In last week's episode, Lost dipped back in time to tell what was, in effect, the prequel to its main story. It was an episode that was about as well received as George Lucas's own Star Wars prequels, which makes the fan letter that Lucas just sent the Lost producers all the more poignant -- and potentially revealing.
ABC Studios executive Barry Jossen read the letter from Lucas to executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse at last Thursday's UCLA-held event, "Lost Live: The Final Celebration." Zap2It's got the full text:
Congratulations on pulling off an amazing show. Don't tell anyone ... but when 'Star Wars' first came out, I didn't know where it was going either. The trick is to pretend you've planned the whole thing out in advance. Throw in some father issues and references to other stories -- let's call them homages -- and you've got a series.
In six seasons, you've managed to span both time and space, and I don't think I'm alone in saying that I never saw what was around the corner. Now that it's all coming to an end, it's impressive to see how much was planned out in advance and how neatly you've wrapped up everything. You've created something really special. I'm sad that the series is ending, but I look forward to seeing what you two are going to do next.
Afterward, Lindelof cracked, "I just want to apologize to Mr. George Lucas for everything I said about the prequels" -- an appropriate mea culpa, since it's through Lindelof's appreciative tweet that we first learned about the now-famous, prequel-eviscerating takedowns posted by Red Letter Media on YouTube. Still, if nothing else, Lucas's note at least explains that slightly pervy-in-retrospect sexual chemistry between Luke and Leia.