A strange alternate timeline…
Star Wars was a huge success in 1977, but when Empire came out in 1980, people just weren’t that excited anymore. People nowadays contribute that to the massive success of Alien the previous year. By 1980, people wanted to be scared in space, not in awe. So, on May 21 1980, Empire was released. It bombed heavily, making back only 12 million worldwide, and any plans for future sequels were scrapped. Star Wars, for the time being, had faded into obsurity. George Lucas quickly abandoned the Star Wars universe, leaving the few fans left to ponder whatever happened to Han, or if Vader was telling the truth about Luke’s parentage. George Lucas soon directed such masterpieces such as Star Trek II: Return of the Federation, and Gremlins: The Strange Menaces. Fast foward to 2000, the internet is slowly gaining popularity, and more and more people are getting back into Star Wars, which has become something of an urban legend by this point, known only really for it’s obscurity. Then, in 2001, George Lucas announces that he will release the two Star Wars movies on DVD, and making a third film. Of course, not many people care about Star Wars anymore, so the third film is released direct to DVD. It is of course, critically panned by those who see it, for it’s effects, storyline, and subpar replacements for Hamill, Ford and Fisher. Any plans for furthermore sequels are scrapped, because George Lucas cares about his fans, not being corrupted by popularity. Nowadays, the Star Wars movies occasionally show up on TV, but nobody cares, the series being something of a strange being. A great starter, followed by heavily obscure sequels. And that is all it’s known by now.