Star Wars: When George Lucas' Revenge of the Sith Cameo Happens
George Lucas has a quick cameo in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and here's when you can spot the creator of Star Wars. Following the conclusion of the original trilogy in 1983, fans of the galaxy far, far away had to wait another 16 years to see a new Star Wars movie. Instead of continuing the story of the original films, Lucas returned to his franchise by telling the first three Episodes of the saga.
Lucas' decision to do more Star Wars movies came with even greater creative control. He always had a hand in the story of the original trilogy, even as other writers joined the franchise, but Lucas didn't return to direct after the original Star Wars (now titled A New Hope) in 1977. For the prequels, Lucas reverted to how he started the franchise by once again stepping behind the camera and being the sole screenwriter. As he also pushed for technological breakthroughs with CGI, Lucas had a lot on his plate throughout the prequel trilogy. But, his responsibilities also included appearing in Revenge of the Sith.
George Lucas can be seen for just a few seconds in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, but it is easy to miss him if one doesn't know when and where to look, especially since he doesn't look like himself. Lucas plays Baron Papanoida in the film, who is a blue-skinned Pantoran man. As the chairman of the moon Pantora, Baron's clothing is quite regal and he is seen in Revenge of the Sith wearing a purple suit. His scene in the movie comes when Anakin Skywalker goes to meet with Sheev Palpatine at the opera house. For those interested in specifically jumping to the cameo, Lucas can be first seen in the bottom left corner of the frame 42:57 into the movie. His screentime lasts for a total of seven seconds, as the scene cuts away from Baron at 43:04 and he doesn't appear again.
Even though Lucas' cameo as Baron Papanoida didn't amount to much in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, the character did return in future Star Wars material. Baron appeared in season 3, episode 4 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which provided some background on the character before the events of his movie debut. The story showed him become Pantora's new chairman and determine whether or not it was best for them to secede from the Galactic Republic to join the Confederacy after a trade blockade was set up for Pantora. Lucas didn't return to voice Baron in The Clone Wars, even though he was heavily involved with the show at this time. Corey Burton voiced the character instead.
So far, Baron Papanoida's seven seconds of screentime in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith marks Lucas' only physical appearance in a Star Wars movie. However, it has been revealed that he might have a voice cameo in the Disney era Star Wars films. It has been reported that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker included a special scream that comes from Lucas. The audio comes from his directorial debut American Graffiti and is known as "The George." Although its presence and placement in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker isn't confirmed, "The George" reportedly is also in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.