George Lucas Defends Dialogue In The “Star Wars” Prequels

Star Wars is one of the most beloved franchises in the entertainment industry. Many view it as the quintessential sci-fi property and consider it the measuring stick. Even so, the series has been somewhat hit or miss. For every success story, such as the well-regarded Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, whose success lead the way for the upcoming Cassian Andor prequel series on Disney+, there has been a Solo or Last Jedi, which split audiences and forced Disney to reassess its entire approach to the IP.

The most controversial entries though, have to be the prequel trilogy, which was released in the late 90s and early 2000s, and were the last to have George Lucas as a significant creative force. Excitement was at a fever pitch for Star Wars: Episode 1- The Phantom Menace in 1999, but audiences were left underwhelmed. From the cringeworthy Jar Jar Binks to an overindulgence in space politics, fans were both confused and disappointed. The next two entries, especially Revenge of the Sith, were considered improvements, but they were still a far call from the original trilogy.

And one of the most criticized parts of those movies was the dialogue. Critics and viewers alike thought it was overly melodramatic and often stilted, lacking a natural flow. And the focus on the minutia of trade agreements and the tediousness of governance didn’t help with that.

However, Star Wars creator George Lucas has always staunchly defended the dialogue. And, recently, Lucas actually came forward and reaffirmed those views, commenting that:

It is presented very honestly, it isn’t tongue-in-cheek at all, and it’s played to the hilt… But it is consistent, not only with the rest of the movie but with the overall ‘Star Wars’ style… Most people don’t understand the style of ‘Star Wars.’ They don’t get that there’s an underlying motif that is very much like a 1930s Western or Saturday matinee serial… It’s in the more romantic period of making movies and adventure films. And this film is even more of a melodrama than the others.

Time has softened opinions surrounding the Star Wars prequels, and many now see them as essential parts of the narrative that set the framework of what was to come. In fact, when it was announced that Hayden Christensen would reprise his role as Darth Vader for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, fans were overjoyed. And while the dialogue might not be to everyone’s liking, it’s nice to know that there was a thought process behind the choice and that Lucas was just trying to stay true to what he thought the franchise was.