Hmm, well he did write them though.



Personally, I think Lucas made the mistake of directing his own story.  He was too biased to it, to see where the flaws where.



Look at Empire Strikes Back - directed by someone else, and is usually cited as being the best film of the series.

He's a film producer with an eye for editing. When he bucks this talant with delusions he can do more than plot or delegate the product is usually dire.

It's noticeable that he hasn't directed anything else apart from the SW films in the last 30 years too.



I await to see him actually direct something different to see if he has any talent in that area....

Well, "Star Wars" and the Electric Light Orchestra (in their UFO album format) were what got me into science fiction in the first place!



I saw "A New Hope" at a very tender age and it left an indelible impression on my consciousness. It's very hard to knock Lucas when you're so biased.



And as for "The Empire Strikes Back" - far out, that was good! Absloutlely fantastic!!!!!!!!



but good old Dr Who can create just as big a cult following around the world and create just as much magic and good story telling on a budget that does not even pay for the "Star Wars" cast's costs!!!!!!!

I'm not a fan, but I do like Empire. And American Graffiti. Immaculately edited.

How can you NOT be a fan of "Star Wars"??????!!!!!!!!!!!



.......I haven't seen "American Graffiti", but from what I've read, it stands as a cultural document that mirrors the sociology of post world war two American society.

American Graffiti is an endlessly entertaining piece of art. It is to Happy Days what the MASH movie is to the TV series of the same name; the Platonic form.



Star Wars (and all the rest of that overrated universe) is fantasy which uses SF props. Despite the endless claims of originality it is highly derivitive and part of a greater overall trend of those times. And not a good one at that! The Empire Strikes Back is notably better made than the other two of the trilogy (and it is a trilogy) which is why its well thought of.

Excuse my ignorance, but may I ask what you mean by "Despite the endless claims of originality it is highly derivitive and part of a greater overall trend of those times." (with regard to Star Wars)



> Must see "Amerian Graffiti" one day

Between The Dam Busters, Dune and Samurai movies there's not a lot left (indeed it even mentions The Hidden Fortress in its dialogue!). I have no idea why people cite it as originating the "used universe", and surmise they're not very SF literate.



SF was in a sad state in the early '70s. It'd been fed a rough diet of fantasy and the results were often sickening.

SF was practically non-existent in the early 70s, before SW.



One of the few shows I can think of with an SF theme in that time would be Space 1999...which isn't really saying much!!

SF was alive and well on the screen prior to Star Wars, which we can thank for the view that the genre was a cash cow by Hollywood and the genre's dumbing down.



For instance there were two Australian SF series--Alpha Scorpio and Andra. 1970 saw the third in a series of budget Australian space operas, Phoenix Five.



Apes and Bionic men (and women) flourished across all media. For the more adult TV viewer there was Doomwatch and Moonbase 3. And for the more juvenile The Tomorrow People, Sky and Timeslip. I haven't even broached anthologies,  animation, the big screen or the brothers Krofft.



Lucas and his generation should be remembered as the men and women who killed mid-range movie making stone dead. They're no friends of ours!

Lucas and Co, were the ones who introduced the blockbuster, good or bad is open to debate.



From that list Martin, the only shows I know of are The Tomorrow People and Timeslip.



Although I do remember watching The Six Million Dollar Man, and Wonder Woman - which makes me feel quite old now!!!!!!

Doomwatch? What is that all about? Wasn't that created by Gerry Davies and Kit Pedler?

Blockbusters had been around, there's a cycle of destruction that goes along with this! The Tomorrow People and Timeslip were of a certain type, and shared the same producer. They're available on tape and disc, the others aren't. Indeed Sky and Andra are rumoured to have been destroyed or damaged to the point where they are considred untransmittable.

Doomwatch was a downbeat adult show about a government body (the Department of Observation and Measurement of Scientific Work) dealing with threats to the environment. Two episodes exist from the first year (untransmitted in Australia), which have been released on video--The Plastic Eater (a virus muates to the point where it can consume plastic) and Tomorrow--The Rat (a genetically altered rat strain escapes). Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler left after the second year and Terrance Dudley took over--making it into more of an action show, and earning Davis' anger in return.