Via Mashable:

Pop quiz: If Star Wars had won the 1977 Best Picture Oscar for which it was nominated, who would have bounded onto the stage to accept the award? Not director George Lucas, but a man four years his senior: independent film producer Gary Kurtz.

Kurtz was also the producer of the next movie in the series, the even more highly-regarded Empire Strikes Back, directed by Irvin Kershner. But Kurtz and Lucas parted ways late into the production of Empire, under circumstances that have been shrouded in mystery — and Kurtz’s role in the foundation of the Star Wars franchise has been debated by fans ever since.

Oh, and fans of the rival franchise, Star Trek — get ready for a pleasant surprise.

For my book How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, I caught up with Kurtz, 74, who now lives in the UK. Over the course of several hours, I asked him about some persistent myths that have surrounded the original movie — from the origins of the Force to whether it was really supposed to be “Episode IV” of a larger story from the beginning.

Here are some highlights from that interview, along with a selection of rarely-seen Star Wars photos from Kurtz’s personal archive.

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IMAGE: KURTZ/JOINER ARCHIVE