George Lucas has spent more than 25 years hearing what fans think went wrong with the Star Wars prequels. Jar Jar Binks became shorthand for the Star Wars prequel trilogy’s sillier instincts, while the Ewoks and C-3PO had already faced similar criticism during the original trilogy. The director however, still does not sound especially persuaded by the argument that those characters were mistakes. The iconic director gets real about fan blowback over the sequels.
Speaking with A Rabbit’s Foot in a wide-ranging interview about filmmaking, technology and the upcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Lucas pushed back on the idea that creators should shape their work around fan demands. He said audiences can offer useful feedback, but studios often make the mistake of letting that feedback dictate the movie itself. That led him directly back to the prequel backlash and one of its most infamous targets. He explained:
