Jedi Council Forums - Hidden Messages in the Saga

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Author	Topic: Hidden Messages in the Saga
DarthWolvo23 Registered: Jan '05	Date Posted: 10/21/05 9:45am Subject: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	While reading the Darth Vader entry on Wikipedia (in my opinion the best source of star wars info on the net), I stumbled across this piece of information: "He wears a chestplate with lights and switches, presumably to manage his cybernetic components. Upon closer examination, the chestplate has Hebrew lettering which has been translated as, "His deeds will not be forgiven, until he merits." Does ne1 know of nemore hideden messages such as this in the star wars saga? I think it is quite brilliant if this is true (and would ne1 with knowledge of this language be able to prove it for us also)? I also love the hidden meanings in the characters names. This was posted on sagajournal.com: "Qui-Gon Jinn's name is perhaps the cleverest: his first name comes from qi gong, an type of Chinese medicine. "Qigong relies on the traditional Chinese belief that the body has an energy field generated and maintained by the natural respiration of the body, known as Qi."5 Sounds a lot like the Living Force, and is appropriate for someone who meditates in the midst of battle. "Jinn," on the other hand, is a type of genie, convenient for the person who grants Anakin's wish. Genies are creatures neither inherently good or evil, and the discovery of Anakin could be argued as being either a very good thing or a very bad thing, for the Jedi and the galaxy in general. In The Hero With A Thousand Faces (the book which helped inspire Star Wars) the Jinn are described as "dangerous because they threaten the fabric of security into which we have built ourselves and our family. But they are fiendishly fascinating too, for they carry keys that open the whole realm of the desired and feared adventure of the discovery of the self."6 Something pretty close to that happened in The Phantom Menace, as Anakin is separated from his mother, his only family -- and eventually Anakin does discover his self, although it takes him a little while to do so." Please share any other hidden messages within the saga that you may know with the rest of us in this forum. -----signature----- Redemption will pour, it crashes to the floor a million cold thoughts wont stop you feeling warm because the love that you bring, conquers all these things. Saga Forum - Visual Storytelling Thread
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Plo_Koen Registered: May '01	Date Posted: 10/21/05 10:22am Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga - Date Edited: 10/21/05 10:41am (1 edits total) Edited By: Plo_Koen
	EDIT: "not exactly" what the author had in mind, although he was aking for any other hidden messages. -----signature----- My mind is not in my body, my body is in my mind.
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DarthWolvo23 Registered: Jan '05	Date Posted: 10/21/05 10:23am Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	not exactly what i had in mind, but thanx for the effort! -----signature----- Redemption will pour, it crashes to the floor a million cold thoughts wont stop you feeling warm because the love that you bring, conquers all these things. Saga Forum - Visual Storytelling Thread
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Darth_Rags Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 10/21/05 12:51pm Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	Dooku means poison in Japan. -----signature----- Beware of the fish people, they are the true enemy Member of the official Count Dooku/Lord Tyranus Fanclub
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Darth_Stouff Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 10/21/05 9:57pm Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	Ewok is an Nigerian word for "Annoying!" Ok, so I can't prove that, but it's my theory
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Winston_Sith Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 10/21/05 10:14pm Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	Come on! This thread has an interesting topic, Why do you mock it so? -----signature----- Winston_Sith - Originator of the 'Frankenstein Theory' ROTS = the 1930's Monster Movie of The Saga http://boards.theforce.net/Revenge_of_the_Sith_/b10331/19892011/ Spoiler Free for SW TV!! http://boards.theforce.net/small_screen_star_wars/b10467/22279522/
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JediGaeliaWindstar Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 10/21/05 11:41pm Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga - Date Edited: 10/21/05 11:42pm (1 edits total) Edited By: JediGaeliaWindstar
	chewbaca(chant spell today....) has kind of a meaning in his name.. with a roughly different spelling his name translates to "stupid animal" in Japanese. Though I dont think that was his intentions with that character... lol. -----signature----- http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=22988011&brd=10476 I am now a padawon of Durhelediel! Go me!
