Oh, I remember Star Wars very well. I was in college when SW (Ep. 4- ANH) came out, and it was as far ahead of all previous sci-fi movies as the GF was ahead of crime dramas.

They're actually somewhat similar - Lucas was obviously influenced by FFC and Puzo in terms of a multi-layered story line, writing a multi-generational family saga, fathers having to redeem/be redeemed by their sons, etc.

Of course Star Wars was always highly influenced by special effects, etc., which the GF series never was. GF was much more about the script and story lines.

They're also pretty similar in that each series had an epic, critically acclaimed opening episode, which was then followed up by a well-received sequel (or in the case of SW, two), and then, after a gap of more than 15 years, the creator decided to go back and continue the series - with a sequel (prequel in the case of SW) which was much more technically advanced, but a critical bust in comparison to its predecessors.

But they each have appeal in their own way.