This Day in History: Today is Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you. Decades ago I listened to the amazing Bill Moyers/Joseph Campbell interview and learned that the themes in Star Wars are derived from Mythology. Joseph Campbell’s book, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" tracked common mythological motifs and argued that myths from around the world that have been passed down through generations—like Beowulf or King Arthur—share a basic anatomy. According to Campbell, “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won; the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”
Another writer that many believe Star Wars borrowed heavily from is E.E. 'Doc' Smith, whose science fiction writings included spherical, moon-sized spaceships, smaller, spherical, jet-less fighters with accumulators for beamed power, light swords, telepathic powers, tractor beams, the force, benevolent guardians seeking to fight evil, a dark, unseen enemy seeking galactic domination, special powers running down through family lines, with twins playing a significant role, epic space battles involving fleets of ships, large-scale weapons including a free-roaming planet-sized fortress, training using a helmet with a blast shield, yet able to 'see' due to special powers, passing a ship off as a chunk of loose metal and numerous uses of the word coruscant, a term which had declined in use after the 19th century.
See also Norse Mythology and Viking Legends - 115 Books on DVDrom
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