I disagree, I think George Lucas really does care a lot about Star Wars. I don't think he's so cynical to only care about money, I just think his tastes have aged poorly. Lucas is like that guy that gets a laugh for a joke and then keeps telling that same joke over and over and over again. He is a bit of a one trick pony, but I do think he cares deeply for the legacy of Star Wars, how could he not? My guess is that he knows he's getting too old carry-on Star Wars probably doesn't have any family that are interested in doing it and realizes he can make a boatload of money and keep the legacy of his creation alive for many years to come. I'm also going to go out on a limb and suggest that perhaps Disney will do some great stuff with the franchise. It really could not be any worse. It all depends on how much control they want to have over the films. If they hire a very capable director and let him have carte blanche it could be a fantastic new chapter. I'll admit that about 90% of what I just wrote is conjecture and me playing devils advocate
I know he probably cares deeply about Star Wars, it is his brain-child after all. It's just that as a fan I am incredibly sceptically that the upcoming movies will be made with any serious intent at going for some serious artistic integrity. I wonder that that would be most of our concerns over this whole situation. But you know what? You could be absolutely right. Perhaps a really competent director with really creative writers who are all really loyal to the Star Wars legend, and not just the Star Wars franchise will take the helm and take it all new heights. I really hope so, but I just can't help but maintain a high level of cynical skepticism. And I swear, the minute I see one family-friendly-antics-loving-allaroundgoofy-sidekick I will formally condemn this unholy union and damn it to the deepest pits of Tartarus.
Like I said, I'm basically just playing devils advocate. You're probably right that there will not be any serious artistic integrity. Think about it, Lucas did have a personal connection and Disney doesn't. It's an investment for them. That said, if they put out a turd of a movie, but it has a ton of Jar-Jar-Ewokiness it will not have staying power. They're in this for the $ no doubt about it but that $ will disappear fast if they're not able to keep the hard core fans at least somewhat engaged. The hard core original fans are the parents that buy the toys etc. for their kids. It's a delicate dance to keep them happy and keep the movies accessible to a 10 year old kid. I'm honestly no that hopeful, but still I'd rather be excited about it even if there's only an 8% chance the movies will be cool. Who are we kidding, all of us are going to go see it.