As I asserted in Full Disclosure, George Lucas derived the material for Star wars from the Bible and other religious and mythological sources. Many characters in his Star wars saga have connections to real characters taken straight from "legend." When writing for Darth Vader, George Lucas had Jesus in mind. When writing for Chewbacca, Lucas has Al Jassassah in mind ( an extremely hairy character that is friends with the Anti-Christ found in Islamic sources). Even Yoda was called out by [the very questionable] Jordan Maxwell as being a real entity for whom guides the highest ranks of freemasonry.
But enough with speculation and accusations, here's George Lucas admitting his movies are indeed derived from myth and religious texts. The first quotes comes from an interview with Bill Moyers and George Lucas from 1999, where the subject of the use of religion in the Star wars series surfaces. The interview also reveals George Lucas' knowledge of these stories and the effect he has on the minds of youth.
In the second interview, with the stale Charlie Rose, George Lucas again alludes to how Star wars was built with the "Old mythologies" in mind. He even makes a rather stupid remark in the interview regarding why the series started at Episode 4.
His laughable premise was that Star wars was originally intended to be similar to a "Movie serial." Movies series, unheard of these days, is when a new, small episode of a slowly enfolding story was played at the movie theaters ( along with the feature film ) every week or so. Movie-goers would return feeling they can see a movie for free if they returned to the theater often enough. And if they missed a few episodes, they just picked up the story from there. He claims that he meant to have the viewer arrive mid-way in the saga, and never see a single sequel, or prequel. Doubtful George. Doubtful. Star wars episode 4 is long by itself, and together with the subsequent episodes 5 and 6, contains WAY too much material to have ever dreamed of putting it in a single movie. Would have the people of the late 70s, early 80s spotted your "Jesus"? Did you have to tell the story ass-backwards, as you did? His intended movie serial, "unfortunately" became a multi-billion dollar film saga.
Quotes from the Moyers interview:
Moyer: Joseph Campbell said that all the great myths, all the primitive myths, the great stories, have to be regenerated if they're going to have any impact. And you have done that with Star wars, are you conscience of doing that? Are you saying "I am trying to recreate the myths of old"? Or are you saying "I just wanna make a good action movie?"
Lucas: Well, when I did Star wars, I consciously set about to recreate myths. And the classic mythological motifs. And I wanted to use those motifs to deal with issues that existed today.
Moyer: One reason, one critic said, that Star wars has been so popular with young people is that religion without strings attached. That it becomes a very thin based theology...
Lucas: It is a thin based theology, that's why I would hesitate to call the force God. When the film, came out almost every single religion took Star wars and used it as an example. In their religion. And were able to relate it to young people, and saying this is what... and relate the stories, specifically the Bible, and relate stories to the Quran, and the Torah. So it's like...if it's a tool that can be used to make....old stories be new. And relate to younger people, that what the whole point was.
Moyers: Have you been influenced by Buddhism, because Star wars came along just about the time there was this growing interest in America in eastern religions. And I noticed in the Phantom Menace, that new episode one, that they discover this slave child who has an aura about him, and it reminded me of how the Buddhists go out and look for the next Delhi Lama.
Lucas: Uh huh, well again, there's a mixture of all kinds of mythology and religious beliefs that have been amalgamated into the movie.
Moyers: One of the comparisons that came to mind, as I was rewatching the series recently when Darth Vader tempts Luke to come over to the empire, offering all the empire has to offer. I was taken back, in my own view to the story of Satan taking Christ to the mountain offering him the kingdoms of the world if he only turn away from his mission.
Lucas: Right...
Moyers: Was that conscience in your mind?
Lucas: Well yeah, I mean that story has also been retold .. the temptation.. i mean, Buddha was tempted in the same way. It's all through mythology. ... I didn't want to invent a religion. I wanted to try to, explain in a different way the religions that have already existed.
Moyers: You're creating a new myth
Lucas: Well, I'm not [bubbling] .. I'm telling an old myth in a new way. I'm just taking the core myth, and localizing it
General Quotes from the Moyers interview:
Lucas: When I make the films, I'm very aware i'm teaching on a much larger scale than I would just as a parent ..
Lucas: All the religions are true, they just see a different part of the elephant.
Lucas: I put the force into the movies in order to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people. More a belief in God , than a belief in a particular religious system.
General Quotes from the Rose interview:
What kind of story were interesting in telling? [regarding Star wars]
Lucas: Well, I wanted to tell a modern myth, that was in the classic mode and motif of old mythology.
Lucas:so it [ Star wars ]was designed to be like those [movie series]. It starts in episode 4, you're in the middle of this thing, and that would be the end of it, it was one movie ...it just grew to be 3 movies, unfortunately. I wrote more than I expected.
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