By George

Editorial note: Opinions expressed here are solely those of the author

Let me just get this out of the way: I’m not that into Star Wars. Now, I did see the original three movies filmed from 1977 to 1983, had the action figures, t-shirts and all the other SWAG a privileged kid from my generation could want. But in hindsight, I was just embracing the prevailing fashion or “thing” at the time, wanting to feel accepted as part of a larger group.

Yet somehow, despite my lack of interest in his creation, George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, has continued to fascinate me all these years. It’s probably not surprising that, just like his signature creation, myth-making has played a key role in Lucas’ career arc. Is he a true director like a Scorcese or his one-time mentor, Francis Ford Coppola, or more a skilled technician? And did he set out to make a masterpiece and become an innovative entrepreneur or stumble into it? He’s never really told us and I believe this prevailing “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” aspect to George Lucas is what makes him so fascinating. Yet what I believe also makes him chronically under-appreciated.

Although George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney back in 2012, I will always consider it his. Star Wars is seemingly everywhere right now, as big as ever. And while I find myself at a point where I am interested in actually giving it a try, no one in our family wants to come along on the journey.

A few months back, I suggested we all watch The Mandalorian, the new Star Wars television series from Disney+. My wife Wendy was up for it but Sasha, 13 and Ethan, 15 were ambivalent, to say the least. The little bit I saw intrigued me and admittedly, I was sold the moment I learned famed director Werner Herzog played a villain. But The Mandalorian couldn’t compete with Ethan’s vintage teenage groaning, squirming, eye-rolling and telling me how lame and dorky I was for suggesting we watch it. Wendy did say she was willing to watch it with me at some point. So we shut the show off and moved on to something else.

And then, around the same time frame as The Mandalorian attempt, I was taking our dog Astro for a walk around the neighborhood and came across the Star Wars book Heir To the Empire by Timothy Zahn in a Little Free Library box. I knew there were about 10,000 (a slight exaggeration) of these Star Wars books published and had no idea where this particular offering fit into the overall cannon. But I saw it as a sign, and tucked it under my arm, receiving more ridicule from Ethan once I returned home with it.

This past August our family took a road trip to Washington, D.C. and visited the National Portrait Gallery. I saw, as you can imagine, many impressive portraits that day but interestingly, George Lucas’ was one of the most memorable Something about his stoic, almost annoyed look intrigued me.

I’ve included the picture along with this post. In it Lucas seems distant, unreal, not attainable. Almost like he's telling me that he really isn’t that important, that it’s not about the creator. And I should stop making excuses and finally get around to truly enjoying his creations. Appreciate him for myself.