Some fans might shoot me for saying this, but during the making of the OT, techincally speaking, Lucas was probably the one who contributed least to the final product of the trilogy as a whole. What I mean is, he of course wrote and directed the first one. Yet, there were other script collaborators who fleshed out not only characters and story to make them more interesting, but they also helped Lucas to bring the story itself into a tighter, more coherent focus. And, you want to talk dialogue? That isn't Lucas' dialogue throughout most of the trilogy. The oft quoted and most memorable lines were contributed by Kasdan, by the directors, etc.. We all know Lucas' knack for bad dialogue. If you have a least favorite line in the OT, chances are it was written by Lucas. The general frame of the story is all Lucas. But the characters that we all know and love, the personalities, the banter, the chemistry, the subtextual layers that keep the OT as much fun to watch for the 200th time as it was the first time...most of that came from creative collaborators. If it all came from the man himself, then the PT would have measured up and been worthy of the name of Star Wars.

I would LOVE to have seen the PT made 20 years ago. For all he bitches about the limits of technology keeping him from telling his story, he doesn't realize that nobody really cares about what's going on in the background when you aren't even connected to what's happening in the foreground. Apparently, what technology has afforded him is the ability to create absurd, disposable and forgettable background characters, to allow for the inclusion of DOZENS of sweeping establishing shots, and to suck the humanity out of the main characters in deference to emotionally devoid and pixelated non-reality.

McCallum has a quote in one of the OT docs that so succinctly encapsultaes how little both he and George get it. The quote is, "The essence of the storytelling had to be sacrificed for the limits of technology." How can technology really affect the "essence" of the story? The essence of the story is in the characters, in their journey, in the story that binds them. As the OT showed, and as the dramatic tradition has shown for millenia...the story is in the characters, period. Technology should serve only to aid in the telling of the tale, not become the focus of it.

And as far as GL's "vision"goes, the army of artists from McQuarrie on down gave him his vision. They came up with the concepts and the designs. He just said, "I like this one." I'm sure he offered some input ala "faster more intense", but the physical world of Star Wars was created by, and born from the minds of others. The IDEA was born in Lucas' mind. It was a VERY broad, very expansive idea. That idea was given form and life by everyone else around him. The man deserves his credit. But, to be fair to the hundreds of people who brought it to life, he doesn't deserve as much credit as he gets. Muren, Dykstra, Tippet, Pangrazio, McQuarrie, Kershner, Kasdan, Brackett, Kurtz, and ALL the others are the real magicians who made it all happen. TOGETHER with Lucas, it was their heart, soul, and passion for the story they were telling that made the OT what it has become. It's the humanity that went not only into the characters, but into the process of making the story come to life, that has allowed the trilogy to endure the test of time, as it will for many years to come.