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DarthWolvo23 Registered: Jan '05	Date Posted: 10/22/05 2:24am Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	Winston_Sith posted: Come on! This thread has an interesting topic, Why do you mock it so? thank you winston a couple of more obvious name ones: Luke means light Anakin has been reputed to mean without family (ana-kin) Ewok is roughly Wookie backwards (e-wok & wok-e) Are there any more visual clues (like the vader chestplate one in the first post)? -----signature----- Redemption will pour, it crashes to the floor a million cold thoughts wont stop you feeling warm because the love that you bring, conquers all these things. Saga Forum - Visual Storytelling Thread
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Cryogenic Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 10/22/05 4:47am Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga - Date Edited: 10/22/05 4:59am (4 edits total) Edited By: Cryogenic
	Possible Buddhist influences: - Padme: Name means "lotus" in the original Sanksrit pronunciation. And from here: "The lotus is the foremost symbol of beauty, prosperity and fertility. According to Hinduism, within each human inhabiting the earth is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represents eternity, purity and divinity and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, ever-renewing youth and to describe feminine beauty, especially the eyes." [Source: http://www.lotussculpture.com/my_articles_lotus.htm ] - Some have intepreted the carving that Anakin gives to Padme as a child as representing the Buddhist concept of the "Endless Knot". From here: "The endless knot is a closed, graphic ornament composed of right-angled, intertwined lines. It is conjectured that it may have evolved from an ancient naga symbol with two stylized snakes. This latter image signifies the dramatic interplay and interaction of the opposing forces in the dualistic world of manifestation, leading to their union, and ultimately to harmony in the universe. This fact is amply reflected in the symmetrical and regular form of the endless knot. The intertwining of lines reminds us how all phenomena are conjoined and yoked together as a closed cycle of cause and effect. Thus the whole composition is a pattern that is closed on in itself with no gaps, leading to a representational form of great simplicity and fully balanced harmony. Since all phenomena are interrelated, the placing of the endless knot on a gift or greeting card is understood to establish an auspicious connection between the giver and the recipient. At the same time, the recipient is goaded to righteous karma, being reminded that future positive effects have their roots in the causes of the present. This is because the knot represents a connection, a link with our fates, binding us to our karmic destiny. Not surprisingly, this is one of the most favorite symbols in Tibetan Buddhism, and often occurs independently on its own. Since the knot has no beginning or end it also symbolizes the infinite wisdom of the Buddha." [Source: http://www.twilightbridge.com/hobbies/festivals/buddha/knot.htm ] Lightsabres - Hilts: Not a lot to say here, really, but there's probably some symbolism going on with the design of some of the hilts, not least the one that Palpatine flips out to fight Mace and Co with. His is excessively curved; possibly signifiying an organic and long-lasting evil. - Colours: When Star Wars began, there were only two lightsabre colours meant to represent the oppositional forces of good and evil: red was a clear symbolic allusion to passion/danger/anger and blue alluded to calm/ascetism/serenity. The addition of green in Return of the Jedi muddied things considerably. I've yet to come up with a convincing paradigm for green (at one stage, I thought that green represented wisdom/enlightenment: Qui Gon, Yoda and mature Luke all use green - but that scheme breaks down when you consider Anakin had one in AOTC and many other "lesser" Jedi wielded such a colour during the era of the Republic). Then we have Mace. Mace is the only character in the entire saga to wield a purple lightsabre: perhaps his lightsabre was damaged in combat; perhaps he is something of a "loose cannon"; perhaps he skirts a thin line between the Light and Dark Side. - Ownership: Recent threads exist on this issue...but the specific passing down of individual lightsabres could be seen as symbolic. It's a complex issue and beyond the scope of my post. Set Design - One reviewer noted that the Senate looks like a high tech circus. This has considerable merit when you think of what a joke and a farce democracy has become by the time of The Phantom Menace and how it further devolves as the prequels mature. The circle motif may also be reinforcing