Following the first film in 1977, ‘Star Wars’ quickly became popular and started to appear in other media through different references. The franchise’s name even appeared in one of the Queen songs in 1978.
The lyrics of ‘Bicycle Race,’ reading ‘I don’t like ‘Star Wars,” raised talks in those years, as some claimed Freddie Mercury reflected his own thoughts while writing the track. A dispute between the franchise creator, George Lucas, and the band fueled these speculations in the upcoming period.
Atop Darth Vader’s Shoulders
During some of their concerts in 1979 and 1980, Freddie Mercury appeared on stage wearing a ‘Flash Gordon’ shirt while sitting on the shoulders of someone dressed as Darth Vader. This action caused rumors among fans because ‘Flash Gordon’ was a rival of ‘Star Wars’ at the time.
In fact, Lucas decided to create ‘Star Wars’ after being rejected by the 1980 film’s producers. That’s why many people took Mercury’s shows with Darth Vader as his way of saying he didn’t like the director’s work and preferred ‘Flash Gordon.’
Reactions To The Act
The audience in the ’80s loved Mercury’s stint with the character. Photographer Tom Callins, who captured the image of Mercury on Darth Vader’s shoulders, once told The A.V. Club that the crowd thought the act ‘was so funny, so Freddie.’ But George Lucas wasn’t happy about it.
The book ‘Is This The Real Life?: The Untold Story Of Queen’ revealed that Lucas sent a cease-and-desist letter to Queen to stop them from using Darth Vader at their concerts. As a result, the band stopped including the character in their performances.
A Long-Lasting Dispute
Years later, at the premiere of the fourth ‘Star Wars’ film, ‘The Phantom Menace,’ Brian May tried to congratulate Lucas, but the director didn’t show interest in him as he walked by.
Because of this, some people believed the feud between Queen and the director was big enough to continue even after Mercury’s death. The rumors of the late vocalists’ hate for ‘Star Wars’ spread in the media, but May later cleared the air about them.
Mercury’s Thoughts On ‘Star Wars’
While talking about ‘Bicycle Race’ in an interview, May explained that the song didn’t reflect Mercury’s own life and thoughts. He revealed that, unlike what the track’s lyrics said, the singer was a fan of Lucas’ franchise.
Some also pointed out that Mercury also performed with characters like Superman and Santa Claus during Queen shows, suggesting that his use of Darth Vader in concerts was more about theatricality than a specific message about ‘Star Wars.’
