A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… the story of ‘Star Wars’ began.
Born from the brilliant mind of writer and filmmaker George Lucas in 1977, the Star Wars saga rose to become a successful multimedia franchise and one of the most recognized space-opera science fiction stories of all time. Not to mention being one of the highest-grossing series across generations.
With its mythological motifs, great storyline, iconic characters, epic battle scenes, and wisdom-filled life lessons, the Star Wars saga continues its impact and remains a pop-culture icon even today.
However, while the world of Star Wars is fiction and fantastical in itself, what many don’t know is that a lot of real-life events helped shape the social and political aspects of the space opera.
‘Star Wars’ and real-life history
In a 2005 interview with The Boston Globe, creator George Lucas shared that he drew inspiration from real-life literary and social history when he created the Star Wars narrative. ”I simply said: ‘I’m going to create a world that’s fun and interesting, makes sense, and seems to have a reality to it,'” he explained.
A closer look at the science-fiction franchise reveals the following historical figures and events that directly inspired the space saga’s story:
Nazi Germany
A notable historical allusion in Star Wars is the Nazi imagery depicted through the Galactic Empire and its loyal soldiers. Similar in purpose, uniform, and even name itself, the ever-devoted elite forces called stormtroopers are a direct reference to the Nazi Party’s paramilitary wing called “Sturmabteilung.”
There’s also Palpatine’s rise from chancellor to emperor, which is similar to Adolf Hitler’s rise from chancellor to dictator. Even the final scene where Princess Leia awards the rebel heroes while in front of soldiers resembles Nazi rallies illustrated in Leni Riefenstahl’s 1935 propaganda film Triumph of the Will.
Ancient Rome
Star Wars takes a lot of inspiration from the Roman civilization, such as likening planet Naboo’s architecture to Imperial Rome, as well as the pod racing in The Phantom Menace being a space counterpart of Rome’s chariot races.
You can also find similarities within the saga’s political institutions: Senate, Republic, and Empire — plus the conquest-motivated political transition from democratic to dictatorial, which mimics Ancient Rome. The pseudo-latin names of Chancellor Valorum and Emperor Palpatine also hint at Roman historical referencing.
The Knights Templar
The main inspiration behind the elite Jedi is the Knights Templar — a medieval Catholic military order — with the additional influence of other historical warriors, including the Japanese samurai and Shaolin monks.
Both the Jedi and Knights Templar have a noble status even within the army and were both governed by a council of 12 elders. Even in appearance, both wear robes and wield swords. Similarly to the Knights who were ordered to be wiped out by the King because of heresy accusations, the Jedi also faced a politically-motivated purging.
Richard Nixon
Emperor Palpatine is thought to resemble many prominent historical figures such as Hitler, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte. While this is partially correct, Lucas reveals in a 1981 story conference that Palpatine’s true inspiration was the politician and U.S. President Richard Nixon.
Palpatine was skillful in influencing people while carrying himself as a seemingly benevolent figure. Meanwhile, for Lucas, this was the kind of person Nixon was: “He subverted the senate and finally took over and became an imperial guy, and he was really evil. But he pretended to be a really nice guy.”
Nixon actually holds more influence on Star Wars beyond Palpatine. The original Star Wars trilogy was inspired from Lucas’ reaction to Nixon’s presidency and involvement during the Vietnam War.
“It was really about the Vietnam War, and that was the period where Nixon was trying to run for a [second] term, which got me to thinking historically about how do democracies get turned into dictatorships? Because the democracies aren’t overthrown; they’re given away,” Lucas told the Chicago Tribune in 2005.
