By the time Star Wars’ opening credits crawled, Marcia Lucas had already edited some of the most influential films of the era. This includes Scorsese’s gritty Taxi Driver, tender Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and Wexler’s surreal farce on the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention Medium Cool.
Her work on Star Wars would earn her an Academy Award, but it’s well known that her influence extended far beyond post-production. Nicknamed Star Wars‘ “secret weapon,” her opinions shaped many of the original saga’s plot beats, most integrally that Obi Wan would fall in his fight against Darth Vader. Lucas skipped The Empire Strikes Back but returned for Jedi. The overwhelming success of Star Wars made her feel comfortable departing from the film world and focusing on her personal life, divorcing George in 1983 due to his workaholic tendencies.