I didnt like war and was not that interested in stars.
But I went, and I was glad I did.
As the credits rolled, I wanted the saga to continue.
Credit: Everett Collection
A year or so later, my father told me he had been asked to direct a secondStar Warsfilm.
I replied, You have to do it, Dad!
I foolishly said no, too young to fully appreciate what I would be missing.
Lucasfilm
I did spend about three weeks of summer 1979 in England watching the filming at Elstree Studios.
I must have been pretty wide-eyed.
I wondered how he got that way.
EW
Was he trained by a Jedi Master?
I think the answer is Zen.
He learned the power of concentration.
He learned to do rather than try.
Did he have a bit of Yoda in him?
He was philosophical yet practical, demanding but generous, and had a sense of humor.
He was, at his core, a teacher.
The first time I sawThe Empire Strikes Backwas at a sneak preview in San Francisco.
At the end of the film, the audience burst into applause.
What did I learn during the making ofThe Empire Strikes Back?
That the creative process, as my father once said, is going out into the unknown.
And, as Yoda wisely said to Luke, Do or do not.
There is no try.