the idea that everyone is interconnected and, in the words of Obi Wan himself, "what happens to one of you will affect the other". (Obi Wan also uses the words "symbiont circle" in the same scene). - According to the words of others on this board, Lucas claims that he wanted the observation window behind the Emperor in Return of the Jedi to look like a "spider's web"; it is meant to represent how Sidious has ensnared everyone - far and wide - with his dastardly manipulations and schemes. - Someone here has also noted that the specific arrangement of lights on/underneath the table that Vader is "born" on in Revenge of the Sith is an exact match for the Imperial symbol used in the original trilogy. The meaning is clear: Vader is the personification of the Empire. -----signature----- I have a great admiration for George. These films are very well-intentioned. All right, they make tremendous amounts of money and appeal to kids, but they say good things, and they say them in a broad way. I believe in the Star Wars films. - Ian McDiarmid
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Winston_Sith Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 10/22/05 10:00pm Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	Duality, and spheres.: In TPM, the Trade Federation Fleet consists of a type of broken-circular ships (and, as we know from AOTC, spherical Droid Control ships). Da Gungan Bosses at Otoh Gunga rule from a type of semi-circular chamber, as does the Queen of Naboo at Theed. However, as we can tell from the very presence of Gungans in Theed, as well as the circular columnar structure, which Anakin, R2, and Padme walk through during their conversation after their return to Naboo, the schism between the Gungans and the Naboo has been long since rectified. -----signature----- Winston_Sith - Originator of the 'Frankenstein Theory' ROTS = the 1930's Monster Movie of The Saga http://boards.theforce.net/Revenge_of_the_Sith_/b10331/19892011/ Spoiler Free for SW TV!! http://boards.theforce.net/small_screen_star_wars/b10467/22279522/
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plokoonkenobi77 Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 10/22/05 10:19pm Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	i'm jewish and if anyone can send me the actual chestplate writing i can try to get it translated, i know a few people who can read hebrew. -----signature----- Star Wars rocks-Long live Chewbacca "the force is an energy field created by all living things, it surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together"-Obi Wan Kenobi I'm a Star Wars geek and proud of it!!! Member of the Chewie fan club-yes!!
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DarthWolvo23 Registered: Jan '05	Date Posted: 10/23/05 3:20am Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	brilliant post cryogenic thanx a lot for that im really interested in this topic - shows the depth of the whole story in my opinion -----signature----- Redemption will pour, it crashes to the floor a million cold thoughts wont stop you feeling warm because the love that you bring, conquers all these things. Saga Forum - Visual Storytelling Thread
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Darth_Orcus Registered: Oct '05	Date Posted: 10/23/05 6:15am Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	Hmmm... Don't know if it was intended but the original lightsaber colour may be an indication. Blue - good - Right-Wing - Republicanism...? Red - evil - Left-Wing - Communism...? Don't know where green comes into it though... Hmmm... Greenpeace? Also purple has been used by some Centre aligned political parties as between Blue/Red - so could explain Mace Windu's purple saber (Good/Evil?).
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Rossa83 Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 10/23/05 6:29am Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	I may be wrong in my readings, but haven't anyone thought about Darth Vader? Vader meaning Father in Dutch and similar in German. Literally Anakin becomes the Dark Father... With this knowledge we can appreciate the tensions in Luke (Light as you say), the way he struggles between light and dark. Yoda (does anyone have any etymological interpretaions on him?) represents light, and Vader represents darkness. Interesting how this reflects on Luke and his way to becoming a true Jedi.... Interesting thread this, especially since I may be writing my Masters-Thesis on this!!
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Vaderbait Registered: Sep '01	Date Posted: 10/23/05 8:00am Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga
	Most of the names and planets in Star Wars have real life names. One of the planets is a city or region in a western Asian nation, I think.
