# Why is George Lucas despised by so many Star Wars fans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-george-lucas-despised-by-so-many-star-wars-fans/490095 "2009-03-19T23:59:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-george-lucas-despised-by-so-many-star-wars-fans/490095/181 "2009-03-27T18:42:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **shy guy** > They were in trouble as soon as they made such a big deal out of the freaking “Trade Federation.” Seriously? Are they going to kill you with space tariffs? Oh, it gets worse. Have you read the novels based on the screenplays? Jabba, Watto, Jango Fett, and others all rationalise their misdeeds by claiming, “It’s just business”. In the second novel, Count Dooku recruits the Separatists by promising free trade and lower taxes. In the first page of the first chapter of third novel, we learn that General Greivous’ flagship is named the _Invisible Hand_. In Lucas’ stories, it seems, capitalism is Evil. Considering how much money Lucas has made over the years, hawking t-shirts, action figures, and other assorted c\*\*p, that seems to me more than a little hypocritical. The Invisible Hand is the reason Lucas Lives on Skywalker Ranch, and not some slum in Compton. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-george-lucas-despised-by-so-many-star-wars-fans/490095/182 "2009-03-27T19:15:02Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > No, I believe that’s some confusion caused by terminology choices by Lucas. I think by “the Academy” in Ep IV, he’s talking about the Academe, i.e. university. He wants to run off to college and is stuck working on the farm. His attitude about Stormtroopers and the Empire is shown before his family is slaughtered. I assume Lucas was trying to be a little exotic. It was my impression “the Academy” was going to be something connected with piloting. It could be a military academy, merchant marine academy, or something like that. I think “Academy” is a more specialised school. (Piloting, stage acting, technical school, culinary arts, etc.) A more general education school would have been refered to as a “University”, IMO. Luke mentions in diaglog about wanting to hook up “in the Academy” with childhood chums. He mentions filing some kind of application, and “if it gets accepted”, which implies that not just anyone can get in. He also used to bulls-eye womp rats in his T-16 back home, and they’re not much bigger than two meters. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-george-lucas-despised-by-so-many-star-wars-fans/490095/183 "2009-03-27T19:23:59Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > It was my impression “the Academy” was going to be something connected with piloting. It could be a military academy, merchant marine academy, or something like that. > > I think “Academy” is a more specialised school. (Piloting, stage acting, technical school, culinary arts, etc.) A more general education school would have been refered to as a “University”, IMO. > > Luke mentions in diaglog about wanting to hook up “in the Academy” with childhood chums. He mentions filing some kind of application, and “if it gets accepted”, which implies that not just anyone can get in. He also used to bulls-eye womp rats in his T-16 back home, and they’re not much bigger than two meters. Sorry. As I read further into the thread, I see that this has been addressed. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-george-lucas-despised-by-so-many-star-wars-fans/490095/184 "2009-03-27T21:06:09Z")
I always assumed that Luke aspired to wear the black death’s-head helmet of the TIE fighter pilot. I figured that, being the adventure-seeking guy he was, he would want to specifically fly a fighter craft. And I imagine that the Academy is connected with the Empire somehow, or else it wouldn’t be allowed to exist at all because the Empire was so powerful. So I deduced that Luke’s ultimate goal was to be a fighter pilot, for the Empire (because I highly doubt that the Academy trains pilots for the Rebels.) Therefore he would necessarily wind up flying the TIE fighter or some variation of it. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-george-lucas-despised-by-so-many-star-wars-fans/490095/185 "2009-03-27T22:02:49Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > In Lucas’ stories, it seems, capitalism is Evil. Obviously some form of elected feudalism is the ideal government. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-george-lucas-despised-by-so-many-star-wars-fans/490095.md?page=9)