A week after the November 17th special pre-release of the Episode I trailer, George Lucas still can't quite believe last Tuesday's fan reaction. "It has been so gratifying to hear that people have enjoyed the trailer. I was glad that we could do the sneak preview for the fans, and really overwhelmed at the response we got from so many different people through the week...you never really know what kind of reaction you're going to get." There was a lot of thought put into the creation of the trailer, which featured ILM shots specially completed for the purpose. Above all, Lucas had a key goal with the teaser trailer: "I want this to be a fun experience. That's really what it's about, it's what Star Wars has been about from the beginning. I wanted the trailer to communicate that, and it means a lot to hear that it is succeeding at some level. It is really encouraging as we work to complete the movie, and as I start to work on Episode II."

With the trailer in release now, and the rough cut of Episode I in good shape, Lucas' thoughts have indeed occasionally turned "to the future, to the horizon..." and to time frames for the release of more Star Wars movies. Already developing the story for Episode II ("remember to tell them that Boba Fett is in it," he says), Lucas at this point tentatively plans to have that film finished by 2002. Will the original Special Edition Trilogy be brought back to theaters anytime soon? "We're not planning to have the original trilogy back in theaters anytime in the foreseeable future. Maybe when the new trilogy is complete. Now that might be fun."