No, not THE Empire, but the George Lucas empire. Todays blog is very stream of conciousness, so I might end up drifting off topic - however, I thought it might be an idea to ramble on for a while and see what happens.

I've often wondered if the prequels were created because of GL's own personal need to progress the story, or because of the wonderful response that he has received from the fans over the years. I for one am a Star Wars fan, although I don't go running around in a Storm Troopers uniform. However, I do have the odd moment with a lightsaber (note the spelling), and then end up getting bashed to all heavens by my eight year old son.

Would George have been as enthused about re-creating his empire if the Internet hadn't spawned such a prolific number of fan web sites? Would he have decided that the time was right to re-introduce the story from a slightly different point of view? Lets face it, in the first three movies, Darth Vader was shown to be an evil man who was only redeemed by the love of his son. Yet, in the prequels he is humanised, given the role of fallen hero and his trajedy is revealed for all to follow.
Although Vader was undoubtedly a man of power and a dark hero, he would have been nothing without the Emperor and in the same way, we could argue that the Lucas Empire would have been nothing without the fans. The fans pay for the tickets, the merchandise and the memberships to Hyperspace. Without the fans there would be no empire for George to build, yet without George there would be no Star Wars, and no fans. Chicken and Egg is a phrase that springs to mind.

Playing devils advocate, and referring to my recent blog about Fan Fiction, maybe it is once again time for George to surprise us and completely change the motivation for the stories. I would love to see more about the bounty hunters and the history of the Jedi purges. Wouldn't it be great to see how Boba Fett built his skills? Wouldn't it be fantastic to see how Darth Vader copes with his new armour, and his reduced access to the Force?

Maybe the great GL shouldn't answer these questions. Correct me if I am wrong, but by not giving us everything that we expected, George Lucas has given us more to think about.

Take Jar-Jar binks. The long waiting fans hated Jar-Jar, and George probably knew that the character would cause all sorts of criticism. I like him, despite his portrayal as a character. Sure he was comedic, and just a little bit too dumb and slapstick to be credible as a senator - yet he was ultimately the one that aided Palpatine to push through the final edicts that started the Clone Wars. His story was a trajedy in its own right, yet I doubt that as a character he was ever enlightened enough to know that. As a dedicated fan, these little moments are what keep me hooked into the story line and as a writer, I see the sense in them.

So maybe Gorge Lucas's empire has grown despite the fans. Maybe there is enough heroism, trajedy and nobility in the Star Wars storyline to keep us all hooked for many years to come, whether we agree about the way the stories progress - or not?

Now I think I need to lie down for a while, I've confused myself and given myself a headache.