seen from Argentina
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from Italy
seen from Canada
seen from Argentina
seen from United States
seen from Canada
seen from Germany
seen from Ukraine
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Spain
Unfortunately not surprised George Lucas likes AI. Before AI he was stealing from other people’s cultures (especially India and Hinduism) and from women (his first wife and Carrie Fisher). Now he doesn’t need to jump through those hoops to steal!
Also don’t forget about the racist and antisemitic caricatures GL added (like Jar Jar and Watto) to his movies, as well as his sexism and the problematic slave outfit. I like star wars but he’s always been problematic 🥀
You know what? Now I'm glad I never got around to watching star wars!
why i think the george quote is particularly disgusting is the mention of cars. The prioritization of cars has honestly made the countyr, and especially california, so much worse, completely neglecting other kinds of transportation infastructure. And he wants to shame us for not liking ai by comparing it to THAT?? of course he likes cars. he has infinate gas money from star wars residuals
George Lucas could have said “Merci”
A translation of an interview between Martin Scholz from Die Welt and Pierre Christin ; I used a translator to help me and changed and corrected what felt off or wrong.
Source and original German language:
Aliens mit Rüsseln: Der Franzose Pierre Christin erfand die „Valerian“-Comics zehn Jahre vor dem ersten „Star Wars“-Film. Die Parallelen sin
Text & Interview (images and description were added by me):
Aliens with snouts: Frenchman Pierre Christin created the "Valerian" comics ten years prior to the first "Star Wars" film. The parallels are incredible. A discussion about the sources.
Jean-Claude Mézières (l) and Pierre Christin (r)
In their galaxies far, far away, there are human villains with gruesomely disfigured faces hidden behind metallic helmets. There are aliens with trunks for faces and fur on their skin, as well as spaceships capable of traversing space and time. No, these are not the adventures of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. It is, in a sense, a prequel to "Star Wars"—a template in comic book form.
"Valerian and Laureline" is the name of the French series about the two eponymous space-time agents. In a spaceship that looks like the "Millennium Falcon" of the "Star Wars" hero Han Solo, the two explore distant civilizations and fight against despots in the darkest regions of space. In 1967 the first of story was published – conceived by the French author Pierre Christin and his friend and colleague, the illustrator Jean-Claude Mézières. In Germany, the multi-award-winning series first became known in the 1970s through the comic magazine "Zack," and a lavish seven-volume complete edition is now available from Carlsen Verlag.
We meet Pierre Christin in his apartment in the Montparnasse district of Paris. Were his ideas stolen by Hollywood ? He has several answers to that question.
Die Welt: In 1967, the first story of your science fiction comic about the two space agents Valerian and Laureline was published. Ten years later, the first installment of "Star Wars" hit theaters. It's striking how heavily this and the subsequent films draw on your characters, creatures, and the design of your spaceships.
Pierre Christin: Yes, my colleague Jean-Claude Mézières and I noticed that too, after we saw "Star Wars" in the cinema for the first time. Although my first reaction to it wasn't anger.
Die Welt: But what?
Pierre Christin: I was absolutely thrilled. I went to one of the cinemas here in the Montparnasse district of Paris, where I live. "Star Wars" was the science fiction film I'd been eagerly awaiting. All the previous ones had been mediocre at best, with a few exceptions. Visually, in particular, many were disappointing. I immediately felt a connection to "Star Wars" because there were so many parallels with our comics. George Lucas, like us, created complex worlds. He, like us, described how societies function internally. Of course, "Star Wars" was more about the battle of good versus evil than our works. "Valerian" was more Europeanin that respect, more intellectual. All of this stems from my fascination with science fiction literature by Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury. I'm sure George Lucas also read Asimov. That's just how it is in the world of science fiction—everyone copies from everyone else. Or to put it another way: One borrows something from someone else and then develops it further. In any case, "Star Wars" was a big, very pleasant surprise for me. I loved the characters.
Die Welt: That sounds very conciliatory. Together with your colleague Mézières, you once created an illustration for the French comic magazine "Pilote." It shows your heroes Valerian and Laureline sitting at a table in an alien bar with Luke and Leia Skywalker. Your heroine teases: "We've been hanging around here for a long time." Were you at least trying to nonchalantly settle the question of authorship?
Pierre Christin: In the eighties, especially in France, there was a prevailing opinion: "George Lucas stole from 'Valerian.'" This little drawing was our tongue-in-cheek way of addressing that. In the US, the only response to such accusations is that French comics are hardly known there, let alone successful, which is largely true. The only people in the US who are really familiar with French comics are usually the art directors or storyboard artists in Hollywood. Even if they can't read the comics, they flip through them looking for ideas. I know this from French filmmakers who had insight into Hollywood. In the creative departments of the film studios, they often saw stacks of French comics.
The "Moebius drone" by Giraud from "The Long Tomorrow", 1976 by Dan O’Bannon und Jean Giraud/Moebius
"The Empire Strikes Back", 1980
Die Welt: Steven Spielberg is one of the few US directors who has acknowledged this influence. He described Hergé, the "Tintin" cartoonist, as a screenwriter with a pencil. The two spoke on the phone shortly before Hergé's death in 1983. Spielberg released a "Tintin" film in 2011. Did Lucas ever contact you?
