Somehow GL seems to think that artistic license is more important than what the fans feel. Having bought the the trilogy box set on DVD, I proceeded to watch the documentaries. Here it is clearly stated that if it weren't for the fans making such a big deal of all this before Star Wars was even released, there would have been no incentive for people to go and see this film. Therefore Star Wars is not solely the artistic property of GL but, I would say, that the fans have more rights to decide about the fates of these masterpieces than this genius that seems to have gotten too used to the idea of being called a genius.
Lucas has every right to do whatever he wants to the films. The problem is his insistenc one ignoring the original completely. If the first film hadn't made millions of dollars, there would not even be a franchise. Star Wars doesn't belong to the fans, but it is a symbiotic relationship. Without the fans, there would not be a franchise, and there would not be fans without the franchise. It seems that both owe someone something. The fans have made LFL a billion-dollar company, and I think that the frustation comes from the fact the the gesture has not been reciprocated.