How to Read George Lucas' Mind

It doesn't take a psychology degree to figure out a few things about Star Wars creator, George Lucas. All it takes is a DVD player and the six Star Wars movies. What you see in these films is a glimpse into the mind one of the most successful filmmakers of all time. Here are a few hunches about Lucas based on the characters and stories in the Star Wars series.

Father's Day
Take a good look at Darth Vader, and you don't have to be a genius to realize that Lucas had some issues with his dad - some big issues. As anyone who has seen the movies knows, Vader is Lucas's ... I mean Luke's father. In many ways Vader is a fictionalized representation of the relationship between father and son. Think back to when you were little. Your dad towered over you and had this deep voice (at least compared to yours). He was strong, demanding, powerful. And he always wanted you to do some kind of work for him -- cut the grass, take out the trash, rule the galaxy. And if you didn't do it, he'd punish you: oh boy, could he punish you.

Looking at Lucas' life, it would seem that the relationship between Vader and Luke may actually have some grounds. Lucas' father didn't want young George to go off to art school and refused to pay for it. He told Lucas he'd never make it in film. Lucas' dad, George Walton Lucas Sr. (yes George Lucas is a Jr.) expected his son to follow in his footsteps and join him in the family business, a stationary store. How much of this plays into Star Wars is a matter of conjecture, but in The Empire Strikes Back, when Vader tells Lucas... I mean, Luke, to join the empire and rule the galaxy with him, somehow you can see Lucas and his father arguing over the young man's destiny.

Interestingly, Luke redeems Vader in Return of the Jedi, which says something about the man behind the movies. It would seem that he is an optimist who believes that his father is not beyond redemption. Maybe that's a stretch, but who knows. It's certainly possible.

Luke and Leia
Okay, if we're to read Lucas' mind on this one, it gets a little creepy. Needless to say, when Luke and Leia kiss, that opens up all kinds of Freudian interpretations. Lucas did grow up with three sisters -- Wendy, who was two years younger than Lucas, Kate and Ann, who were both older. Did he have an innocent boyhood crush on one of his sisters? Well chances are we'll never know, and that's probably a good thing. In an interesting side note, if you stare at the names of his sisters long enough Ann and Kate, and Wendy start looking an awful lot like Anakin. (If you don't see it, keep staring!)

Man and Machine
Robots, fast ships, mechanical hands are all trademarks of the Star Wars universe. Han Solo and Chewbacca are always tinkering with the Millennium Falcon. The ideas of man and his relationships to machines pervade all the Star Wars movies, and offer another glimpse into Lucas' mind. Lucas likes machines. No, Lucas loves machines. That's better. In Episode One: The Phantom Menace, when we see the young slave, Anakin, working on his pod racer, that's not a far cry from Lucas himself. In high school Lucas loved to drag race and work on cars. He worked as a mechanic for a foreign car place and saw his future as racing and working on cars. A near fatal accident changed that course in his life.

The Latest Three Movies
In looking at the latest thee movies, I think it's easy to see that Lucas is a man who has not heard the word 'no' in an awfully long time. If you need proof of this, I have two words for you - Jar Jar. 'Nuff said.

Although this article is meant to be a tongue in cheek look at Lucas and the Star Wars movies, it is a how to guide as well. Every artist is reflected in his or her work. To get a glimpse inside the mind of an artist, look at the art and you will see a more revealing portrait than can be found in any interview.

To read a biography of George Lucas click HERE.