>>76996207This becomes a story of who you believe:
What Lucas says or what his friends/co-workers say
Lucas claims it was all planned to toss the directing of 5 and 6 intentionally while Steven Spielberg says he was a manchild with the directors guild and felt paying them was wrong and played chicken with them.
I'm inclined to believe Spielberg because the arguments Lucas and Irvin Kershner had over Empire Strikes Back were very intense( Irvin wanted the Han/Leia romance, Lucas hated it and wanted no romance of any kind in the film. Lucas wanted Could City to be a commentary on the wealth and the lack they care about the poor. Irvin thought that was stupid and hypocritical for a Smuggler to be able to hide there as well as a waste of time for the film, etc) and at points Fox had to step in with the attitude of "pay the guild or shut up and let the man work"