"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

    With these few words, George Lucas ushered the world into his modern fairy tale.  As with so many folktales, Star Wars begins with a derivative of the classic "Once upon a time," and expands from there.  When creating Star Wars, George Lucas enlisted the aid of Joseph Campbell, author of The Power of Myth (see Folklore & Mythology Resources) to help give his main characters more of a mythological feel.  As such, these characters can be associated with the archetypes of the classic fairy/folk tale:

    Drawing on Western folktales once again, George Lucas has his hero (Luke Skywalker) follow the classic path of the folklore hero.  Luke first steps on the road of his journey by meeting his bumbling sidekicks, C-3PO and R2-D2, then his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Every fairy tale hero must have a magical weapon which can help him overcome the evil he must fight, and it is Obi-Wan who gives Luke his (a Lightsaber which belonged to Luke's father) .  Luke then undergoes three trials, in classic folktale style.  Each of these trials involves battling his father, and idea which may be drawn from the Greek tragedy of Oedipus.

    Lucas also drew some of his ideas from Eastern, specifically Japanese, folklore.  Lucas' Jedi Knights are very reminiscent of the Samurai of Feudal Japan.  The Jedi's primary weapon, the Lightsaber, and its fighting style certainly evolved from the Samurai's long-sword, the Katana, and its method of use.  What little Jedi philosophy is spoken in the movies appears to have been drawn from the Samurai Code of Bushido, which dictates honor and control of emotions.  Likewise, Lucas' vision of the source of the a Jedi's power, The Force, seems to have been extrapolated from a form of Zen mysticism and Chi manipulation.


Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) with his Lightsaber.

    Star Wars also seems to have evolved from the so-called "Epic Tradition," where a vast story is told with many characters.  Homer's Odyssey is an excellent example of an epic, and a story with which Star Wars has much in common.  Luke's journey echoes Odysseus' to a certain extent, as Luke (like Odysseus) leave his home to fight in a war and returns home only to find he must continue fighting.  And, as with many epic heroes (like Beowulf, for example) must overcome a great evil to ensure the safety of his people.

    Epic tales often tend to have extremely long histories as part of the story.  J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings, for example, includes 2000 years of history.  Star Wars fits this aspect of the Epic Tradition quite nicely, as George Lucas has sketched nearly 10,000 years of historic events for his story.

To be continued...(in the meantime, read the Time Magazine interview with George Lucas: Of Myth and Men)