“The sequels were never really going to get made anyway, unlike 1, 2, and 3, where the stories have existed for 20 years. The idea of 7, 8, and 9 actually came from people asking me about sequels, and I said, “I don’t know. Maybe someday.”
Something I noticed that George has a tendency to do when he contradicts his earlier statements is he makes it seem like those earlier statements or ideas were just made up by fans.
Indeed. Or simply straight up attempting to lay the blame at the feet of the media…
6 Episodes…
‘Creating The Galaxy: Myth Maker And Jedi Master George Lucas In His Own Words’, by Amy Longsdorf.
George Lucas: "Yes. The series starts with Darth Vader as a young lad and ends with him dying. So I don’t know where else I can take it.
Interviewer: “Wasn’t there talk at one time of three trilogies?”
George Lucas: “That was created by the media, not by me.”
^ ‘Merge Article - Lucas in his own words’ - a 2006 OT•com discussion thread
Despite George being on record, on many occasions, as stating that there are nine films in the Saga.
For example, a young George Lucas on film here…
“There are nine films - I think of it more as three three-act plays” - at 2 minutes 27 seconds in this video shown at Celebration 2019
At times it does seems that George likes to deflect his own erroneous claims, inconsistences and contradictions onto fans, media, or others… anyone but himself.
We all mis-remember events, or possibly exaggerate or play-down certain instances from our own history - yet many of us don’t have the benefit of a library of historical evidence on hand to look back on over time.
Why George doesn’t own up to, or even acknowledge, past claims, contradictions and discrepancies is lost on me. Maybe it is all ‘good’ PR / publicity to keep both the GFFA and himself topical?