Kevin's Watch

Okay, the official line: George Lucas has said that Star Wars was always intended as part of a series (originally nine parts, later six).

Producer Gary Kurtz said differently in a interview in 1999. According to him, Star Wars was meant to be a standalone film. It was only after the film's wild success that he and Lucas considered sequels. So, Star Wars became the fourth story of a nine-part series and rough outlines for each episode were written. After the "fifth" episode, The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas made Raiders of the Lost Ark with Steven Spielberg. The success of Raiders convinced Lucas to emphasize action in the "sixth" SW episode, Return of the Jedi.

According to Kurtz, the Emperor was not originally going to appear until episode 9. Luke and Leia weren't brother and sister. There was no Death Star II. The search for Han Solo was the main plot of the film, during which Luke would have continued his Jedi training. Solo was to die in the final battle. Luke was to go off to complete his training and Leia was to resume her position as Queen of her people, separating the major characters in a downer ending like that of Empire.

Kurtz parted company with Lucas after objecting to the changes Lucas made to their original plan. He hasn't worked with Lucas since.

So, in summary these were the original plans for the nine SW films, according to Kurtz:

EPISODE 1: the origins of the Jedi Knights and how they are initiated and trained

EPISODE 2: Introduction and development of Obi-Wan Kenobi

EPISODE 3: Introduction and life of Vader

EPISODE 4: There were seven different drafts of the film. At one point, Luke was a female, Han was Luke's brother, Luke's father was the one in prison (interesting point for some debates) and the film featured 40 Wookies.

EPISODE 5: Once written, the screenplay of Empire is almost exactly what is seen on screen.

EPISODE 6: Leia was to be elected "Queen of her people" leaving her isolated. Han was to die. Luke confronted Vader and went on with his life alone. Leia was not to be Luke's sister.

EPISODE 7: Third trilogy was to focus on Luke's life as a Jedi, with very few details planned out.

EPISODE 8: Luke's sister (not Leia) appears from another part of the galaxy.

EPISODE 9: First appearance of the Emperor.

Well, what do you all think of Mr. Kurtz's revelations? Believable? Or just sour grapes from a bitter man? I think this does help explain why we see inconsistencies in the films' plotlines. If Kurtz is correct, then Lucas is basically making it up as he goes along. This would explain why Obi-Wan seems to lie a lot, as noted by my astute Watch colleagues.

Thanks for the info, MM. Interesting if true. I find this abandoned version of the story appealing in a strange way. If Kurtz is being accurate then what little I've heard about the final three films is mostly hot gas, probably wishful thinking by diehard fans. I think it is perfectly fine for Lucas to take the "Hey, I'm just making this up as I go along" approach. It’s his creative universe; he can run the show whatever way that suits him. I suppose the only problem any of us see is when he claims he's always known how the story was supposed to play out and it doesn’t seem to ring true. Is Lucas just being himself when he makes these claims or is he secretly a Jedi and simply can’t help himself?

I like the sound of that Episode 6 ending. Whether it would have been better or worse than ROTJ, we will never know, but I think it could could have been interesting. All the friends divided, Han dead... Could have been satisfyingly bleak. I've always liked the darker themes within the Star Wars movies, which is one of the reasons I was shocked and appalled at the feeble treatment of Anakin's fall to the Dark Side.

Yea I'd believe all that. Ideas obviously change. I like how the series turned out myself.

My guess is that the truth would fall somewhere in the middle of Lucas and Kurtz's versions.

There is no question in my mind, for instance, that the only reason we see so little of Jar Jar Binks in Attack of the Clones, is that he received such a resounding negatioe reaction from fans of Phantom Menace. IF Jar Jar had been considerd cool and amusing, like the droids, rest assured that he would have played the same role in Attack.

Lucas is definitely changing this stuff as he goes along. And as someone mentioned, he has that right.

But it does sort of bug me that Lucas won't remain true to his creative vision - that he lets fans and critics and media influcence his writing.

Kurtz, on the other hand, is no doubt bitter and time has a way of altering our memories. I doubt if some of his wilder recollections are completely accurate.

Matrixman wrote:Producer Gary Kurtz said differently in a interview in 1999. According to him, Star Wars was meant to be a standalone film. It was only after the film's wild success that he and Lucas considered sequels. So, Star Wars became the fourth story of a nine-part series and rough outlines for each episode were written.

My recollection is that ANH was Episode IV from the day the movie came out, and said so in the opening of the film. So, Gary Kurtz, IMHO, is full of crap. I also doubt that the original 9 were supposed to end so darkly, but I can see why Lucas would have changed Han and Leia's fates once he saw how good Harrison and Carrie were on screen.

And in mine dAN.

A nine movie saga just couldn't work in my opinion.

Jake wrote:A nine movie saga just couldn't work in my opinion.

Give me a break. If Rocky, Holloween, Friday the 13th, and Godzilla can do it, then Lucas can.

dANdeLION wrote:

Jake wrote:A nine movie saga just couldn't work in my opinion.

Give me a break. If Rocky, Holloween, Friday the 13th, and Godzilla can do it, then Lucas can.

My humble opinion is that Lucas is wayyyyy to full of himself and is prone to excess. The movies of the 2000's were dull, excessive, and poorly written. The jkid who played young Anakin was TERRIBLE.