While George Lucas was undoubtedly exceptional at world-building in his Star Wars films, the same cannot be said about his dialogue writing. The dialogues got so bad in the original trilogy that actors often complained, expressing that they felt very ropey or wooden. Alec Guinness, who portrayed Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original films, ended up changing his dialogue on set to make it more natural.
George Lucas acknowledged that he had issues with writing the dialogues. However, he often defended them, once even stating that those criticizing the dialogues in the prequel trilogy didn’t understand the style of Star Wars.
Alec Guinness Had To Change George Lucas’s “Ropey” Dialogues
The Star Wars franchise holds a place in cinematic history as one of the most influential film series. However, the franchise is not exactly known for its dialogues. Cringe-worthy lines like “I’m haunted by the kiss that you never should have given me,” did not contribute positively to the series’ reputation. Fans and critics are not alone in hating these dialogues, as actors from both the original and prequel trilogy were also not fans of George Lucas’s dialogue writing.
Alec Guinness, who played the aging Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy, found issues in the dialogue despite his overall appreciation for the script. Guinness, a veteran actor, felt the dialogues were “pretty ropey” and wished they could be altered. He shared this initial opinion about the script on the Parkinson Talk Show in 1977, revealing that he took the liberty to change his dialogues on set. Guinness told the Parkinson Talk Show:
“It seemed to me the dialogue was pretty ropey. I went on reading and I thought, ‘No, I like this. If only we can get some of the dialogue altered.’ And then I met [George Lucas], we got on very well, and I found myself doing it.”
In a 1999 interview with Empire Magazine, Lucas was asked about his dialogue writing issue. He was quite defensive and even shared that top-notch dialogues weren’t ultimately essential to making the movies. He admitted that his writing wasn’t Shakespearean, but emphasized that it was very utilitarian. Lucas shared with Empire:
“I’d be the first person to say I can’t write dialogue. My dialogue is very utilitarian and is designed to move things forward. I’m not Shakespeare. It’s not designed to be poetic. It’s not designed to have a clever turn of phrase.”
Guinness was not the only original trilogy actor to speak against George Lucas’s dialogues. During an interview with GQ in 2017, Harrison Ford revealed that he would playfully call out the poorly written dialogues by his Indiana Jones producer. Ford would shout at Lucas, saying, “George! You can type this sh*t, but you sure can’t say it! Move your mouth when you’re typing!” Ford clarified that it was all a light-hearted set conversation, unlike the fan rage.
George Lucas’s Dialogues Went From Bad To Worse In The Prequel Trilogy
George Lucas sought some outside help in polishing the script for the first film in the original trilogy. He brought in American Graffiti screenwriters Bill and Gloria Hyuck, who edited a few punch lines in the film. In the original films that followed, the actors also did a great job of improvising their dialogues to make them more natural.
However, the original trilogy was spared from further criticism due to the even more poorly written dialogue in the prequel trilogy. Ewan McGregor, who played the younger version of Obi-Wan Kenobi, subtly criticized the dialogues in the prequel films, stating, “I don’t want to be rude, but it’s not Shakespeare” (via EW). Lucas admitted that he didn’t try to come up with clever dialogues for The Phantom Menace since the film was not about snappy one-liners.
While the prequel trilogy has received more love in recent years, it is safe to say that the newfound love is not for its dialogues. Fans can enjoy all the Star Wars films, now available for streaming on Disney+.
