There are pretty divided opinions online in the Star Wars community when it comes to George Lucas, creator of the entire franchise.
It’s safe to say Lucas has dedicated the best part of his life – around four decades – to the science fiction creation that has captured the hearts and minds of millions across the globe.
However, many were surprised when Lucas revealed he had decided to sell Lucasfilm to Disney – even though he netted a tidy $4 billion from the sale.
It turns out his decision to sell didn’t come down to business – but was for more of a sentimental reason instead. As he explained in his book The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005:
‘In 2012, I was 69. So the question was, ‘Am I going to keep doing this the rest of my life? Do I want to go through this again?’. Finally, I decided I’d rather raise my daughter and enjoy life for a while.
‘I could have not sold Lucasfilm and gotten somebody to run the productions, but that isn’t retiring. On The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi I tried to stay out of the way but I couldn’t. I was there every day. I’m one of those micromanager guys and I can’t help it.
‘So I figured I would forgo that, enjoy what I had and I was looking forward to raising my daughter. I’ve spent my life creating Star Wars, 40 years, and giving it up was very, very painful. But it was the right thing to do.’
