George Lucas remains the most hated man in the Star Wars Universe in spite of his decision to finally let go of the reins and give it back to the fans.
The anger towards the creator of one of the most beloved sci-fi fantasies of all time runs deep, and at this point, I’m having trouble figuring out why.
I admit, for a time I was with you, Lucas haters. The man seemed to have a contempt for fans, who were tired of him tampering with the originals, and who felt that his prequel trilogy was utter crap.
Understandable. It’s hard seeing something you loved so much as a kid be reduced to one scene after another of badly done CGI.
But in spite of his insistence that the original trilogy not be made available on DVD or Blu-ray, I think it’s time to cool it with the George Lucas hatred.
That doesn’t mean you can’t (or shouldn’t) laugh at things like the Star Wars: The Force Awakens “if George Lucas had directed it” trailer, but it does mean that the jabs you take at Lucas should be a bit less mean-spirited and a bit more appreciative.
After all, he acquiesced to our wishes and released the Force-choke he had on the franchise.
Selling to Disney was one of the best moves he could have made to breathe new life into the series and repair some of the damage done between himself and long-time fans for the reasons mentioned above.
Furthermore, the $4.2 billion payout that he got for his life’s work went completely to charity.
Yes, I know he’d already made tons of money and didn’t need it, but can you imagine what it took to literally give away something you worked your entire life to build? Can any of you say with certainty you would have done the same thing?
Also, if you think that J.J. Abrams and Disney are making this movie without at least a little George Lucas input, you’re sadly mistaken. Part of why you got that “second childhood” feeling on Friday when the teaser was released is because, deep down, Lucas wanted you to have it, and he actively helped in making sure that’s what happened.
Lucas realized something many people never do — that there comes a time when you should worry less about what you can do for yourself and more about what you can give back. Yet you still hate him for it.
No more.
I’m pouring out my George Lucas haterade, and I hope you do the same. The fourth Indiana Jones movie still sucks, though.
[Image via cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com ]
