Ever since handing over the Star Wars franchise to the Walt Disney Company back in 2012, George Lucas, the legendary storyteller and creator of a galaxy far, far away, hasn't had anything to do with his beloved universe since. Of course, he has visited some filming sets - most notably The Mandalorian, which gave us that beautiful moment between George Lucas and Baby Yoda - but aside from walking up and putting in his two cents, Lucas has absolutely no creative control over his brainchild.

Despite initially receiving much criticism over his faulty Prequel Trilogy and notorious special editions, fans have forgiven Lucas and look back at his work in a much more favorable light. After Disney's Sequel Trilogy, fans believe they were too hard on Lucas and see that not far behind Anakin's and Padmé’s wooden affirmations of love and past the poorly rendered CGI, the incredibly deep and shockingly true story of a tragedy. This tragedy came for not just Anakin and Padmé but the entire galaxy, which Lucas had masterfully set the stage for in the Original Trilogy while expanding the Star Wars universe beyond our imagination at the same time. Now many are willing and eager to see Lucas return, so we ask, should George Lucas return to Star Wars?

Fans Want Lucas Back

George Lucas and C3P0
Lucasfilm

The last movie George Lucas made was Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith back in 2005, and now that nostalgia reigns supreme in cinema today, as comebacks and cameos are everywhere we look, the idea of the progenitor of Star Wars returning for a project after nearly twenty years is just perfect.

When Lucas sold Star Wars, part of the reason was undoubtedly to get fans off his back because he was not as understood or appreciated as he is now. The Prequel Trilogy was less than well received by fans and critics, understandably so, as the poor dialogue and excessive CGI were too difficult for many to get past and recognize the great value of the films. But that was decades ago, and fans have changed their minds because after Disney's Sequel Trilogy, which was just a poorly planned rehash of all of Lucas's work lacking any narrative consistency and devoid of originality or magic as a result of Disney's avaricious greed and not love for the story of Star Wars, fans have realized Lucas visionary work was actually much better than they remembered and, after Disney couldn't satisfy their appetite, are hungry for more from the master.

Since his departure, Lucas has insisted on charitable projects. However, he has expressed interest in returning to his universe, and any Star Wars project by Lucas would surely be a big hit. After years of rumors that he would return, fans want to see the artist back with his art.

Related: Explained: Who is George Lucas' Favorite Character?

The Lucas Sequels Can Still Happen

Darth-Maul-Phantom-Menace
20th Century Fox

When Lucas sold Disney the rights to Star Wars, he also reportedly gave them his script for the original sequel trilogy that he was considering, though Disney famously discarded it all and went their own way - which was every direction possible since the directors of the Sequel Trilogy could never agree on what to do. Lucas never did his sequels because he wanted to spend time with his family and newborn daughter.

Lucas revealed a couple of years ago what his plans were for the sequels, which would focus on "Luke trying to restart the Jedi [and] Leia trying to rebuild the Republic." They would face a resurrected Darth Maul (which happened in The Clone Wars) and his apprentice Darth Talon, who was "the new Darth Vader." Whether you disliked Lucas' movies or liked Disney's movies, Lucas' ideas for the galaxy after the fall of the Empire certainly have a lot of potential and could still happen.

Star Wars has the unique ability to retcon events in-universe but still keep opposing events canon through a place called the World Between Worlds. Also known as the Veil of the Force, the World Between Worlds is a mysterious plane that bends time and space and allows for time travel of a sort. We see Ezra Bridger use it to save Ahsoka Tano in Rebels, and like all time travel ideas, it can be used to establish different timelines. If Lucas returns, we can set his sequels on a different timeline where Kylo Ren never killed Han Solo, Palpatine didn't somehow return, and Rey is nobody. We can have our Lucas sequels in the canon alongside the Disney sequels and see Lucas return for one final trilogy.

Of course, Disney can just let Lucas come back with no care for canon and let Lucas have his run of the place, letting fans decide which movies they want to watch and still make tons of money regardless of the canon. It'd be a win-win either way.

Related: Star Wars: Why George Lucas Hates Jabba the Hutt

Lucas Should Come Back, Even if Only For One Project

Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
20th Century Fox

The vision of George Lucas lives on in Dave Filoni, the man who worked closely with Lucas on The Clone Wars and is responsible for the global phenomenon of The Mandalorian and highly-anticipated upcoming series Ahsoka, essentially Lucas' Padawan in all but name and shaping the future of Star Wars as the de facto fan/leader - but Filoni is not Lucas. Filoni is great at bringing Lucas' universe to fruition, but only Lucas can plant such bountiful seeds. Fans want to see the original creator back to his creation, and Lucas obviously has more story to tell. Even if George Lucas were to return for only one project, be it a cinematic film or a Disney+ series, fans and haters would flock to join what would likely be Lucas' last journey to a galaxy far, far away. Here's to hoping that the Force is with us and with Lucas and that his return will be as triumphant as Luke Skywalkers.