One of the major problems with the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy is that there was nobody overseeing Episodes VII, VIII and IX to ensure that they all wound up pulling in the same creative direction. J.J. Abrams delivered The Force Awakens and then stepped back, allowing Rian Johnson to craft The Last Jedi from the ground up with basically a clean slate.
A combination of the backlash towards Johnson’s middle chapter and Colin Trevorrow’s departure from the final installment in the Skywalker Saga then saw Abrams step into the breach at short notice, once again having to craft a mega budget sci-fi blockbuster with very little set in stone in terms of plot points and final destinations for the majority of the marquee characters.
There are plenty of issues and problems with George Lucas’ Prequel Trilogy, but the films still very much combine to form a cohesive three-movie arc that expands and deepens the biggest story beats over the course of half a dozen pics. In a recent interview, though, Lucas admitted that he lost control of the franchise, and also appeared to have a little dig at the Mouse House’s expense when expanding upon the clear throughline spread out across the first two trilogies, something the Disney era has been lacking.
“I kind of lost control of Star Wars, so it’s going off in a different path than what I intended, but the first six are very much mine and my philosophy. And I think that philosophy sort of, goes beyond any particular time, because it’s based on history, it’s based on philosophy, it’s based on a lot of things. The first three basically tell you how democracy turns into a dictatorship and you end up with a tyrant, the Emperor. It’s very important now, where we are now in our political history.”
It’s hard to feel sorry for Lucas, and it’s not like he was pushed out of the door. He sold Lucasfilm to the Mouse House and made himself billions of dollars richer in the process. Not to mention that he knew once he agreed to give up Star Wars that he wasn’t going to be involved as a creative force anymore. Saying that he lost control is quite the oversimplification when he willingly gave it away, then, abandoning his own Sequel Trilogy plans in the process.