As happy as Disney is to bring out their massive team of top-notch lawyers, let’s not forget that Lucasfilm has a reputation for being very protective of its IP well before it was acquired by Disney. Did you know that Lucasfilm once sued Dr. Dre in 2000 for sampling the THX “Deep Note” sound? It’s true!
Also, throughout the ’80s and ’90s, it was commonplace for Lucasfilm lawyers to comb through conventions and confiscate any unofficial scripts, theatrical movie posters, and bootleg videos (especially of the infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special” which is now widely available, but at the time was nearly impossible to find) and even fan art/fanzines. Most of the fan content that they cared about was of the steamy variety.
On the one hand, I can understand why George Lucas didn’t want the “Star Wars” brand to be associated with X-rated fan fiction, but on the other, it’s not like kids were stumbling upon this stuff. Back in that era especially, if you wanted to find that illicit material you really had to look for it.
It wasn’t until the lead-up to the prequels that it felt like Lucasfilm relaxed its fan relations a bit, to the point where the company itself promoted and encouraged fan films.
I don’t know why someone at Lucasfilm/Disney took an interview with the OG Darth Vader airing in cinemas in the lead-up to “The Force Awakens” as being something to sue over and stop from happening, but it’s definitely a bad look.
