Top 10 Sources that Inspired Star Wars
Everyone loves Star Wars, but did you ever wonder how the film franchise came to be? It was inspired by many different sources such as books, movies, TV shows, mythology, history, religion, and many other types of things. And here's 10 of the things that influenced George Lucas the most to create the epic science fantasy story that we know of today.
Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) is regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers in cinema history. His films are major influences on the Star Wars films, including Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Sanjuro, and Yojimbo.
Several similarities to Seven Samurai can be observed, including the Jedi order resembling the samurai order. The relationship between Luke and Obi-Wan in A New Hope mirrors that of Katsushiro, the young samurai who trains under Shimada Kambei, the wise old ronin. Additionally, Luke's character may have been inspired by Kikuchiyo, a farm boy who aspires to be a samurai.
Star Wars draws significant inspiration from Flash Gordon. Even the opening text crawl in every Star Wars film mimics the style of the text openings from the Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe serial.
George Lucas originally wanted to reimagine the old Flash Gordon movie serials from the Great Depression era but was unable to acquire the rights. Consequently, he created his own story, which became Star Wars. Despite this, Flash Gordon remained a significant influence. A New Hope features many elements from the 1936 Flash Gordon film serial and its sequel, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe.
Lucas was directly influenced by Joseph Campbell's book, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." It's what drove him to create the "modern myth" of Star Wars.
When Lucas was at the University of Southern California, he was fascinated by the work of Joseph Campbell (1904-1987), an American mythologist, writer, and lecturer best known for his work in comparative mythology and the "Hero's Journey." His work covers many aspects of the human experience. His philosophy is often summarized by his phrase: "Follow your bliss," advice we all need to take to heart.
Frank Herbert's Dune is the Lord of the Rings of science fiction novels: the most popular, most influential, and most critically acclaimed novel in the genre.
Star Wars shares many similarities with Dune, including Tatooine, which is a desert planet (similar to Arrakis, which is also a desert planet), the villain who turns out to be the hero's father (unlike the villain who turns out to be the hero's grandfather), and Jedi Mind Tricks (similar to The Voice of the Bene Gesserit, which controls the actions of others).
The spacecraft in Star Wars were influenced by the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2001 was also Lucas's influence for combining a classical score with science fiction. At one point, Lucas and John Williams discussed mixing existing classical pieces with original music, but Williams persuaded Lucas that composing new pieces with the same feel would give the soundtrack a more unified quality.
Forbidden Planet is one of the most influential sci-fi films of all time. Star Wars borrows strongly from the movie, including the Energy Monster burning through a Krell door (similar to Qui-Gon Jinn burning through the Trade Federation door) and Robbie's red force-screen (similar to the red force-screen in The Phantom Menace).
Star Wars has a few similarities to the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, including Obi-Wan disappearing when killed by Darth Vader, leaving only an empty robe (similar to the Wicked Witch disappearing after Dorothy spills water on her, leaving only an empty dress). Additionally, Luke and Han disguise themselves as Stormtroopers to rescue Leia, akin to the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Cowardly Lion disguising themselves as Winkies to rescue Dorothy.
C-3PO was inspired by the character of the robot Maria from the 1927 film Metropolis.
Actually, it was Valérian and Laureline that influenced Star Wars, not this adaptation, which is releasing this year. The original comics predate the first Star Wars movie.
R2-D2 was inspired by the drones Huey, Dewey, and Louie from the 1971 film Silent Running.
Known for inspiring the Star Wars prequels and the Clone Wars film and TV show.