Did George Lucas ban glasses in Star Wars?

When we imagine fantasy worlds, there are many places the mind goes from technological advancements to simple minutia like whether or not glasses exist anymore. Or, at least for the latter, it’s where the mind of George Lucas went when conceptualizing the Star Wars universe.

In Star Wars, space ships are weaponized. Lightsabers are an energy-based update to the archaic sword. Interplanetary travel is possible. Sentient species are so diverse that the idea of humanity being the guardians of the universe is laughably outdated.

There’s even a Force that holds galaxies in flux, the balance of which can tip the scales toward prosperity or ruin. And, yet, the mere thought of corrective lenses still being necessary in Star Wars’ day and age is a step too far for Lucas.

Though that’s not to say spectacles haven’t made their way into the Star Wars universe at all.

George Lucas banned glasses in Star Wars

According to Inverse, Inside the Magic and many other sources, Lucas did have aversion to glasses in the universe he created, and that’s why we rarely (if ever) saw them in a galaxy far, far away. But Inverse also has cited that they do occasionally appear on minor characters in books and stories outside of the agreed-upon Star Wars canon or in made-for-TV films like Ewoks: The Battle of Endor.

Though, it’s only recently — over 40 years after A New Hope premiered — that a bespectacled character has made an appearance in a canon Star Wars live-action project.

The character Dr. Pershing, who debuted in the first season of The Mandalorian, broke from the established costume canon with his yellow-tinted eyeglasses changing a little piece of Star Wars history with his very existence.

It’s likely fans won’t see a glasses-wearing hero in the Star Wars universe anytime soon, but even this change could see a small expansion in what can be included in costume design for the franchise going forward.