AICN - Moriarty = Skywalker Ranch

Moriarty's story on AICN was heartfelt and profoundly conclusive, but I feel it's overly dramatic. I was not aware of the "Banned From The Ranch" production company, nor was I aware of the circumstances that formed them, but I do know this: If Lucas fired them he must have had a good reason to do so. I don't know what these reasons might be...I'm not Lucas and I don't know him, but I know that he is a man of integrity who just wants to have fun with his kids and make movies. He had his reasons. Now, as for the whole Moriarty thing. I am the first to admit that Lucasfilm is extraordinarily uptight about security measures, and that they are almost terrifyingly rigorous in their checkups on fansites for possible spoiler info, etc. I think it is a somewhat extreme, but not altogether unreasonable, action banning Moriarty from the ranch. And yes, he is as true a fan as ever their was one and I mourn his exclusion from the group, but I think his conclusions about the whole thing are a bit...off. Moriarty concluded that Lucas and his companies are engines of corporate structure and that they are concerned with whatever will make them money, even if that means banning certain people from the Ranch. His moral of "It's not the artist, it's the art" is touching, but flawed. This makes it sound like Lucas was the one who personally made the decision to ban Moriarty and accept Harry, and that he made that decision because he was motivated by the potential profit involved in it. I don't believe that for a second, gentlemen, because that's not how it happens. I don't pretend to know the structure of Lucasfilm and all the other companies, but I do know that there is not some lackey who speed-dials Lucas on a cell phone every time there is a company decision to be made. Lucas created Lucasfilm and all the other companies, but he has absolutely no interaction with them from day to day. He has presidents and vice presidents and secretaries that take care of all the decisions that are significant to business. Lucas? He's just a child-loving family man who makes movies on the side. Lucas probably knows nothing about this whole "incident" if you can even call it that, and if he does it was a momentary briefing from his personal assistant followed by a phone call to whoever DID make the decision with Lucas saying something like: "I trust your judgement...whatever it was, I'm sure it worked out." And that would be the extent of his involvement. Lucas involves himself in every element of his films...THE FILMS. He writes them, fleshes them out, films them, directs them, produces them, supervises editing, oversees musical accompanyment, and, of course, pays for the damn thing. He also drives his kids to school every morning and enjoys quiet evenings at home reading to his son about history. Lucas has virtually no hands-on involvement with his company's activities. Those companies have all sorts of corporate types in them, and have the rigid structures that they do, because they have to manage billions of dollars of annual revenue and coordinate thousands of employees working on dozens of projects at the same time! And this guy thinks that Lucas had something to do with his being "banned"? Sounds a little arrogant to me. Sure, Moriarty is big on the 'Net, but he ain't nothin' to Lucas. Now, I will admit that some of Lucasfilm's lackeys MAY have made a decision that was partially and indirectly motivated by profit, but the larger issue is that it was motivated by security and integrity. If there is one Lucas doctrine that all of the corporate drones cling to, it's that they must not do anything that will endanger the future of the saga...meaning they must protect the story and everything that goes into it, not necessarily the fucking "franchise" and all the shit that goes into that overused word. I really did not appreciate Moriarty saying that he "couldn't be mad at Lucas" JESUS CHRIST! Lucas had nothing to do with it! Lucas is "the artist" in Harry's little profound statement there...and he has just as much integrity and love of the story as any true blue fan out there...art cannot have integrity without the artist himself possessing equal integrity...and I think we can all agree that Star Wars simply overflows with integrity. Lucas is as simple and pure and untainted now as he was when he made ANH. He wants to tell a story. He wants to indulge our fantasy. He wants us to see beyond ourselves and bask in the purity of a galaxy unspoiled by Earthly cynicism. He wants to make movies that appeal to the child in all of us. He has no interest in banning 'Netheads from the ranch. What is my point within all this mindless ranting? My point, I suppose, is that Moriarty should have chosen his target a little better. His even including the name "Lucas" in his story was wrong. He was shafted by Lucasfilm...a company like any other company that probably would have made the same decision in any other context as well. I repeat: Lucas had nothing to do with it. To use a Batman analogy, Lucas is Bruce Wayne, while Lucasfilm and the various elements within the ranch compound that banned Moriarty are Lucius Fox, the real overseer of WayneCorp...er, I mean Lucasfilm. After reading Moriarty's story, I am still going to smile at the six-year old boys running past me with Luke Skywalker figures. I'm still going to hum "Duel of the Fates" eight hours a day. I'm still going to get chills when I watch any of the movies. And I'm still going to wait in line twice as long for Episode II as I did for Episode I. I am still going to listen with intent respect whenever Lucas speaks, and I'm still going to view his companies the way I always have: as a means to an end for Lucas and his art. So I guess you could say my philosophy is "It is the artist AND the art." If no one else, this applies to Lucas. So, Moriarty, make sure you choose the right target before you empty your vats of melancholy on us...and next time don't get your hopes up so damn high. As I write this I have Augie's Great Municipal Band blasting in my headphones, and on this issue I can most definitely say "PEACE!".

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John Paige
5.20.2000

Dairy Farmers For Quebec's Independence