I do think “saved in the editing room” is a bit of a misnomer for Star Wars. That would imply the film was a massive turd to begin with. Most movies start the editing process in a mess (rough 4 hour or so assemblies and such). The things that made Star Wars pop during post-production (trim editing, music, vfx, sfx) are all things that are essential in any film production. Was the editing on Star Wars more extensive than on most films? Sure, considering Lucas was so displeased with Jympson’s cut of the film that he took him off it entirely, but late in the game so he had to replace him with 4 different editors working simultaneously (including himself). But what they ultimately came up with was simply what the film needed to be. “Saved” implies they turned into something completely different, which wasn’t really the case.
Point being, I think “came together in the editing room” is probably the better way to put it than “saved.” And of course, in regards to the thread topic, this was all overseen by Lucas so I don’t think the credit can be taken away there. As with the other elements of the film’s production, the key to the success wasn’t just him or just other people, it was the collaboration.
This.
I would say that “came together in the editing room” applies for just about any film.