Time for a thread to discuss the inspiration, references and symbolism of Star Wars.
Yesterday I was listening to Giorgio Moroder’s soundtrack for his restored version of Fritz Lang’s ‘Metropolis’, and the stills in the video made me realise how much of an impact ‘Metropolis’ must have had on the making of ‘Star Wars’.
From the android design, being the inspiration for C-3PO, to the sprawling cityscape of Metropolis compared to Couruscant, to the similarities between the characters:
Dr. Rotwang has a robotic hand, similar to Anakin/Vader, he lost his love, like Anakin/Vader feared he had lost Padmé.
Fredersen, who had ‘stolen’ Dr. Rotwang’s love from him, Hel, lost his wife in childbirth to their only son, just like Padmé died giving birth to Luke & Leia.
Dr. Rotwang’s robotic hand, covered by a black glove, like Anakin/Vader, symbolises a character flaw - ‘mutilation = character flaw’, and that this mutilation in AotC symbolises the beginning of Anakin’s fall. Luke’s mutilation in TESB, could also have marked the beginning of his fall to the Dark Side, had it not been for Anakin/Vader’s sacrifice at the end of RotJ. -- DVD Savant: METROPOLIS and STAR WARS: http://archive.is/DJU9x
I would also guess that the Naboo practice of electing prepubescent girl as queens, is most likely based on the Hindu practice of Kumari, or Kumari Devi -- ‘Living Goddess’, from the Sanskrit ‘Kumarya’, meaning ‘princess’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumari_%28goddess%29
-- BBC News | World | South Asia | Living goddess makes rare outing: http://archive.is/vUVYh