Lucas' sci-fi satire "THX 1138" had been a commercial dud, but the energetic "American Graffiti," with its driving soundtrack and multicharacter point of view, scored with audiences, giving the director the clout to try something bigger.

"I'd already started this other idea, which was to do a kind of a classic action-adventure film using sets," Lucas said. "I'd never worked on a set. I'd never worked at a studio. Never made a traditional movie. So I said, 'I'm going to do this once, just to see what it's like, what it's like to actually design everything, work on a sound stage, do an old-fashioned 1930s movie.' "

Three decades later, Lucas is preparing to launch the last of six "Star Wars" films. Next summer brings "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," completing the prequel trilogy.

Fans have eagerly awaited the first three "Star Wars" films on DVD, a release Lucas initially intended to delay until he finished "Episode III."

Some will be miffed that the original theater versions are not included in the "Star Wars" boxed set, which features only the special-edition versions Lucas issued in the late 1990s, with added effects and footage.

Q. Why did you decide to put the original three movies out on DVD now?

A. Just because the market has shifted so dramatically. A lot of people are getting very worried about piracy. That has really eaten dramatically into the sales. It really just came down to: There may not be a market when I wanted to bring it out, which was like, three years from now. So rather than just sit by and watch the whole thing fall apart, better to bring it out early and get it over with.

Q. Why did you rework the original trilogy into the special-edition versions?

A. To me, the special-edition ones are the films I wanted to make. Anybody who makes films knows the film is never finished. It's abandoned or it's ripped out of your hands, and it's thrown into the marketplace, never finished. It's a very rare experience where you find a filmmaker who says, "That's exactly what I wanted. I got everything I needed. I made it just perfect. I'm going to put it out there." ... I wanted to actually finish the film the way it was meant to be when I was originally doing it.

At the beginning, people went, 'Don't you like it?' I said, 'Well, the film only came out to be 25 or 30 percent of what I wanted it to be.' They said, 'What are you talking about?' So finally, I stopped saying that, but if you read any interviews for about an eight- or nine-year period there, it was all about how disappointed I was and how unhappy I was and what a dismal experience it was. You know, it's too bad you need to get kind of half a job done and never get to finish it. So this was my chance to finish it.

Q. Why not release both the originals and special editions?

A. The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it. ... I'm not going to spend the — we're talking millions of dollars here — the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore.

It's like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be.

Q. After "Episode III," will you ever revisit "Star Wars"?