Editing Star Wars sources and analogues (section)

===Modern and early modern history===
The [[Stormtrooper (Star Wars)|stormtroopers]] from the movies share a name with the [[German Empire|Imperial German]] [[Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany)|stormtroopers]] and the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi German]] [[Sturmabteilung]] (lit. Stormtrooper). Imperial officers' uniforms also resemble some [[Uniforms of the German Army (1935–1945)|historical German Army uniforms]] and the political and security officers of the Empire resemble the black clad [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] down to the imitation silver death's head insignia on their officer's caps (although the uniforms technically had more basis with the German [[Uhlans]] within the Prussian Empire<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.starwars.com/news/from-world-war-to-star-wars-stormtroopers |quote =The exact cut of the uniforms was certainly familiar, but didn't rely precisely on the dress of the Second World War. The overall color palette and feel for the Empire was intended to be fascist, but earlier Prussian military uniforms inspired the actual cut of the uniforms designed by John Mollo.  The tunic and pants worn by Imperial officers were based on the uniform of German Uhlans, a division of mounted lancers that predated Nazi Germany. This style of uniform was used through the end of World War I, but was not a hallmark of the Third Reich.|website = StarWars.com|title = From World War to Star Wars: Stormtroopers|date = 15 October 2014 |first = Cole|last = Horton}}</ref>). World War II terms were used for names in ''Star Wars''; examples include the planets Kessel (a term that refers to a group of [[Kessel (cauldron)|encircled forces]]) and Hoth ([[Hermann Hoth]] was a German general who served on the snow-laden [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]]).<ref name="christopherklein">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/news/the-real-history-that-inspired-star-wars|title=The Real History That Inspired "Star Wars"|first=Christopher|last=Klein|work=HISTORY.com|date=August 25, 2023 }}</ref> Lucas himself has drawn parallels between Palpatine and his rise to power to historical dictators such as [[Julius Caesar]], [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], and [[Adolf Hitler]], saying the films exist as an examination of how democracies allow themselves to become dictatorships.<ref>{{cite magazine  |title= Star Wars: Attack of the Clones |url=http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020429/story2.html |magazine=[[TIME Magazine]] |date=2002-04-21 |access-date=2009-12-13|quote=The people give their democracy to a dictator, whether it's [[Julius Caesar]] or [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Napoleon]] or [[Adolf Hitler]]. Ultimately, the general population goes along with the idea ... That's the issue I've been exploring: how did the Republic turn into the Empire?|url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020605161308/http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020429/story2.html|archive-date= 2002-06-05}}</ref> The space battles in ''A New Hope'' were based on filmed [[World War I]] and [[World War II]] [[dog fight|dogfights]].<ref name="Dreams"/>

Continuing the use of Nazi inspiration for the Empire, [[J. J. Abrams]], the director of ''[[The Force Awakens]]'', has said that the First Order, an Imperial offshoot which serves as the main antagonist of the [[Star Wars sequel trilogy|sequel trilogy]], is also inspired by another aspect of the Nazi regime. Abrams spoke of how several Nazis fled to [[Argentina]] after the war and he claims that the concept for the First Order came from conversations between the scriptwriters about what would have happened if they had started working together again ([[The Boys from Brazil (film)|''The Boys from Brazil'']]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=45203|title=JJ Abrams Spills Details On Kylo Ren|first=James|last=Dyer}}</ref>

In a 2005 interview, George Lucas was asked the origins of the name "Darth Vader", and replied: "Darth is a variation of dark. And Vader is a variation of father. So it's basically Dark Father." (''Rolling Stone'', June 2, 2005). ''Vader'' is the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] word for "father" (the Dutch word is instead pronounced "fah-der"), and the [[German language|German]] word for "father" (''Vater'') is similar. However, in the earliest scripts for ''Star Wars'', the name "Darth Vader" was given to a human Imperial general with no apparent relationships.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/george-lucas-and-the-cult-of-darth-vader-20050602|title=George Lucas and the Cult of Darth Vader|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=June 2, 2005}}</ref>

