C
chip5541
Guest
I thought this was interesting and kind of puts into perspective what happened to the Star Wars franchise.<br /><br /> quote: <br />There are two primary factors fueling this anomaly. Firstly, and what few people realize, is that the generally-preferred Episode IV - A New Hope (the "original" Star Wars movie) and its sequel (Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back) were profoundly impacted by individuals no longer working with Lucas. One of them was a man named Gary Kurtz, who produced American Graffiti and the first two Star Wars films.<br /><br /> By the time Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi rolled around, Kurtz and Lucas had parted ways, and Ewoks reigned supreme. If Kurtz were still involved with the franchise, the saga's complexion would be significantly different. His perspective repeatedly counter-balanced Lucas' initial (and sometimes reckless) desires. While still attached to RotJ, for example, there were to be no Ewoks. Kurtz was adamant the film should not be about attacking another Death Star – he didn't like the idea of blatantly repeating such a major conceit within the same trilogy. Also, as originally conceived, Jedi was to have concluded on a more dramatic, bleaker note: Han Solo would have died, Leia would have gone-on to lead the bedraggled remnants of her people, and Luke would have been left, essentially, alone in the galaxy he'd just helped free. These characters, brought together by fate, happenstance, and maybe a little bit of prophesy, were to have gone their own separate ways, and return to their own separate lives. A dose of reality in such a fantastic setting.<br /><br /> The prequels would have a different perspective as well: Episode I, for instance, was originally slated to be about The Clone Wars, and the formation of the Jedi Knights. A very different landscape, embracing a very different kind of storytelling than ultimately came our way. A kind of storytelling abandoned by Lucas in-favor of more self-indulgent, less daring w