Earlier this month a group of enterprising Star Wars fans started an online petition to … wait, where are you going? I know, I know, it’s the same tired old tale of bemoaned fans trying to rally together to raise support for a fruitless cause, but stay with me. So these Star Wars fans got together and created a Change.org petition all with the purpose of getting Colin Trevorrow booted from his position behind the camera on Star Wars: Episode IX in favor of George Lucas. This will never in a million years ever happen, but that’s not why this is notable. It’s notable because this petition, which almost 25,000 people have signed, got back to Trevorrow himself, who was forced to comment on it in the most awkward of fashions.

What exactly do you say, as the director of one of the biggest movies of all time (Jurassic World), when a reporter approaches you and asks you how you feel about a growing contingent of fans trying to get you fired from your next movie because they’d rather have somebody else? If you’re Colin Trevorrow, you’re incredibly diplomatic.

Here’s what Trevorrow told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at a BAFTA event in London:

It’s funny, I saw that, and it was on a day where I was at LucasFilm giving this big speech to everyone about how we want to channel the invention and just the raw creativity and the boldness that George brought to these films and not being afraid that we’re going to embarrass ourselves by doing something that might be crazy.

When George Lucas made Star Wars, a lot of people thought it was crazy. When you try to pitch what that movie’s about – if you’ve never heard of Star Wars before, you say, ‘Here’s a character. His father’s part robot, but he can also do magic. And there’s a guy who can fly in a spaceship. He’s got a dog for a friend!’ – it sounds insane but it’s the greatest story ever told. I just want to embrace that kind of invention and creativity that he brought to it.

Basically, “you guys are never going to get George Lucas back, but I’ll try to be just like him.” Which is fair, and pretty much what most fans want anyway. This goes back to what Matt Singer wrote yesterday about the true genius of Star Wars: The Force Awakens; “A Star Wars movie that shamelessly retreads the same territory is vastly preferred to a Star Wars movie that charges into uncharted waters.” Fans want George Lucas back because he’s familiar, not necessarily because he’s still a great filmmaker (these same fans hate the prequel trilogy that he directed!).

Trevorrow has gotten unfairly maligned in the media for what many rightly see as another white male rising to a position of power in Hollywood after only one indie film (Safety Not Guaranteed). Whether or not he’s a qualified director is the topic of some debate, but he is good at aping a particular Spielbergian style. And that is likely exactly what Lucasfilm wants at this point. They know they can’t have George Lucas, so they want a director to come in an do their best impression of a George Lucas.

(What’s interesting is that fans aren’t interested in having Rian Johnson, director of Star Wars: Episode 8, replaced. They’ve all rightfully agreed he’s a fantastic director and perfect to bring some new life to the Star Wars franchise.)

Like it or not, petition or not, Colin Trevorrow will be your Star Wars: Episode 9 director and George Lucas will continue to have nothing to do with the franchise.

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