My 2 cents...I firmly believe George Lucas is suffering a form of neurosis. Suffer the facts...
Is seemingly a prolific, if unusual student at USC.
Wins favour and is applauded by both his peers and industry alike (THX 1138)
Destroys his and his friends' aspirations with the failure of THX and the death of Zoetrope (v.1)...
Returns to glory with the huge success of American Graffiti and the formation of Lucasfilm.
Makes Star Wars. After much studio bullshit, creates the most popular film of all time.
Yadda yadda yadda...
It's troughs and highs, isn't it? Regardless of his marriage (which, let's face it, can happen to anyone) Lucas has been up and down like a bride's nightie...it's no wonder the enormous pressure took it's toll somewhere on the man. The sudden, overwhelming wealth and power (within a certain field) must have been an extraordinary set of circumstances to find oneself in...Yet, therein lies the rub...He can do virtually what he likes, and what does he do? Tinkers and fiddles with his masterpiece , oblivious and uncaring to the rest of the world, trying to perfect the unperfectable. Destroying with every seemingly ingenious stroke.
The man needs to be distanced from these films. I will paraphrase the director William Friedkin regarding the French painter Pierre Bonnard...
'The security guy is in the Louvre and suddenly notices some old guy fooling around with one of the paintings...He accosts the old guy and notices he has a brush and paint in hand and is tampering with the work of art on display...'C'mon, buddy', says the guard, and drags the guy away from the exhibit. 'but...but, I'm Bonnard!!' cries the guy... ''It's in the fucking Louvre, pal!!' says the guard.