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 | Rewrite Star Wars? That's Ridiculous! |
Christopher Paolini offends writers and Star Wars Fans everywhere with his ridiculous trilogy (of course it had to be a trilogy, wouldn't it?). I am disgusted by Christopher Paolini the author of Eragon and the Inheritance Trilogy. I have not read the books and may be not completely qualified to pass judgement but I saw the movie 'Eragon' and I must tell you that I was disturbed and mortified to discover that the plot was identical to that of 'Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope'.
This was a realization did not strike me immediately for it is "cleverly" cloaked in a fantastical setting with dragons instead of lightsabers and magic instead of the Force. As I was watching it, I had already realized plot points that were similar to Star Wars but as soon as I left the theatre I started to realize that the plot was exactly the same.
As any loyal Star Wars fan would and should be, I was enraged. How can anyone take such an epic, beloved, and widely known story as Star Wars and try to re-write it as their own? I myself like to write stories as a hobby but I never would do that. I try as hard as I can for my stories to be as original as possible, and this I am sure should be the aim of all authors.
Furthermore, the other day I picked up Eldest in the bookstore and this is what I read on the back cover, "Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesméra, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspiring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems."
Does this sound familiar? It should. The plot of this book seems to be exactly like 'Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back'. This is ridiculous! What does Paolini think he is trying to prove by using George Lucas's story? Yes, it is a terrific story and beloved by so many fans, and that is precisely why you don't try to rewrite it! Star Wars is Star Wars and it can't be rewritten, and it shouldn't be.
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http://blogs.starwars.com/queen-in-disguise/8 |
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jyer
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date Posted: Oct 07, 2007 8:56 PM
I have read both books and watched the movie, and I did notice the MANY similarities. That said, I just ignored them for the most part. Even though the similarity borders on plagerism, it was as good a read as the Star Wars novels. I would also venture that the Inheritance Trilogy is aimed at a slightly younger audience.
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Jade Sabre777
A luminous being, I am...
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date Posted: Oct 07, 2007 8:58 PM
I haven't seen the movie or read the books (unless you count scanning some of the chapters of the second book absent mindedly) - all of what I know about this trilogy comes from my friend. He said the movie had a bunch of things different from the book. He's told me a bunch about the story, and I have to say that my first impression was that it was much like Lord of the Rings. Eragon - Aragorn. And both fall in love with a female elf.
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Jade Sabre777
A luminous being, I am...
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date Posted: Oct 07, 2007 9:03 PM
But from what you said, I TOTALLY see the similarities now to Star Wars. Interesting. . . . Meditate on this, I will.
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Myn_Donos14
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date Posted: Oct 07, 2007 10:17 PM
The movie was absolute bantha poodoo but I see your point.
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Revankins
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date Posted: Oct 08, 2007 4:09 AM
I hated that movie, was WAY too similar to Star Wars. 
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RC-6035 "Nova"
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date Posted: Oct 08, 2007 12:46 PM
The movie was absolute bantha poodoo
Hear, hear. The elf, Arya, barely gets to do anything but moan, whimper, and writhe on a table while Eragon whines and gets the best character killed by acting like a stoopid monkey.
Eragon does seem to be going for one long, plodding line of Star Wars plot tailored for fantasy. Paolini probably didn't mean to plagiarize, though--and is it plagiarism when the storyline is as all-encompassing as Star Wars's? How many stories have you read that involve a young hero who starts out a nobody, finds something that changes his/her life, gets a wise old mentor, and goes off on a wild journey to save the world? A lot, I'd bet.
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RC-6035 "Nova"
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date Posted: Oct 08, 2007 12:47 PM
(cont'd--I hate the 750-character limit!!!!)
I'm not a huge fan of Inheritance but Eragon and Eldest are good books. Don't be too angry with C. Paolini. He might just be a Star Wars fan. 
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gencrs
Technical Manuals from The GFFA
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date Posted: Oct 08, 2007 1:21 PM
I only saw the movie once and have never read the books so I'll have to wait to pass judgement. I can't even remember much of the movie, I was paying more attention to the music. But from what you said about the second book, I would have to agree that it does sound like the ESB plot. I'll have to read them to find out.
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jkthunder
Seven Pieces
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date Posted: Oct 08, 2007 6:13 PM
Star Wars itself isn't a totally original story. It largely borrows from a few popular classical mythologies, and is almost exactly the same as Akira Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress. George just re-set the same old stories in a space setting. In fact, Lucas is such a Kurosawa fan, he borrowed from some of his other movies, like Seven Samurai. Lucas even took EXACT lines from Kurosawa in the Star Wars films.
Nothing is original.
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Trak Nar
The Ramblin' Rodian
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date Posted: Oct 08, 2007 6:29 PM
Eragon came across to me as fan-fiction that got published. That's all it basically amounts to. As for Paolini essentially rewriting ANH... I think he was sixteen when he wrote Eragon. It seems likely that he would "borrow" elements from other works. Alotta authors do.
That's not to say that Eragon still sucks, though.
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Leia's Mother
Daughter of Naboo
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date Posted: Oct 08, 2007 7:30 PM
Oh, I know that no story is really original, but when a story is so similar to another one...when the plot is identical...that's kind of crossing the line. I really just find it unacceptable, whether or not Eragon is a good book or just fan-fiction, because lots of people don't realize what Paolini has done. Also, I do acknowledge that there is a stereotypical fantasy quest plotline, but I do not think that is a sufficient excuse for Paolini.
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