Isaac Asimov Played A Small But Memorable Part In Star Wars History
Isaac Asimov is considered one of the biggest science fiction minds of the 20th century, along with authors like Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke. He wrote hundreds of books, including his highly influential "Robot" and "Foundation" series. These shaped many of the sci-fi stories of today, establishing familiar tropes like the galactic empire, and robots being programmed to be unable to harm humans.
Books like "Dune" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" owe a lot to Asimov, as do movies like "Star Wars." And yet, Asimov wasn't exactly the biggest sci-fi fan out there, at least not in TV and film. In an interview with the L.A. Times in 1988, Asimov simply described the "Star Trek" films, "Planet of the Apes" and "Back to the Future" as "decent." Asimov even wrote an essay for TV Guide that criticized "Star Trek" and its take on science — though he would later become a proper fan, praising the show at conventions.
Still, there was one science fiction movie Asimov seemed to really enjoy and approve of: "Star Wars." In the "Star Wars – The Making Of Return Of The Jedi" book, author John Phillip Peecher revealed that, during a preview screening of "The Empire Strikes Back" in New York, Dr. Asimov stood up from his seat and shouted, "Start part three!" across the packed auditorium.
Asimov recounted that moment during an appearance on "The David Letterman Show" in 1980. At the time, Lucas was talking about making nine total movies, and Asimov lamented to Letterman, "At the rate they're going they'll do the last few after I'm dead, which doesn't strike me as fair."
You couldn't ask for a better fan
Sadly, he was right, as Asimov passed away in 1992 at age 72. This means he died before even the first of the prequels was released, long before the last of the initially planned nine movies was released. Despite the enormous success of "The Empire Strikes Back" (itself a big risk), it would take Lucas over 15 years to make the next film in the saga once "Return of the Jedi" came out.
When Asimov died, the future of "Star Wars" was uncertain. There were no movies on the near horizon, and the big stories were happening in print like Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire." And yet, the renowned sci-fi author died before the last novel in the Thrawn trilogy was released. So, yes, you could say it is unfair and sad. Asimov never saw podracing becoming a huge thing, but that's only because it didn't. He never saw Anakin go evil and massacre children. He never saw the franchise make the jump to animation or TV in general. It is unfortunate he never got to see the promise of a Galactic Empire being fulfilled in "Andor."
Of course, Dr. Asimov also didn't live to see the monstrous adaptation of his "Robot" series in Will Smith's "I, Robot," so maybe he's lucky. But he also missed out on seeing one of the best sci-fi shows on TV in "Foundation," which does change a lot from his books but delivers an equally spectacular story.
Isaac Asimov may not have seen the end of "Star Wars," and his role in the franchise's history may be small, but his work forever impacted the galaxy far, far away.