thedaner said:
This will never happen, but just once--ONCE I would like to hear GL say "you know I DID plan a nine-part saga. Years later I changed my mind." That might make me smile...

Hasn't he? It wasn't those exact words but it was something to the effect of "the original version [whatever the hell that's supposed to mean anymore] encompassed nine episodes but I was able to deal with a lot of those plot threads, the Emperor and so forth, in Episode VI". I think even Kurtz was on the record saying something similar. I got the impression that the Emperor especially was something to be saved for 7, 8 and 9.