Lucas is a small, petty man ... who lost his touch decades ago (He did not direct "Empire Strikes Back" or "Return of the Jedi")
He's said that we wanted to make all nine episodes ... but only had the money for one so he chose #4 ... which is now known as "A New Hope."
What a crock of shit!! Lucas lies. He "retcons" ... in other words, he goes back and re-writes his own history every decade or so to fit the fact the way he wants the audience to perceive them.
Does anyone here really believe that in 1977 he thought that Darth Vader, as a child, was the one who built C-3PO? Where's the foreshadowing in the 1st film? That shit doesn't even
begin to make sense.
Would he have Luke and Leia kissing and beginning to fall in love in the first movie if he intended all along that they were brother and sister?
He is full of shit. You can tell when George Lucas is lying ... his lips are moving.
The Timothy Zahn books came out at a time when it appeared the franchise was all but dead (92-93). Lucas was happy to try to make money off them ... but then resented them (and Tim Zahn) when the books became blockbuster hits ... even #1 NYT Bestsellers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heir_to_the_Empire
There was a significant search for the 'right author' to create these stories ... including a write-off ... but since then Lucas has whore'd out the franchise to just about any hack that will produce written material on a tight deadline.
He's treated his fans like a bunch of idiots ... and with a few exceptions, they and the little kids seeing this stuff for the first time are all who are left. :tongue: