The George Lucas Usenet Archive

Re: What George Lucas Originally intended...
From: [email protected] (George Lucas)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc
Subject: Re: What George Lucas Originally intended...
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 00:53:00 -0500
Organization: Lucasfilm, Ltd.
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]>
Summary: why not meander?
Keywords: my original intentions
Dear Aa3ee3,

Thank you for enjoying my space movie saga "Star Wars". I am truly humbled that you are a fan of my work. Let's have a "conversation" about the subjects you've brought up, okay?

When I originally wrote "Star Wars: The Adventures of Brett Starkiller" as a young teenager, I did not plan on making Darth Vader be Luke's father. You are absolutely correct on that point. Actually Han Solo was Luke's father. This was to be revealed in a shocking scene in the third movie (Star Wars: Revenge of the Jedi) where Luke and Han suddenly realize that they each carry around a photograph of the same woman: Luke's mother and Han's ex-wife are identical!

Also, General Tagge is the half-brother to Lobot (although this is still true in the official trilogy) and Aunt Beru is Mon Mothman's emotionally frigid, origami-obsessed roommate. Of course I eventually decided to change the relationships around dramatically. I changed Luke from a sexually-ambiguous she-male to the character that Mark Hamill has become undeservedly famous playing in my films. Princess Leia was originally a smart-mouthed prostitute. In one of my most daring moves (except that I chickened out), Lando was both black and GAY (during the celebration scenes in Revenge of the Jedi, he was to be cavorting around Cloud City half-naked with his many boyfriends).

When I first came up with the Clone Wars, I didn't know what the word "clone" meant and actually there was a character named Clone who was trying to take over the galaxy with his fearsome weapon, the Mismatalatic-Galvonator. Clone was in love with Luke (back when Luke was still a she-male) and this made a love-triangle between Luke, Han, and Clone (before Han realizes he is Luke's father).

I approve of the way Star Wars has turned out, but I still get excited when I think of the old days and the old ideas I had then. This was back when I was young and brash and full of dreams--so unlike today--back when I drove around Hollywood shouting "I'm going to take over this town" at the top of my lungs, and saying "you're fired" whenever I felt like it. Today is different. Today I am insulated by my hundreds of millions of dollars and by my legions of cretinous yes-men, so much so that I have no conception of what life is like anymore. Do most people still get up and go to work at 11:00 in the morning? Do people still use "cars" to get around? Is exposure to sunlight still considered "normal"?

Sometimes I ask my live-in "friends", Natalie Portman and her younger sister, these questions, but I never tire of asking them to everyone. Well, let's make that today's assignment to fans. If you are a fan of Star Wars, please let me know the answers, in return for my having given you the fascinating behind the scenes glimpse into how the Star Wars saga was shaped. I think we both know I am owed at least that much.

May the Force Be With You*

George

* Please refer to http://www.lucasfilm.com/pc/disclaimer.html for a complete listing of committee-approved language that fully outlines with whom the Force may be, as well as a statement of gender and race equality with subsections devoted to "other-abled", trans-gendered, and different-odored persons.