A Tribute to Irvin Kershner (1923-2010)

It’s a sad day when I have to write two tributes, but I simply cannot ignore the death of Irvin Kershner at age 87. Kershner may never have been one of the Hollywood big-league directors, with only 24 film and television credits to his name (Robocop 2, Never Say Never Again, and Seaquest DSV being three of the more well-known ones) , but he brought us the absolute best Star Wars movie ever made: The Empire Strikes Back! That’s right, the best Star Wars movie was neither written nor directed by George Lucas, which is a pretty compelling argument to keep George Lucas as far away from the franchise as possible. So my hat’s off to you, Irvin Kershner. You made movie history with your entry into one of the most enduring film franchises of all time, and George Lucas will be eternally in your debt, as will all us science fiction nerds. Rest in peace.