Note the absence of any comments about the Midichlorians or the microscopic Whills universe idea. In other interviews that was yet another sequel plotline.
Almost feels like he had multiple ideas and he gave this particular one to Disney, since it’s not that far off from the sequels overall.
Lucas has had, like, five or six contradictory sequel trilogy ideas over the years. The Whills universe idea and this one are entirely separate, and the idea he pitched to Disney is a third entirely separate idea.
George Lucas: When writing the movies, I tried to make sure that aliens and droids got killed, but not people.
Paul Duncan: A lot of stormtroopers died.
George Lucas: That’s right, but you didn’t know they were people. We did kill three humans and that was unfortunate. I was always bothered by it.
Paul Duncan: When was that?
George Lucas: On the Death Star, when Han and Luke go into the prison with Chewie to rescue Leia, they shoot three Imperial guys. The guards drew their guns and fired first, but it’s still a shame.
Paul Duncan: Really?
George Lucas: Yeah, we very consciously didn’t kill very many humans in those movies.
Paul Duncan: What about the stormtroopers? They look robotic, but they’re not.
George Lucas: How do you know what they are?
Paul Duncan: Did you have a different idea of what they were?
George Lucas: Yeah, they started out as clones. Once all the clones were killed, the Empire picked up recruits, like militia.
This is so strange to me. Are aliens and clones not people to George? Besides, what about everyone Luke blew up with the Death Star? I guess as long as we don’t see their faces, their death doesn’t count. And what about the good dozen Rebels gunned down by Stormtroopers in the first scene, or Captain Antilles who had his neck crushed, or crispy Owen and Beru…
Like, I don’t want to say this flippantly, but this seems like an artist in willful denial of the content of his art.
George Lucas? Denial of reality? Never!