Oscar-Winning ‘Star Wars’ Editor Marcia Lucas Has Died

Marcia Lucas, who won an Oscar for editing the very first Star Wars film, has died at 80 years old from cancer. Lucas was the former wife of Star Wars creator George Lucas and helped shape the first two films in the franchise. She also edited Return of the Jedi, George Lucas’s American Graffiti, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, and Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, which earned her a BAFTA nom.

As Variety has noted, Lucas played a significant role in the direction her former husband took for Star Wars and Return of the Jedi and would critique the films’ characters and scenes for him. “Marcia was always critical of Star Wars, but she was one of the few people Lucas listened to carefully, knowing she had a skill for carving out strong characters,” wrote Michael Kaminsky in his book The Secret History of Star Wars. It was reportedly her idea to have Obi-Wan Kenobi die aboard the Death Star. Mark Hamill previously said she was also responsible for Luke and Leia’s “kiss for luck” when they were going to battle in the first movie, before George Lucas had decided to make them siblings. 

“Her work was known for its emotional intelligence, rhythm, and humanity — a rare ability to find the truth of a scene and bring heart, momentum, and clarity to the screen,” her family said in a statement.