Reply #26: I always thought it was kind of obvious...

[anti_shrub]

that after Episode IV became a super duper smash, it all became a cash cow.

Considering the romantic encounter they had, it's obvious that having Luke and Leia be siblings wasn't planned from the start. Just like you can tell Return of the Jedi was all about selling toys.

Hell, they even changed the title from Revenge to Return just so they could spot all the bootlegged merch. That's all Lucas cares about.

Having said that, I like all 5 movies so far. You just have to separate them into two classes: Episodes 4-6 are basically westerns in space, and Episodes 1-3 are political dramas (assuming 3 follows the pattern, and considering the story arc it has to). That's where all the prequel hate comes from. People expected more cowboys in space type stuff and ended up getting a CGI enhanced civics lesson.