Star Wars fans have had a love/hate relationship with George Lucas for decades, ever since the teddy bear Ewoks were introduced into Return of the Jedi. From the prequels to The Clone Wars, get any number of fans in a room, mention Lucas and you're going to have a fight break out at some point.

There is a fascinating article in the LA Times interviewing the head writer from The Clone Wars. In it the writer, who describes himself as fan who never thought of it as his religion, talks about a conversation Lucas had with the writers when they first began working on the series. It gives probably the best insight into Lucas' thoughts about himself and the fans.

When I first read the quote, to my ears it sounded like an incredibly arrogant comment, but taking the article as a whole, his take on his part in the Star Wars model makes perfect sense. As fans, especially die hard (dare I say religious) fans, we think we are OWED something because we are fans. I've done it myself, feeling I know so much about the characters, settings and the lore of Star Wars that no one, not even Lucas himself, can dare tell me or question my loyalty to Star Wars.

Now, on a scale of one to ten of fandom, one being I know who Luke and Leia are and ten having the skill to have a straight face argument about the positive merits of Jar Jar Binks, I would put myself at a level seven of fandom. I've got a light saber, I have the movies on video, DVD and pre-ordered on Blu-Ray, all of them, and I'll probably see it when it is re-released in 3D. I know the name of the captain of the Blockade Runner and the name of the Blockade Runner. I also have the distinct pleasure of being someone who saw Star Wars the first day and saw it over 30 times that summer.

Saying all that yes, I have been in the camp on a number of occasions wondering what George Lucas was doing to MY Star Wars.

But it isn't MY Star Wars. It doesn't mean I don't matter, or that I can't have strong feelings for characters or situations. The fact that after 30 years this franchise has been so strong is a testament to the story and characters, but we can't look at this as something we created. We didn't. I remember when The Clone Wars first came out older fans weren't impressed. They didn't like the look, the voices, the style. I know even the opening credits, being voiced by an over the top narration, was considered sacrilege by many older fans. Star Wars was about the crawl, they said. Now, three years later, just like what happened when Star Wars was out over a year, you would be hard pressed to find an older fan who doesn't like the series. There might be some gripes along the way, but for the most part people like the series.

In a strong sense, The Clone Wars, and in a bigger picture the love/hate relationship with George Lucas, is similar to the debate geeks have about comic book adaptations. Before they even get a first teaser trailer for a movie, everything is examined for a production. Once pictures come out, more criticism is leveled. By the time the film is out, a firm opinion has been forged on the project, without giving the project a chance to stand on its own. Granted, in many cases the initial trepidations are warranted, but WE aren't the ones who brought the project to the screen. We don't have a dog in the race to be so critical about the end result.

I can understand the thinking of Lucas because I have been in his shoes. When I had create television projects, everyone from the other producers, to actors to friends want to give input as to how they think things should go. I may have sat in a room for weeks, working on back story, character development and I have this whole world built up in my head, then someone comes around and says 'why don't you do this?' The little thing they want to change might effect a plot line or a tone it has taken weeks or months to come up with. You want to listen but ultimately it's your name and reputation that is on the line.