8 People More Important Than George Lucas In Making Star Wars Great

5. Irvin Kershner Directed The Empire Strikes Back ('Nuff Said)

Almost as self-admittance from George Lucas that he wasn't the sole power behind Star Wars, he hung up the directing reigns for the sequel. In his place Irvin Kershner called the shots on The Empire Strikes Back and, as someone who Lucas seriously looked up to, had an awful lot of creative freedom. Creative freedom he used to expand the fabric of the franchise. The big thing Kershner added to the film was subtly. Star Wars was no longer just a story of good versus evil, but a complex morality tale which required strong character focus, something the experienced indie director brought better than Lucas ever could; various moments from the script, particularly those relating to Han and Leia's romance, were restructured on set, keeping Han Solo as a rogue while he falls for the strong-headed princess, rather than letting things veer into sentimentality. The Empire Strikes Back is regularly cited as the best film in the whole saga (although I'd plump for Star Wars), and while that continued success is in part down to Kasdan's script, it's just as much Kershner's handling. Richard Marquand, who directed Return Of The Jedi, doesn't make this list, however, mainly because he much more readily cowered to Lucas' wants and demands, leading to a film many treat as a ghost-directed project (a debate for another time).