Editing Star Wars sources and analogues (section)

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Star Wars'' sources and analogues}}
[[File:Flash Gordon (1940) - Opening Crawl.jpg|right|thumb|Flash Gordon serials featured an opening 'crawl' like those used in Star Wars.]]

The ''[[Star Wars]]'' [[space fantasy]] [[media franchise]] is acknowledged to have been inspired by many sources. These include [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Qigong]], [[philosophy]], [[classical mythology]], [[History of Rome|Roman history]], [[Gnosticism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], parts of the other [[Abrahamic religions]], [[Confucianism]], [[Shintō]] and [[Taoism]], and countless cinematic precursors. Creator [[George Lucas]] stated "Most of the spiritual reality in the movie[s] is based on a synthesis of all religions. A synthesis through history; the way man has perceived the unknown and the great mystery and tried to deal with that or dealing with it".<ref>[[Science of Star Wars (miniseries)|Science of Star Wars]] (2005 documentary)</ref><ref name=aguilar>{{cite web|last=Aguilar|first=Father Alfonso|title=Gnosticism and the Struggle for the World's Soul|url=https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/gnosticism-and-the-struggle-for-the-world-s-soul.html|website=Catholic Education Resource Center|access-date=15 December 2021|date=6-12 April 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=SDG|title=Is Star Wars Gnostic?|url=http://decentfilms.com/articles/is-star-wars-gnostic|website=Decent Films|access-date=18 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rosencrantz Kent|first=Castor|date=13 June 2020|title=May The Force Be With You…And Also With You: An Examination of Religion in and the Cultural Impact of Star Wars|journal=Relics, Remnants, and Religion: An Undergraduate Journal in Religious Studies|volume=5|issue=1|url= https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/relics/vol5/iss1/5}}</ref>

Lucas has also said that [[chivalry]], [[knighthood]], [[paladin]]ism and related institutions in [[Feudalism|feudal societies]] inspired some concepts in the ''Star Wars'' movies, most notably the [[Jedi|Jedi Knights]]. The work of the mythologist [[Joseph Campbell]], especially his book ''[[The Hero with a Thousand Faces]]'', directly influenced Lucas,<ref name="Dreams">{{cite AV media |title=Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy |date=2004 |medium=documentary}}</ref> and is what drove him to create the "modern myth" of ''Star Wars''. The natural flow of energy known as [[the Force]] is believed to have originated from the concept of ''[[qi|qi/chi/ki]]'', "the all-pervading vital energy of the universe".

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of ''Star Wars'', [[History (U.S. TV channel)|The History Channel]] premiered a two-hour event covering the entire ''Star Wars'' saga entitled ''[[Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed]].'' Featuring interviews from the likes of [[Stephen Colbert]], [[Newt Gingrich]], [[Nancy Pelosi]], [[Tom Brokaw]], [[Dan Rather]], [[Peter Jackson]], acclaimed [[scholar]]s and others, the program delved further into the [[Hero]]ic Epic concept and the influences of mythology and other motifs that were important in making ''Star Wars''. Subjects include [[Ancestral sin|sins of the father]] and [[Redemption (theology)|redeeming the father]], [[coming of age]], exiting the ordinary world and others.