Last night there was a documentary on the History Channel regarding the technology of Star Wars another documentary on the legacy of Star Wars, entitled Star Wars Tech and The Legacy of Star Wars respectively. I found these intriguing, as the documentaries not only broadened my knowledge, but also showed several connections I had already made previously. The Legacy of Star Wars documentary made a lot of good points, referencing mythology and biblical times, as well as a few historical references, and making comparisons between them and various instances of Star Wars. Star Wars was greatly influenced by the bible, mythology, and historical information, and in its creation it has produced its own legacy, changing the culture and movie making forever and will be referenced to as a source of comparison for future stories.

One thing the documentary pointed out was the great impact mythology had on Lucas as he wrote Star Wars. One of the mythological themes that influenced Lucas the documentary touched on, aside from the obvious theme of Good vs. Evil, was the struggle of father and son, relating mythological references to that of Anakin and Luke. One such was that of Zeus' struggle for power with his father. The role of mentors is another subject the documentary touched on. Similarly to Achilles, who went to live with a mythical half man half horse to learn fighting skills as well as intellectual skills, Obi-wan and Anakin, along with all of the other Jedi Padawans go off and learn from others. The main mentors seen in the Saga that play a large role in the development of the hero/heroes and the plot of the story are Qui-gon, Obi-wan, and Yoda. Later the documentary would touch on Palpatine becoming a mentor for Anakin, which I am glad they did. While talking about the mythological connection of mentors, they also mentioned that the mentors in the Star Wars saga also fulfilled a religious purpose, one that every religion can identify with. Every religion, excluding Atheists who do not believe in any god, has some sort of identity that is greater than the people and it is no different for those in the Star Wars universe, with the Force acting as theirs. The theme of the hero having to go through a series of various tests in order to achieve his status was mentioned as well, with the documentary comparing Odysseus to Anakin and Luke as they progress through the movies taking up tasks as they go along. Odysseus on his way home from the Trojan War had to go through many trials and fight many mythical creatures. This can not only compare to Anakin and Luke consistently rescuing those they care about and fulfilling their dangerous missions that the Jedi Council assigns to them, but can also be compared to the Jedi Trials. According to the Clone Wars cartoons there are several trials to go through such as the Trial of the Flesh, Trial of the Spirit, and several others. It is also important to note here the documentaries mention of a theme in both Star Wars and mythology of the hero having to confront villains, often times which are monsters. Once again the comparison of Odysseus battling mythical creatures is made comparing to Anakin and Obi-wan battling in the arena on Geonosis or Luke battling the Rancor on Tatooine. The apparent theme of a struggle within all heroes is also present in Star Wars, as Anakin must battle Good vs. Evil internally. The documentary also made such references to specific creatures such as the dragons of mythology, which represented greed and how Jabba got his roots from these creatures. Jar-Jar is compared to a parasite and is representative of innocence through his clumsiness. The documentary suggests that children identify because of his innocence and as he progresses and becomes increasingly important at the end of Episode II the children can progress with him. The documentary also touched on the similarities in the "epic battles" found in the bible and mythology to that of ones found in Star Wars.

Star Wars has its connections with biblical times, and the Bible clearly had a large influence on Lucas and his creation. Prevalent causes for Anakin's tragic downfall and conversion to the Dark Side in Star Wars are Anakin's passion, pride, and arrogance. The documentary compares this to the biblical story of Lucifer. In the bible it is revealed that Lucifer was once a proud hero, much like Anakin, but his pride and arrogance and passion led him in a quest for more power and as a result he was kicked out of heaven and forced to rule in hell. Similarly Anakin's pride and arrogance leads to his downfall and on Mustafar, meant to resemble hell, Anakin meets his downfall. In fact, Anakin's passion is so great that it burns him, both on the outside as well as the inside. Because Anakin is so passionate, his interpretation of "hell" is exactly what occurs on Mustafar. He sought to save Padme's life, but in trying to do so he caused her death. Seeking revenge he duels with his old mentor and loses forever sealing the possibility of saving her. He is then forced to live life no longer as a human, but a machine. It is this loss of humanity that represents his hell. One can also compare the struggle Anakin is feeling on the outside to the climate of Mustafar. It is also worth noting here that in Episode III Anakin and his humanity, which represents the good in him, is burned away and in Episode VI Vader and his machinery, which represents the evil in him, is burned away. Palpatine's temptation of Anakin to the Dark Side is clearly a reference to Satan's recurring ties at tempting others throughout the bible, such as his temptation of Adam and Eve, his temptation of Jesus in the desert, and several others.

Lucas was greatly influenced by our own history here on Earth, specifically Nazi Germany. For an example look no further than the Empires Stormtroopers, which were based off of Hitler's personal bodyguards called Stormtroopers. Vader's helmet also bears significant resemblance of Nazi soldiers helmet with the outward curve all around. Hitler's favorite colors red, white, and black made up the Nazi flag, also known as the blood flag, and Lucas gave the Empire the same colors (white and black for the Stormtroopers, black for Darth Vader and the Emperor, and red for the Imperial Guards) for that very reason. In fact, the Empire is so heavily based upon Nazi Germany that even its leader's rise to power is strikingly similar to that of Hitler's rise to power. Aside from both starting off with the given the title "Chancellor," Hitler and Palpatine both rose to power through political corruption and fear, as well as the threat of war. Nazi Germany is not the only source of historical influence Lucas included in his writing, however, as there are several examples from U.S. history and even as far back as Ancient Rome. The Geonosis Arena scene in Episode II is clearly an example of the Roman Coliseum and the podraces on Tatooine are clearly representative of chariot races of Ancient Rome. Two of the American historical references the documentary pointed out were both quotes by President George Washington and current President George W. Bush. George Washington, upon the success of the American Revolution, was offered the title of King, but declined saying, "Do you really think I lead the Rebellion against George the Third to become George the First?" This is in sharp contrast to Palpatine, but is presumably similar to the response of Leia or Mon Martha should they been in a similar situation after the Empire was defeated. The second quote is that of President George W. Bush, "If you're not with us... then you're with the terrorists" which compares to Anakin's famous line "If you're not with me... then you're my enemy."

The documentary was very well put together and very intriguing. Many of the references made I had already caught, but it was nice to see them mentioned to know that others agree and to educate and share with others who had not noticed them. There were also others that I had not realized and it was very interesting to learn about them I have taped it on VHS and a friend has recorded it on a DVD and I look forward to enjoying it again in the future. For those of you who were unable to see it, I strongly suggest you find a way to watch it whenever you get a chance it is worth it. The documentary showed that Star Wars, while having biblical, mythological, historical, and religious influence, has created a legacy of its own, changing the culture of the world and movie making forever.

In conclusion, I hope you have all enjoyed my blog and will grace it with your comments and input. Please feel free to comment or add anything in you'd like as comments are always welcomed. I apologize for the long length and for any spelling or gramatical errors.

Thanks again and MTFBWY,

~SL0017