George Lucas Admits “Fans Would Have Hated” His Ideas for Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Star Wars creator George Lucas parted ways with the franchise he created in 1978 when he sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, effectively handing over the keys to the kingdom and allowing new filmmakers to take the saga in whatever directions they wished. The filmmaker had tentative plans with what would happen in a sequel trilogy, the details of which he shared briefly in the book James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction, which accompanied the AMC TV special, while also admitting that fans would have hated his concepts.

In the book, Lucas described, “[The next three Star Wars films] were going to get into a microbiotic world. But there’s this world of creatures that operate differently than we do. I call them the Whills. And the Whills are the ones who actually control the universe. They feed off the Force.”

He added, “If I’d held onto the company I could have done it, and then it would have been done. Of course, a lot of fans would have hated it, just like they did Phantom Menace and everything, but at least the whole story from beginning to end would be told.”

After the more than 15-year absence of Star Wars films, fans were thrilled by the notion of The Phantom Menace in 1999, though to say the film left some fans disappointed would be a bit of an understatement. The film offered audiences many frustrating components, yet the one that takes the cake could be the introduction of midichlorians.

Prior to The Phantom Menace, a Jedi or Sith’s connections to the Force were considered a mystical component of the character, though a scene in which Qui-Gon Jinn tests Anakin Skywalker’s midichlorian count added a bit of physiology to the explanation of his abilities. This left some fans disappointed, as it removed an air of mystery from the future Darth Vader.

Lucas’ comments clearly show that he aimed to bring the concept of these creatures full circle, though it appears as though audiences will never get to see that cyclical storyline.

Sadly, it was this fan ire that he had grown accustomed to that resulted in his departure from the beloved saga.

“Why would I make any more,” Lucas shared with The New York Times in 2012 of the Star Wars films, “when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?”

Despite the lack of Lucas’ direct involvement, the sequel trilogy will conclude when Episode IX hits theaters on December 20, 2019.

Do you think reintroducing midichlorians would have justified those elements of Phantom Menace? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

[H/T Twitter, LivioRamondelli]