Simon Pegg believes the new Star Wars films are missing George Lucas

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Audiences have been complaining about STAR WARS since the days of the Original Trilogy, but the criticism reached new levels following the release of THE PHANTOM MENACE and continued throughout ATTACK OF THE CLONES and REVENGE OF THE SITH. One particularly note-worthy critic of the Prequel Trilogy was Simon Pegg, who voiced his frustrations about Jar Jar Binks and the prequels on his sitcom Spaced. When STAR WARS was brought back with J.J. Abrams helming THE FORCE AWAKENS, Pegg took part by playing the role of Unkar Plutt, and commented that it was a "genuinely magical" experience, but that doesn't mean that Disney's new STAR WARS movies are still lacking a certain kind of magic.

While speaking on The Adam Buxton Podcast recently, Simon Pegg revealed, somewhat surprisingly, that he thinks the current crop of STAR WARS films are missing the voice of franchise creator George Lucas.

I must admit, watching the last Star Wars film [THE LAST JEDI] the overriding feeling I got when I came out was, 'I miss George Lucas.' For all the complaining that I'd done about him in the prequels, there was something amazing about his imagination. I do feel like his voice is missing from the current ones.

George Lucas himself admitted that he needed to remove himself entirely from the new films, because otherwise he would feel the need to take over, but I do still wish that Lucas had been involved in more of a consulting role, as he seems to work best when there are other people to accept and reject his ideas. "Those first three [STAR WARS] films were the product of real collaboration," Pegg said, mentioning the contributions of producers Gary Kurtz and Alan Ladd, Jr.,"Then with the prequels, it was like, ‘Do what you want!’ And without someone to steer him in the right direction, it did overflow into slightly muddled kind of less elegance." What do you folks think? Is George Lucas' voice missing from the new STAR WARS films or are they doing fine without him?

John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joona Suotamo, and Billie Lourd have returned to star in the final installment of the Skywalker Saga along with Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher.  There are a few STAR WARS-newbies among the cast, including Naomi Ackie (Doctor Who), Richard E. Grant (LOGAN), Keri Russell (The Americans), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), and Matt Smith (The Crown).

STAR WARS: EPISODE IX will hit theaters on December 20, 2019.