George Lucas Quotes on the Meaning of Star Wars

Forty-nine years ago, writer and director George Lucas changed film history with the release of Star Wars. The movie redefined science fiction and family cinema while launching a massive franchise and fandom. Lucas sold Lucasfilm and Star Wars to The Walt Disney Company in 2012, but his foundational influence remains vital. Over the decades, Lucas has shared valuable insights about the creative process behind Star Wars alongside fascinating details about the lore and characters of that galaxy far, far away.

Ten of the best George Lucas quotes about Star Wars range from funny to eye-opening.

1. “Darth Icky”

In 2008, LucasArts released the action-adventure game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which follows Starkiller, Darth Vader’s secret apprentice. Sam Witwer portrays the character, who is now best known for his role as Maul in Star Wars animated projects.

LucasArts developers occasionally had Lucas check in on their progress. One particular visit stands out as memorable.

“The team threw a Hail Mary to George, saying the game would have more credibility if the apprentice had a ‘Darth’ title,” a Force Unleashed developer told GameInformer. Lucas agreed, and presented two options: “Darth Icky” and “Darth Insanius.”

Nobody can ever say that Lucas lacked a sense of humor.

2. “The movies are for children, but they don’t want to admit that.”

Lucas always felt that the criticism he received for his prequel films was unwarranted, especially regarding The Phantom Menace and comedic characters like Jar Jar Binks.

Speaking to Newsnight in 1999, Lucas took offense at critics who wanted his movies oriented toward adults. However, adult appeal was never the goal for any Star Wars film, including the original trilogy.

“The movies are for children, but they don’t want to admit that,” Lucas explained. “In the first film, they absolutely hated R2 and C-3PO. In the second film they didn’t like Yoda, and in the third one they hated the Ewoks… and now Jar Jar is getting accused of the same thing.”

Regardless of how modern fans feel, the franchise fundamentally appeals to children.

3. “I don’t know anything about that world. That’s a different world than my world.”

When Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the company removed much of the expanded universe material established in books, comics, and other formats from official canon. Fans of those stories were unhappy to see their favorite narratives erased.

However, Lucas never considered the expanded universe material something he needed to follow. In a 2005 interview with Starlog Magazine, Lucas addressed that material by stating, “I don’t read that stuff. I haven’t read any of the novels. I don’t know anything about that world. That’s a different world than my world.”

This did not mean Lucas hated the expanded universe, but his personal canon only included the movies he created.

4. “The selfish people live on the Dark side. The compassionate people live on the Light side.”

Discourse about the Light and Dark sides of the Force has persisted since Star Wars debuted. Even today, asking fans about the difference between the two can spark a heated debate.

Yet, as Lucas explains, the difference is much simpler than many assume. Selfishness involves pursuing personal pleasures while caring little for others, which leads to misery and loneliness. Compassion involves putting others first and building a selfless community. The concept remains black and white at its core while capturing the fundamental balance of the Force.

5. “People have a tendency to confuse it — everybody has the Force.”

One of the biggest debates in the fandom resurfaced in Ahsoka season 1 when Sabine Wren resumed her Jedi training. Star Wars: Rebels and the early episodes of Ahsoka established that Sabine lacked natural strength in the Force, making her training under Ahsoka seem implausible to some viewers.

Lucas, however, always maintained that everyone has the Force. In an oral history about The Phantom Menace, Lucas clarified that only Jedi and Sith actively use the Force, but possessing the Force does not automatically make someone a Jedi or a Sith. The Force surrounds every living creature, and tapping into it simply requires training.

6. “It’s like poetry, it rhymes.”

In a behind-the-scenes featurette about the creation of the prequels, Lucas used this phrase to describe the thematic relationship between those films and the original trilogy.

The prequels chronicle the rise and fall of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who eventually becomes Darth Vader. Anakin’s fall hurts because he betrays his friends, but it also underscores the destruction of the Republic as the fascist Galactic Empire under Emperor Palpatine takes power.

Viewers might dislike the prequels, but they served as a direct thematic lead-in to the original trilogy.

7. “Power corrupts.”

Good versus evil forms a major pillar of every Star Wars story. In an interview with Wired, Lucas expanded on what makes tales set in a galaxy far, far away feel classic.

“Every few hundred years, the story is retold because we have a tendency to do the same things over and over again,” Lucas told Wired. “Power corrupts, and when you’re in charge, you start doing things that you think are right, but they’re actually not.”

Anakin seeks power to save Senator Padmé Amidala, which ultimately pushes him from the Light to the Dark side. The quote remains relevant across all Star Wars media, from children’s shows like The Clone Wars to gritty spy thrillers like Andor.

8. “Jedi Knights aren’t celibate.”

Fans who grew up watching the prequel trilogy often assumed the Jedi objected to Anakin and Padmé’s secret romance because Jedi were forbidden from having sexual relations.

That assumption is incorrect. As Lucas told the BBC in 2002, Jedi are permitted to have sexual relationships, but emotional attachment and possessiveness are strictly forbidden.

“The thing that is forbidden is attachments and possessive relationships,” Lucas explained. Revenge of the Sith demonstrates why the Jedi enforced that rule.

9. “It was the Empire during the Vietnam War.”

Critics online often complain that modern Star Wars projects have become overly politicized.

The reality is that Lucas never hid the political messaging in Star Wars. In a conversation with filmmaker James Cameron for the 2018 TV series Story of Science Fiction, the two discussed how the original trilogy drew inspiration from the Vietnam War, with the Rebels representing the Viet Cong. Lucas explained that empires like the British and American empires were wrong to project military might and dictate how other societies should live.

When Cameron suggested that America had become the Empire, Lucas corrected him by stating that America was the Empire during the Vietnam War. That perspective resonates strongly in modern series like Andor.

10. “There’s nothing new.”

George Lucas remained relatively quiet about the sequel trilogy, but an eye-catching detail emerged in the 2019 memoir written by former Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Iger revealed that during a screening of 2016’s The Force Awakens, Lucas expressed disappointment with the film.

“There’s nothing new,” Iger reported Lucas as saying, noting that each movie in the original trilogy introduced distinct worlds, stories, characters, and technologies that The Force Awakens lacked.

That observation highlights ongoing discussions among fans. With the next planned trilogy returning to the Skywalkers, viewers continue to wonder when Lucasfilm will take creative risks and explore entirely new territories.

Source: Polygon