55 Years Ago Today, George Lucas Released His Original Sci-Fi Masterpiece That Predates Star Wars

It was 55 years ago today that George Lucas released his debut sci-fi movie, and it not only influenced his later work on Star Wars but also the dystopian genre in general. Lucas remains best known for the Star Wars movies because, after reaching success with A New Hope, that is almost all he did for the rest of his directorial career.

However, before making Star Wars, Lucas directed a great coming-of-age story set during the 1960s cruising scene called American Graffiti, and before that, he directed his first sci-fi movie. That movie was called THX 1138, a dystopian movie where an android police force enforced the law, while mandatory drugs suppressed all people’s emotions.

George Lucas Released THX 1138 55 Years Ago

George Lucas released his debut film, THX 1138, on March 11, 1971. Lucas wrote and directed the movie, with Francis Ford Coppola as producer. Robert Duvall starred as the protagonist, simply named THX 1138, in a society where no one has a real name, only known by letters and numbers.

The plot is a dystopian sci-fi theme, with an authoritarian regime prohibiting sexual intercourse and reproduction, and ordering all citizens to take mind-altering drugs to enforce compliance by suppressing all emotions. The government requires everyone to dress the same to eliminate all differences and force uniformity.

When he released the film, many critics and audience members didn't know what to think. Lucas used a more sanitized production design to show how conformity and uniformity would eliminate everything special about society. It seemed like a detached film, and that was the point. However, it failed to leave an impression when released.

THX 1138 only received mixed reviews when released, and it was a box office flop when Warner Bros. released it. The movie only made $945,000, a financial loss for the studio. Reviews remained mixed, but Roger Ebert praised it, comparing it to 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, time was kind to the sci-fi film.

Over time, reassessment has praised the film’s design and look at a bleak, dystopian future. It has a 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating thanks to later reviews, and it has become a cult classic. Lucas even released a new cut of the movie in 2004, which added seven minutes to its running time. However, it had a much bigger influence on sci-fi movies.

THX 1138 Created The Foundation For Dystopian Sci-Fi Stories

While THX 1138 was not a critical or box office success when released, it opened the door for several sci-fi movies that came out later. The main plot of THX 1138 concerned the main character as he stopped taking his medication and experienced emotions, which brought him negative attention.

The government even ends the lives of anyone it considers different, and that includes people who experience emotions again. When THX 1138 escapes and realizes his society is underground and there is a world outside that the government hid from its citizens, it explores the theme of authoritarian control wholly.

This idea of dystopian movies showing tight government control became the norm in the following years, and THX 1138 was a precursor to this movement. A movie released one year later, called Silent Running, sees a government willing to destroy all hope of restoring Earth's environment to ensure their complete control.

In 1973, Soylent Green hit theaters, based on the 1966 novel about overpopulation and the government's designs on how to keep it under control in horrifying ways. Even more similar to THX 1138 was Logan's Run in 1976, which sees the government killing people when they turn 30, while some believe there is a world beyond their walls.

Of course, this was nothing new. Novels like Fahrenheit 451 and Nineteen Eighty-Four explored these same issues masterfully before George Lucas made THX 1138. However, in the realm of cinema, Lucas's debut film coincided with a rash of movies that deeply explored these themes.

Lucas Created His Template For Star Wars With This Early Sci-Fi Release

Even more important for George Lucas was what THX 1138 meant to his own career as a filmmaker. After making American Graffiti, Lucas wanted to return to the sci-fi genre and wrote his script for Star Wars. Lucas even pulled off a deal where he took less money for letting him keep the merchandising rights.

Lucas created something stylistically different from THX 1138. However, he kept the themes intact. Instead of the sanitized look where everyone looked and acted the same, he had an old, worn-down world, where things were broken, and the entire society looked lived in and tired. However, the politics remained the same.

In THX 1138, the android police officers wore masks, and in Star Wars, the Stormtroopers were clones who also wore masks. The fascist government officials in THX 1138 wore cloaks, and the evil men who ruled in Star Wars also wore robes, showing their superiority. Both movies showed the danger of fascist governments to society.

The entire plot was also similar, with both showing an authoritarian government holding down the people and keeping them under its thumb. While THX 1138 saw one man trying to escape, Star Wars showed a rebellion trying to overthrow their cruel, warmongering rulers. If anything, THX 1138 was a test run for Star Wars.

Star Wars was a massive success thanks to its space battles, magical entities in the Jedi, and mythological world-building. However, when THX 1138 hit theaters 55 years ago, it was a simple story about a society whose government beat them into submission, and that story holds up just as well today.