As the glorious 30th anniversary of the first Star Wars movie nears, I was just thinking about all of the changes that have happened to Star Wars over the years... various editions (loved and loathed), the Prequel Films (again, loved and loathed) and now, the upcoming TV projects. It made me think about the first major change to a Star Wars film....

Officially naming Star Wars Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Now, most of us know the story; Mr. Lucas originally wanted that on top of the opening crawl, but the studio said no, it would confuse people... and George said, "Yes, that's the point," just like the Saturday matinees back in the day, if you missed last weeks show, oh well. He wanted the audience to have that same reaction, and when the film became a hit, he restored it for future re-releases, TV, video, and it's been there ever since.

Okay. So I'm wondering... why 4? GL has stated that he had no idea back then about a PT, so why did he pick the number 4? Well it worked out in the end, because he neatly left space for a trilogy of movies before the first one he was working on at the time, which is mind-bogglingly convenient, and has given strength to conspiracy theorists (ha!) who proclaim that he knew all along, he was planning, or leaving space for, another trilogy someday....

I do not believe this. Personally, I think he just pulled that number out of the air.... 4.... that sounds good, 4.

But just imagine, what if he had chosen another number for ANH? Perhaps, V or III... would we have 2 prequels now instead of 3, or maybe 2 prequels and a sequel to ROTJ? It really makes me wonder, but I'm glad things turned out the way they did!

Just something I thought about on my way home from work....

May The Force Be With You 1977-2007