Star Wars is a broad tapestry that encompasses an entire galaxy, over thousands of years. The Skywalker Saga spans nearly a century from Episode 1 to Episode IX, an amazing span that once seemed impossible. For years after the end of the original trilogy, it was uncertain if the long-promised Star Wars prequels would ever happen.
The prequel era arrived with specific storytelling expectations - the fall of Darth Vader is just one - but also offered a lot of unexpected twists. The storyline of the prequels was rooted in lots of different inspirations for George Lucas and took many different avenues before ultimately becoming the story that it did.
10 Not All Planned From The Beginning
The mythology of the prequels is almost as great as the myths the story is based on. The idea that George Lucas had the entire saga planned out in advance has some validity to it, but he didn't know all the details of the prequels before making them. The central crux of the prequel films - the fall of Anakin Skywalker - really only crystalized after The Empire Strikes Back. Once Darth Vader was determined to be Luke Skywalker's father - something only late drafts of that movie included - his tragic backstory locked into place with the ideas Lucas had about the fall of the Republic.
9 Rhymes Like Poetry
The Star Wars saga is heavily based on mythology, and Lucas was guided by the work of Joseph Campbell. Campbell's scholarship illuminated the monomyth, a common cycle of mythic elements to cultures from around the world at various points in time, was essential to framing Star Wars. The prequels were the first real evidence of this. Themes, images, and even moments repeated in the prequels, such as Anakin Skywalker's duel with Dooku before Palpatine (contrasted with Vader's duel with Luke before the Emperor) and Anakin's destruction of the Trade Federation Cruiser, similar to Luke's destruction of the first Death Star.
8 Anakin Was Originally 12 Years Old
Anakin Skywalker is legendary - perhaps infamous - for destroying that cruiser at nine years-old (while saying "I'll try spinning, that's a good trick, one of Anakin's most ridiculous quotes). Some fans had an issue with how young the character was in The Phantom Menace. Originally, he was going to be a little older. Anakin was initially twelve years old, but George Lucas had doubts that his anxiety about leaving his mother, Shmi, made sense at that age. So he made him younger. The shock of his youth was detailed in some of The Phantom Menace's deleted scenes.
7 There Was No Qui-Gon
One of the major characters in the movie - and consequently the saga - was a relatively late addition to the movie. The original trilogy established that Obi-Wan Kenobi was the master of Anakin, and was trained by Yoda, but in a move that rendered Obi-Wan's backstory somewhat nonsensical, George Lucas introduced Qui-Gon Jinn.
Qui-Gon Jinn emerged very late in the development of the movie, as a direct result of Lucas' interest in the idea of repeating themes. In the original trilogy, there was a master and apprentice, with an older knight providing counsel. He wanted that same dynamic in the new film, leading to Qui-Gon, one of Liam Neeson's most memorable roles.
6 Ben Hur
The prequel trilogy, and the Star Wars saga in general, owes a great debt to the movies George Lucas grew up with. One of those was Ben Hur, one of the best gladiator movies ever. George Lucas based the podrace sequence in The Phantom Menace, in which Anakin Skywalker races for his freedom, in large part on the famous chariot race from the earlier movie. The antagonism between Anakin and fellow racer Sebluba stems in part from the Charles Heston movie, which pitted Ben Hur against his former friend and ally.
5 The Hidden Fortress
The impact on Star Wars of The Hidden Fortress, by legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, is hard to overstate. A New Hope owes a great deal in terms of plot and characters to this 1958 movie and is even name-checked - almost - by Darth Vader when he quarrels with the Imperial officers on the Death Star. The movie also inspired part of the story of The Phantom Menace. The concept of Padme Amidala using a look-alike decoy came right out of the classic black and white movie.
4 Doctor Zhivago
A major component of Attack of the Clones was the forbidden love of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala against the backdrop of the Clone Wars. This is similar in many ways to the tortured romance between Yuri Zhivago and Lara Antipova during the Russian Revolution. In Attack of the Clones, Padme and Anakin retreat from Coruscant back to her home planet of Naboo, and spend time on an estate called Varykino. This is the name of the Gromeko family estate in Doctor Zhivago.
3 Commander Cody
Saturday morning serials were a huge influence on Star Wars, from Buck Rogers to Flash Gordon. The pulp stylings of these early shorts seeded the DNA of a galaxy far, far away, and so did another lesser-known serial. Commando Cody, the hero of the 12-part serial from Republic Pictures in the 50s including Radar Men On The Moon, was the inspiration behind Commander Cody.
Commander Cody doesn't have a lot in common with his B-movie era inspiration, but he is one of the best clone commanders in Star Wars. Commando Cody, also known as the Rocketman, also had a clear influence on the look of the bounty hunter Boba Fett.
2 Night of the Long Knives
The Star Wars saga is based on many historical events, with the prequels being more overtly so. The fall of the Republic in Revenge of the Sith is analogous to the fall of the Roman Empire. The shocking and tragic events of Order 66, in which the clone army turns on the Jedi Order, is based in part on the Night of the Long Knives. This event in 1934, also referred to as the Röhm Purge, also called Operation Hummingbird, saw the Nazi party eliminate political rivals across Germany over the course of a few, terrifying days.
1 Han Solo Almost Appeared
Though major parts of the prequel trilogy story, like the turn of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, were plotted out well in advance, a lot of the story was in flux. For a period of time during the development of Revenge of the Sith, a young Han Solo was due to make an appearance on Kashyyk, the Wookie homeworld. This would have changed the character's backstory - as it's now known - dramatically. Avoiding the impulse to add another original trilogy character to the mix was one thing Revenge of the Sith got right.
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