Pierre Christin: No. And that really wasn't a nice thing to do (die feine Art ; idiom). Lucas could have at least contacted us, even if just to say "Merci." As a small token of appreciation, a nice gesture. But that's how the Americans in Hollywood are ; most of them don't care what artists in other parts of the world have done. And they don't hesitate to borrow from them. That's true for many American directors.
Sidenote: Ridley Scott for example did indeed do the right thing and directly hired the artists Jean Giraud aka Moebius and H.R. Giger for his film Alien.
Die Welt: Let's talk about some obvious parallels between your comics and the "Star Wars" films. Han Solo was frozen in a block of carbonite in "The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980, a similar fate befell Valerian in "The Empire of a Thousand Planets" in 1971. Even their hairstyles are similar.
Pierre Christin: They are, after all, heroes of the seventies. Valerian and Han Solo's hairstyles are quite similar. Furthermore, our characters share a particular sense of humor with the "Star Wars" characters. If something goes wrong, they can live with looking ridiculous in that moment. They aren't the classic heroes who can solve all problems instantly. And the pairings—Valerian and Veronique in our comics, Han Solo and Leia in "Star Wars"—further enhance the humorous elements. Teasing between a man and a woman can always be very funny. In the science fiction genre, this was completely new—both in our comics and in the films.
Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Valerian (comic), Valerian (Dane DeHaan)
Die Welt: The legendary metal bikini that Princess Leia wears in "Return of the Jedi" (1983) was already showcased by Veronique in a comic book in 1972. And Han Solo's "Falcon" looks almost exactly like Valerian's spaceship. Didn't any of that bother you?
Pierre Christin: You know, my colleague Jean-Claude and I are generally positive people. We took it more as a compliment. But after the enormous success of "Star Wars," we had a different kind of reaction. We had Valerian embarking on ten years of interplanetary adventures. He encountered aliens, strange cultures, and also despots, forces of evil. After "Star Wars" absorbed these themes in its neighboring universe, we knew: We had to change our stories.
Die Welt: Your comic empire did strike back?
Pierre Christin: Something like that. We developed the story cycle "The Monster in the Metro," in which we sent our time travelers back to Earth in the present day. So, "Star Wars" influenced us again. Even though we would have liked a bit more recognition, I admire those films. A villain like Darth Vader is simply a cinematic stroke of genius: He will forever remain a great icon of cinema. He frightens us so much because he also reflects ourselves.
Die Welt: It's not without irony that Luc Besson, the French director who has also found success in the US, has begun bringing "Valerian" to the big screen. His "Valerian" film is slated for release in 2017 – 50 years after the publication of the first adventure. Why has it taken so long?
Pierre Christin: Luc told us that he essentially learned to read with "Valerian." He was ten at the time. To his credit, he already incorporated some elements of our comics into his science fiction film "The Fifth Element."
Die Welt: The movie was released in 1997 and your colleague Mézières was responsible for the design of the futuristic environment.
Valerian, Les Cercles du pouvoir, 1994
"The Fifth Element" (l), 1997 on which Mézières worked - "Star Wars Attack of the Clones" (r),2002
Pierre Christin: Yes, at that time Luc probably still had too much respect for our entire body of work. In a way, it was an approximation of "Valerian." Meanwhile, Luc has built his own film studio here in Paris. Today it's possible to shoot such an elaborate science fiction film here with us.
Die Welt: Will you be working on the film?
Pierre Christin: Luc Besson is basically working on it alone. It's his project. His film, his screenplay. He has an American screenwriter he's been working with for years. The screenplay is already finished. He was kind enough to send it to me. I made a few comments, nothing more. I liked it.
Die Welt: When the "Valerian" film comes to theaters in two years, some viewers might criticize the spaceship in it, saying it looks a bit like the "Millenium Falcon" in "Star Wars".
Which indeed happened! I noticed some dumb comments on the internet back then that reflected this idea.
Pierre Christin: That would indeed be bizarre. (Me: No shit, Pierre) Some comic book fans will see it as a betrayal that these stories are being adapted into films, while others will say the film is much better than the comics. Perhaps that's because Rihanna is in it (laughs).
Die Welt: And, will you be watching the new "Star Wars" film?
Pierre Christin: Absolutely. What do you think – on the very first day it's released in cinemas? I can't wait.
A YouTube video that needs more views.
Personally I see it just like Pierre Christin - art inspires artists and back again. That's how it works. However one should at least acknowledge, especially when you make real profit off of it, what your inspirations were.
I'm aware that other works of fiction are in the inspo mix as well when it comes to Star Wars, yet it feels as if the works of Christin, Mézières, Jean Giraud and others were often overlooked. Way much. That's why I think this interview should be read by more people.
Btw at least the Duffers did disclose their inspos - though only partially:
💬 5 🔁 2 ❤️ 7 · The Stranger Things & Tintin Conspiracy · Somehow this appeared on my radar: "The secret of the Unicorn" by Hergé and made
Seeing the recent news about George Lucas as a Star Wars fan and a digital artist just hurts.
THX-1138 (1971)
The Star Wars creator compares not using AI to riding a horse in the face of cars
Someone once made a fable about a boy who became more machine than man… 😩
wait, what did george lucas say about ai?
oh! okay!
i’m never watching any of his films again 🥰
