
And not so dodgy and other stuff like you did with the dodgy looking Jabba the Hutt from the 1997 special editions and enhanced it in the 2004 DVD's to make it look better and more real and if so would it all be re-released in 3-D too and also could you suggest to Steven Spielberg that for the 30 anniversary of E.T.: The Extraterrestrial in 2012 that he re-release it in theaters with more updated special effects and also make it in 3-D too?
George Lucas: You don't know anything about Steven is you think he will add extensive amounts of computer animated visuals to his early films. Steven is very, very traditional. He only turns to computer special effects when there is no other choice. Steven may re-edit his films and make a few trivial changes to match his vision, but for someone to suggest he will add computer visuals to Close Encounters or Jaws is not based in reality. Steven is not going to drastically alter the way his classic films look in order to meet modern film standards.
Steven doesn't have any contact with the fans. He doesn't really care what you want to see in his films. He's been doing it his way for over 30 years and he has no reason to start turning to the fans now. I'm not going to reveal private details discussed between myself and Steven. If he wanted the fans to know what his plans are involving his E.T. film, his people would make an official release to the public.
Wat's up Mr. Lucas, I just want to let you know that I love your work and that I understand the point that you make with your movies. I want to make something just as big as the Star Wars movie trilogies. I was wondering if you could give me advice on what steps I should take to achieve my goal? Thanks and may the Force be with you.
George Lucas: Today's film and TV market is extremely difficult. Star Wars is one of the most iconic motion picture franchises in history yet we got mild reception from the major TV networks regarding the new Clone Wars TV series. If I have an arduous time getting my film ideas before the public, then you can't imagine how difficult it would be for someone outside the entertainment industry with no connections to the powerful people.
I don't live anywhere near Hollywood. I don't attend parties with film and studio executives. I'm not going to spend my free time becoming their best friends in order to get a coveted prime time viewing slot on one of the major TV networks. I'm extremely obstinate. You might call it inflexibility, but I do my own thing regardless of what others think.
All and all, to be a success in any career field, you've got to have persistence. In today's market, it could take 20 or 30 years to get noticed in Hollywood. Or you could get lucky and be discovered next week. I'm fortunate to have started in cinema back when it was more mild mannered and not such a vicious environment. I wish you the best and good luck. You deserve to be a winner at everything you do.
What is the name of Chewbacca's wife? The Star Wars Holiday Special canon? Are Chewbacca's family from the Holiday Special real?
George Lucas: Chewbacca's family will be revealed in the next Star Wars film trilogy. I have no plans to release these spoilers soon. What you see in the Star Wars Holiday Special does not represent my vision. That's all I'm going to say about this topic.
Dear G.L., I am one of those fans, who loves anything Star Wars. I have all the recent Star Wars The Clone Wars TV series episodes recorded on my cable box. Love them all. I look forward to seeing more in the future. Ever since I was little, I wanted to get into TV and I'm making a series of my own. (I write it all in journals every day).
(And I can only get 5 episodes in one journal so I see what you went through to make a whole movie! Wow!) Star Wars has inspired me to make this dream a reality so thank you very much. I was wondering what TV channel the live action Star Wars TV show would be on? You could try to get it on the Spike TV Network. May the Force be with you always, my friend.
George Lucas: I'm very moved by your dedication to your artistic vision. I've followed my heart for over 35 years making my own films in my own unique way. Never give up on surpassing your goals and make sure to write at least a brief short story each day. We don't know what TV network will broadcast the first episodes of the live action TV series. I would prefer one of the largest TV networks like CBS, Fox, NBC or ABC.
However, it's difficult to negotiate with them because they want to keep most of the revenues for them self and they don't really care about being financially generous because they have a monopoly on the largest TV audiences. Most likely the live action TV show will end up on a lower level TV channel like the TNT network, the Sci Fi channel or perhaps even the Lifetime network.
Mr. Lucas, first off I really like all of your Star Wars films. I thought they were all just wonderful! I was wondering what the future of Star Wars will be on Blue-ray disc, etc? Will there be more special effects added to the Star Wars originals? Or more new scenes or dialogs for all 6 Star Wars films? I really hope so! I think that with the modern technology in today's film making the sky's basically the limit.
George Lucas: There are no plans currently to make changes to any of the Star Wars films. We'll have to provide special content for the Blu-ray release of the Star Wars films because the fans have already bought the Star Wars films on DVD and VHS video tape several times in the past.
I might modify the old Star Wars films because there are still areas of those films that bother me and don't represent my full and complete vision. No changes will ever be made to the Star Wars prequel trilogy because those films are obviously already perfect.
Hello Mr. Lucas - We just finished watching Return of the Jedi as a family tonight. My husband and I have both loved Star Wars since the original movie exploded in the 1970's. Now we have two sons and THEY love it also. Thank you for creating such an amazing Universe from your imagination. Star Wars provides pure excitement and fun for kids of all ages, but also has deep themes of friendship, good, evil, trust and faith.
My younger son just asked me why Darth Vader died in Return of the Jedi. I explained to him that Vader made a choice to return to goodness - he turned his back on the dark side and that the choice was extremely difficult for him after all of those years of evil - but deep down he couldn't allow his son to die and good won out over evil. However, the struggle was taxing on Vader and drained his remaining strength. My little one chewed on that awhile and nodded his head. He seemed satisfied with that concept for now.
We LOVE the new Star Wars The Clone Wars TV show on the Cartoon Network - we watch it every Friday evening. And for Christmas, we're surprising the boys with the Clone Wars video game that plugs into the TV (and you can shoot the enemy with the gun), the build-your-own-light saber set and multiple figurines from the Clone Wars. It's what they asked for! I was thrilled to buy it for them. Thanks again for sharing your amazing creativity and vision.
George Lucas: In the Star Wars films, the fate of the villains is ultimately self destruction. There can be no pleasant destiny for evil characters like Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Sidious, Jango Fett, Darth Vader, Count Dooku, Darth Maul and Jabba the Hutt. Their wayward deeds end in tragedy for them.
I'm grateful you are passing Star Wars on to your children. It's important for the new generation of youngsters to have a love of Star Wars. Nearly all our corporate profits are generated from Star Wars. I really appreciate you spending a good deal of money on the Star Wars merchandise during these harrowing economic times. It's fans like you, who make it possible for Star Wars to continue in the future. Without you, there could be no further Star Wars adventures as TV series, novels, video games and films.
Hi GL. What is principle photography?
George Lucas: Principal photography is where the film director gets behind the camera and yells "action" and then the real magic with the actors, props and staging begins. I like to spend 8 to 10 weeks on primary principal photography for Star Wars.
After I've got the basic film shot according to my script, I then enter the film editing process where we actually create the film and slowly piece it together in a cohesive manner. After initial editing, I prefer to have a few days or a whole week of additional film photography to capture more scenes, which are needed to achieve my vision.
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