User:Nice Geod
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Mike See AP Latin
Star Wars and Mythology
Mike: What seem’s to be the problem here?
Tim: I was busy herding political dissidents into a gulag in northern Siberia when suddenly a small wench kicked me. And now my hip hurt.
Mike: Well, let’s take a look see. Nurse!
Lauren: Here doctor. How may I serve you today?
Mike: This patient needs an X-ray of the hip. I suspect that it may be dislocated.
Lauren: Very well. Follow me.
Tim: What is this? Is she to fetch me the coffee?
Lauren: No…I’m going to give you an X-ray.
Tim: But you not man. How you learn to operate machinery?
Lauren: Just follow me.
Star Wars is unique among the film choices offered to us in that it does not attempt to
depict an actual event, period, or myth that comes from ancient Rome or Greece. As such, one
cannot analyze its “historical veracity” or its accuracy in retelling the myth. However, that
does not mean that one cannot find and analyze the many elements that it shares with Classical
Mythology. There are many examples of George Lucas obviously drawing inspiration from Roman
history and mythology (or at least from themes present in that mythology), whether it be
the “impenetrable walls” of the Death Star or the Cheiron-like figure of Yoda.
One element that is common to many adventure stories and myths throughout history is
that of a seemingly impenetrable or indestructible fortress. In Greek mythology the most
notable example of this was Troy, whose walls were said to be indestructible by any invading
force. The Greeks devised a plan to hide some of their soldiers in a large wooden horse in
order to gain access to the city; forcing the Trojans to take down their own walls and thus
bring about their own destruction. While the way in which the Rebels destroy the Death Star is
not exactly the same – there is far less trickery involved, no “Imperial Horse” - the general
concept is the same. The Rebels, like the Greeks, are forced to find the one vulnerable point
to the structure and concentrate their efforts on that tiny point.
Another element common to many myths that both Greek mythology and Star Wars share is
the presence of a "teacher figure". The most famous of these in Greek mythology is the centaur
Cheiron. The trainer of many famous heroes, including Hercules, his knowledge of martial and
medicinal arts was unparalleled. However, like many such "teacher figures", Cheiron was
slightly odd, due mostly to the fact that he was a centaur, a race of half-men half horse
beings that were notorious for their boistorous and unruly behavior. As such, his civilized
and educated nature was extremely odd. The obvious counterpart to Cheiron in Star Wars is Yoda.
Supremely wise and skilled, Yoda is extremely like Cheiron. Not only is Yoda like Cheiron in
his skills, he is also like Cheiron in his strangeness. Small and green, he seems unlikely to
possess the skills necessary to be a great Jedi master.
Possibly the most striking resemblence between Star Wars and Greek mythology can be
found in how the story of Luke parallels that of Perseus. Both were born in small, somewhat
poor villages, unaware of their "noble" blood. Perseus was the son of a great king, and Luke
the son of a vastly powerful Jedi. Both go through trials to find their true identity, and
eventually end up killing (or at least nearly killing) their father. While the death of
Perseus's father was not intentional, and Luke did not actually kill his father, only fought
with him, the similarities are still striking.
While there certainly are many striking similarities between Star Wars and Greek
mythology, I would be hesitant to say that George Lucas directly drew inspiration from this
mythology. It seems more likely that the similarites merely result from the similarities
inherent to all good adventure stories, and not from specific study of the stories.