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Cryogenic Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 10/23/05 8:24am Subject: RE: Hidden Messages in the Saga - Date Edited: 10/23/05 8:27am (2 edits total) Edited By: Cryogenic
	You're welcome, Darth Wolvo. One thing I urge you to consider are the visual homages to other films. Many homages, in fact, may go beyond mere visual lip service to the films being referenced and are actually being done to enrich the Star Wars narrative; to add meaning and texture. So, here we go... Filmic Homages Here are some notable examples: A New Hope: Triumph of the Will - This landmark film is referenced at the closing Rebel award ceremony. Lucas may have merely done it to give the frame a sense of order and unity. But he might also have done it to subvert his own film and suggest that victory through aggression is a morally dubious thing. How virtuous is the Rebel Alliance to be dealing out medals to one set of people who killed off another? The Phantom Menace: Ben Hur - This film is referenced during the pod race. For starters, the pods themselves look astonishingly like chariots (cockpit section being "led" by two engines/horses attached with wires/ropes). Secondly, both sets of transport are being used in an epic race in a desert landscape. Thirdly, both protagonists - Anakin Skywalker and Judah Ben-hur - are slaves and taking part to win their freedom. Fourthly, there's a dark undercurrent to both: Ben-Hur wants vengeance on the Romans and Anakin eventually takes his vengeance out on an entire galaxy. Attack of the Clones: The Sound of Music - This film is referenced when Padme and Anakin are cavorting in an idyllic Nabooian meadow. As Padme runs across the frame to check on an "injured" Anakin, it looks amazingly similar to instances of Julie Andrews running across the Austrian fields. The Sound of Music is ostensibly a musical and Attack of the Clones is ostensibly an action adventure film - but both are really about the impending encroachment of a dictatorship. (Dialogue from Anakin within the meadow scene even covers this point). Another film referenced within AOTC is The Searchers. When Anakin locates the Tusken Raider camp in search of his mother, it is eerily similar in look and plotting to when John Wayne locates the Indian camp in search of his niece. Both characters are thirsty for retribution, but whereas Wayne's character manages to overcome his base desires, Anakin gives in and murders the entire camp. Symbolism Well... where do you begin? I've already given you a few examples in my last post but this topic is literally endless. One of my favourite "catches" comes from Revenge of the Sith... Palpatine/Sidious: Notice how Palpatine/Sidious is always sat at the start of a scene. Despite the chaotic torrent of hatred and evil there is within the bowels of Sidious himself, he manages to outwardly contain it and project the composure of a benign fatherly leader. That's quite a contrast! He's also a great manipulator and is able to make people do what HE wants. Lucas is able to continually reinforce this by having Palpatine/Sidious sat for much of the film. However, there are two exceptions to this - and both create visual discord and panic. The first of the exceptions is when Anakin comes racing into Palpatine's office to save him from Mace. Although Palpatine began the sequence that led up to this moment by again being sat (just before Mace confronted him and the fight began), we must count this moment as the start of a new scene - for it is the moment Anakin enters the frame and the first time he has seen his beloved Chancellor like this. But notice how Palpatine is not unsat any more than he's sat: he's somewhere in between the two. This suggests to me that he was manipulating Mace and Anakin to an extent - but that he was also gambling somewhat (with his own life and Anakin's very soul). The second and final exception is far more explicit. When Sidious comes racing to Anakin's aid on Mustafar, there is no half-and-half effect this time: Sidious really IS up and running. This suggests that he was dealing with a totally unexpected circumstance (further implied by the fact that he'd gloated to Yoda about how powerful Vader would become just minutes earlier). OK, one more. This is a kind of generalised observation... Circles: I've mentioned circles, another poster has mentioned circles. Clearly, Lucas loves his circles. Some of the most iconic images from the original Star Wars film involve spheres and cylinders: the Death Star is an enormous sphere, Leia's hair buns are circular, Owen/Beru/Luke's Tatooine home has a circular roof, Threepio has a circular disc in the centre of his torso, Artoo has a domed head and spherical eye... I think Lucas and the talented artists he surrounded himself with knew the subconscious power that circles elicit. They're f-in everywhere in Star Wars! -----signature----- I have a great admiration for George. These films are very well-intentioned. All right, they make tremendous amounts of money and appeal to kids, but they say good things, and they say them in a broad way. I believe in the Star Wars films. - Ian McDiarmid
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