They wanted a Hollywood reboot, hence JJ Abrams.
Star Wars has never not been Hollywood, though. They’ve always been major studio releases.
The notion that they were ever “independent” films in any way has always been back-patting exaggeration on Lucas’ part more than anything. They all went through the studios, they were made to appeal to all four quadrants, the budgets only ever got bigger and bigger… they’re the definition of Hollywood. The last movie Lucas made that was at all difficult or in any way “indie”… was the first movie he ever made. Everything after that was Hollywood as hell, and unapologetically so.
The big difference is that Hollywood got better at making his movies than he did. Which is what always happens. New sets of shoulders to stand on, and then the next guy stands on THOSE shoulders, so on and so on.
Technically you are incorrect. Star Wars in 1977 was a studio movie. Controlled and funded by 20th Century Fox. They owned the distribution rights until Disney bought them. Eps 5, 6, 1, 2, and 3 were technically indpendent films made solely by Lucasfilm and only distributed by 20th Century Fox. All that Star Wars merchandise from 77 through 80 paid for TESB and continued to pay for the others. Pepsi fed in a huge sum to buy rights during the prequels. But Lucas didn’t have to answer to anyone for any of those 5 films, only himself. Most people think of independent as small budget, but the real aspect is a lack of any major studio influence. Lucas’s forward thinking with regards to merchandise tie-ins on the first film funded the other 5 films. That’s why the digital versions of the other 5 films had the 20th Century Fox fanfare removed. Lucasfilm was the only production company involved.