Tomorrow at 9pm, on Vice TV is the final episode of “Icons Unearthed: Star Wars”. I highly recommend this 6-episode series recounting the behind-the-scenes drama with the first 6 episodes of the Star Wars saga (all episodes are free on Comcast On Demand). It is very enjoyable and presents some new perspective on Star Wars.
I think the most important revelation was the near-unanimous opinion that Marcia Lucas was the heart of the original Star Wars trilogy. It was her who re-edited scenes to add emotional & dramatic substance. Without Marcia Lucas, Star Wars might not have been the phenomena it became.
In the 4th episode of the series, it was said that in writing Return of the Jedi, Lucas admitted to others that having a 2nd Death Star was the result of him running out of ideas. The fact that JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan had yet another “Death Star” (Starkiller Base) in The Force Awakens, underscored how derivative and bankrupt of new ideas that film was.
It was interesting to see the reactions from the crew toward Phantom Menace (universal disappointment), and it was apparent that had Marcia Lucas and Howard Kazanjian been involved, the films would have had heart to them. Confirmed was the assumption that in all stages of production, George Lucas had “yes men” around him rather than people who would push back against his ridiculousness.
The final episode (#6), covering Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith , airs Tuesday night at 9pm CT.