 When George Lucas first approached Steven Spielberg for Raiders of the Lost Ark , Spielberg recalled , " George said if I directed the first one then I would have to direct a trilogy . He had three stories in mind . It turned out George did not have three stories in mind and we had to make up subsequent stories . " Spielberg and Lucas attributed the film 's tone , which was darker than Raiders of the Lost Ark , to their personal moods following the breakups of their relationships ( George with his wife , and Spielberg with his girlfriend ) . In addition , Lucas felt " it had to have been a dark film . The way Empire Strikes Back was the dark second act of the Star Wars trilogy . " 