Commentators have noted the strong political analogies in the ''Star Wars'' universe to contemporary American politics. Major analogies include Lucas's opposition to the [[Vietnam War]] being seen in the original trilogy.<ref>{{cite magazine | last1=O'Connor | first1=Michael | title= What are the Politics of 'Star Wars'? | url=http://www.newsweek.com/does-star-wars-endorse-political-republican-democrat-498365 | date= September 14, 2016 | magazine=[[Newsweek]] | access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref> Lucas even said in 2005 that ''Star Wars'' "was really about the Vietnam War, and that was the period where [[Richard 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."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2005/05/18/star-wars-inadvertently-hits-too-close-to-uss-role/ | title='Star Wars' inadvertently hits too close to U.S.'s role | newspaper=Chicago Tribune | first=Mark | last=Caro | date=May 18, 2005 | access-date=November 12, 2017}}</ref> This claim was likewise backed up by the 1973 draft for the first movie, then-called ''The Star Wars'', where Lucas specifically mentioned that the theme involved an independent planet named Aquillae that was compared to North Vietnam, and that the Empire was "America 10 years from now",<ref>Rinzler, J.W., ''The Making of Star Wars'', page 7-8, 16-18.</ref><ref>Taylor, Chris. ''How Star Wars Conquered the Universe''. p. 87-88, 109-110, 125.</ref> and by [[Walter Murch]], who claimed Lucas, after his failure with ''Apocalypse Now'', decided to do ''Star Wars'' as a way to channel the anti-war and pro-Vietcong ideology in a disguised form.<ref>{{cite book|title = The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film|last = Ondaatje|first = Michael|publisher = Knopf |date =2005|page =70|quote =Originally George Lucas was going to direct ('Apocalypse Now'), so it was a project that George and John [Milius] developed for [American] Zoetrope. That was back in 1969. Then, when Warner Brothers cancelled the funding for Zoetrope, the project was abandoned for a while. After the success of 'American Graffiti' in 1973, George wanted to revive it, but it was still too hot a topic, the [Vietnam] war was still on, and nobody wanted to finance something like that. So George considered his options: What did he really want to say in 'Apocalypse Now?' The message boiled down to the ability of a small group of people to defeat a gigantic power simply by the force of their convictions. And he decided, All right, if it's politically too hot as a contemporary subject, I'll put the essence of the story in outer space and make it happen in a galaxy long ago and far away. The rebel group were the North Vietnamese, and the Empire was the United States. And if you have 'the force,' no matter how small you are, you can defeat the overwhelmingly big power. 'Star Wars' is George's transubstantiated version of 'Apocalypse Now.'}}</ref> [[Ian McDiarmid]], when recalling something Lucas told him during filming of ''Return of the Jedi'', also implied that the Oval Office, and in particular, Nixon's presidency, played a role in the design of the Emperor's throne room.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/nov/07/theatre1 |title=Lindesay Irvine talks to Ian McDiarmid|first=Lindesay|last=Irvine|date=7 November 2005|website=The Guardian}}</ref> Political themes in ''[[Rogue One]]'' have also been noted{{Explain|reason=What political themes|date=May 2023}}.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Somin | first1=Ilya | title=Rogue One and the Politics of Star Wars | url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/12/29/rogue-one-and-the-politics-of-star-wars/ | date=December 29, 2016 | newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] | access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | last1=Doescher | first1=Ian | title=The Empire Is Us: The Politics of 'Rogue One' | url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/12/politics-of-rogue-one-214549 | date=December 26, 2016 | magazine=[[Politico Magazine]] | access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref>

The political and military conflict of the prequel films, especially ''Attack of the Clones'' and ''[[Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith|Revenge of the Sith]]'', bears a strong similarity to elements of the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865): the [[Galactic Republic]]'s Clone army (officially called the "[[Clone trooper#Grand Army of the Republic|Grand Army of the Republic]]") represents the [[Union Army]] (whose veteran organization was named [[Grand Army of the Republic]]), while the [[Confederacy of Independent Systems]] mimics the [[Confederate States of America]] (also abbreviated as "the Confederacy").<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jamilla |first=Nick |date=2014 |title=Sword Fighting in the Star Wars Universe: Historical Origins, Style and Philosophy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g23D4YMmdb0C&pg=PA153 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland |page=153 |isbn=9780786451791 |access-date=12 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="Politics">{{cite web|url=http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~anne/clones.html|title=Attack of the Clones and the Politics of Star Wars|year=2002|last=Lancashire|first=Anne|website=The Dalhousie Review|access-date=June 30, 2016}}</ref> The character of [[Count Dooku]] is directly based on Confederate General [[Robert E. Lee]].