Damon Lindelof says he didn’t leave his struck down ‘Star Wars’ project by choice

There are certainly times in that galaxy far, far away where things don’t go according to plan. Whether it’s a blown up Death Star, chopped off appendage, or droid attack on the Wookiees — there’s no telling how things are going to go when a Star Wars story is set in motion.

In the case of Lost and The Leftovers creator Damon Lindelof, that unexpected nature of Disney’s billion dollar franchise seems to be the exact reason behind his exodus from future projects. In an interview with Esquire, Lindelof briefly shed light on whether or not his time at Lucasfilm had come to an end.

Periodically teased by the company over the past few years, Damon Lindelof’s unnamed Star Wars project would have been a doozy. Yet, alas, we won’t be getting it any time soon, as the writer and producer has officially declared his lack of involvement.

“I was in more than talks to join the Star Wars universe. I joined the Star Wars universe. I was asked to leave the Star Wars universe. Will I get back in line outside the club and try to get back in again? Of course. This movie (The Empire Strikes Back) was the alpha and the omega, it was the first movie I saw in a movie theater.”

Like so many filmmakers of his era, Star Wars fundamentally changed the way movies were made. More than that, it warped our collective perspective of what was possible through storytelling, and provided a multi-generational mythos.

That love in the eyes of Damon Lindelof is more than apparent in his willingness to stay hopefully, and continue his attempts at joining Lucasfilm’s exclusive family of creatives.

“I love all the storytelling in that world. If at first you don’t succeed, try-try again. Or again- again try, as Yoda would say. I’m not doing the Yoda voice.”

If Yoda has taught us anything it’s that “try” is just a made up word. Do or do not, there is no try. Frankly, the only thing we’re upset about is that Lindelof didn’t TRY his hand at a Yoda voice — because that’d have certainly gone over well.

For now, we’ll have to take Disney and Lucasfilm at face value. Over the years they’ve announced and shelved countless Star Wars projects, and as fan interest wanes, they’re going to need a little help from The Force in order to keep things fresh.