In the late 1970s an exhausted, deeply pessimistic George Lucas visited Steven Spielberg’s set, became convinced his own 1977 space opera would flop, and traded 2.5 percent of its profits for 2.5 percent of Spielberg’s film. This deep dive uses that famous bet as a window into the imposter syndrome and physical collapse behind one of the most successful movies ever made, tracing Lucas from his frustration with bleak early-1970s science fiction to the day he felt forced to abandon an unfinished film.

Along the way we cover the refused Flash Gordon rights, the studio rejections, the 200-page scripts with characters like Mace Windy and a green monster version of Han Solo, the toxic Tunisia and England shoot, the diagnosis of exhaustion and hypertension, and the editing overhaul with Marcia Lucas that injected speed into dead footage. We close on the contract that handed Lucas sequel and merchandising rights, and the controversial 1997 special editions that let him finally finish the film he had in his head.

• Why United Artists, Universal, Disney and Paramount all passed, and why Alan Ladd Jr. at Fox invested in the filmmaker rather than the film
• How a tight budget forced the used universe aesthetic, fewer effects shots and slicing the script into thirds
• The clash with cinematographer Gilbert Taylor over a soft focus vision and the isolation Lucas felt on set
• Firing the first editor, cutting on action, and a budget that grew from 8 to 11 million dollars
• The lesson for anyone doubting their own vision while surrounded by people who do not get it