Anakin Skywalker is Smeagol

In general, I don't think that it is possible to draw parallels between the characters of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings in any consistent way, except for a fiew characters, most notably the character of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and Smeagol/Gollum. The paralells are quite interesting...


The good man Anakin Skywalker is consumed by the "Dark Side of the Force" and becomes Darth Vader. (The story takes the POV that Anakin Skywalker "dies" to become Darth Vader.)

The good hobbit (?) Smeagol is consumed by his lust for the One Ring and becomes Gollum. (The story takes the POV that Smeagol "dies" to become Gollum.)


Darth Vader is severely injured on Mustafar and he becomes a shadow of his former self, physically.

Gollum is physically deformed due to the corrupting influence of the One Ring.


The main protagonist in Star Wars belives Darth Vader can be redeemed (though no-one else does) and address Darth Vader using hs former name:
- Luke; "I accept the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father"
- DV: "That name no longer has any meaning for me."
- Luke: "It is the name of your true self, you have only forgotten."
Luke is correct that Vader can turn back from the Dark Side.

The main protagonist in LotR believes that Gollum can be redeemed (though no-one else does) and addresses Gollum using his former name:
- Frodo: "You were one of the river folk once, not unlike a hobbit. Weren't you... Smeagol?"
- (Gollum evades the issue.)
Frodo is incorrect and Gollum cannot be freed from the spell of the One Ring.


In both sagas, the fall of Anakin/Smeagol is meant to be tragic and we are meant to feel some pity for the character.
(LotR:
- Frodo: "It was a pity Bilbo didn't kill him."
- Gandalf: "Pity? It was pity that stayed his hand.")
(Star Wars: Three movies focused on the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker)


Gollum (who most people consider evil) destroys the incarnation of absolute evil (The One Ring and therefore Sauron.) He does this unintentionally.

Darth Vader (who most people consider evil) destroys the incarnation of absolute evil (the Emperor.) He does this intentionally.


The main difference as I see it is that Star Wars is a more optimistic tale because Darth Vader can come back from the Dark Side whereas in LotR, Gollum is unable to free himself from his lust for power and the One Ring.

 

As Lucas went in deep studying both ancient (King Arthur) and modern myths (LotR, Dune) before filming Star Wars, why should it not be possible to draw parallels?
So you have never seen any similarities between Gandalf and Kenobi? Both are mentors, both help the protagonist (Frodo, Luke) make their first steps out of the door - both actually DIE and then return to further aid the protagonist... Btw., that's exactly what Merlin does for Arthur - or Dumbledore for this Harry Potter guy. (I am pretty sure, we'll see him somehow returning in Potter VII!)
Have some hours time? I think, I could come up with a lot more...

True, but Frodo is able to (as is Luke with the dark side). Hey, and there's a new king and peace all over Middle-Earth. I think, that's VERY optimistic.

 

Nice thoughts..

 

Hmmm... Impossible to draw parallel's?

Well you could read Hero of a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, one of Lucas's creative mentors and then try this thread again. I don't mean to be condescending, but the Path of the Hero and their story arcs have been around since Gilgamesh.... Where ever in literary history in the 13000 years since you have a hero, you'll have all the characters in Star Wars in varying forms... But I much like these parallel's over the religious parallels since those are ridiculously ambiguous.

 

Six is right. You can draw parallels between SW and basically any myth-based story since Lucas was very, very conscious of the myth he was creating. Lucas studied Campbell, in fact he knew Campbell. According to a quote I read, Campbell called Lucas one of his "best students." GL was very, very careful to stick to the hero quest as described by Campbell and use all the classic myth framework. This means that SW will draw parallels with a lot of other stories that use that same framework, from LotR to Harry Potter.

Having said that, the whole point of this thread is very valid and well though out. It is always cool to find those parallels, even though we know they are probably there.

 

I don't see a lot of exact parallels in LotR vs. Star Wars except for a few characters (Anakin/Smeagol, Kenobi/Gandalf, Count Dooku/Sauruman)

There are parallels, and I'm familiar with Mr. Campbell's work, but for the most part LotR is a variation on the theme that does not intersect SW in many places. For example:

The obvious pairing for Frodo would be Luke. However, Luke has a Jedi heritage and Frodo is a normal hobbit who rises to the occasion to fulfill his destiny but never develops any magical power of his own.

Aragorn does not really fit any SW character. Maybe Han Solo because they are both "Street Smart" Maybe Leia becasue they both have titles of political power and they both don't have that power when the story begins. (Leia lost hers when Palps disbanded the Senate and Aragorn has inherited his power but never claimed it until RotK)

So, no. I don't think there are very many close parallels of the main characters in SW vs. LotR.

 

You're being far too literal, Jinn... You have to think in terms of function, not exactly what those characters were or what exactly they fulfilled... You did happen on the best parallels though with Anakin/Smeagol Luke/Frodo... Luke/Frodo needed to really see themselves in Anakin/Smeagol to be able to turn from the wrong path... Sure the parallels with the other characters of Star Wars to LotR become more abstract, but their functions remain... In the dramatic sense and the story arc sense... You could say Chewie and Samwise are similar because of their unfailing devotion to their friends... Leia much like Eowyn because her spirit will not allow her to be cast as the helpless woman type and allows her to stand up against adversities and take on her warrior role to vanquish the Witch King... It goes on and on... But there are parallels for them all...

 

I remember some drafts of Star Wars screenplays related the force to some magic crystalls. Whoever had a crystal hat the power. Sounds almost like a ring. Hey and both HAVE a dark fate, after all. Frodo actually inherited the ring from Bilbo, hobbits have some powers as they are better able to withstand the powers of the ring as humans. That's not exacltly the same, but come on. Lucas HAD to change some things to make in not too obvious - or should he have made Luke actually find a Ring of Power? And he also had to work in elements he 'stole' from Dune as well (Leto II/Jabba, Sandworm/Sarlacc, the VOICE, the Twins Leto and Ghanima - stop, aren't Arthur and Morgaine also Twins, that where hidden from each other - what coincidence ).

Another parallel between Luke and Frodo: at the end of part 3 each of them ventures alone into the heart of the enemy empire where he overcomes his Smeagol/Anakin counterpart - only to throw down the main villain: a bad guy that stays in the backgriund for the biggest part of the rest of the trilogie.

Aragorn is the perfect Solo. Solo starts as a smuggler/pirat and developes into a responsible rebell general who later marries a princess. Aragorn starts as a ranger and developes into a responsible human king who - guess what - marries an elf-princes. Both are the cool sidekicks who bond with one of the leading ladies. How comes, I have to think about Ron Weasly and Lancelot right now???

 

And the Tusken Raiders wear stillsuits... (Much more realistic looking ones than what we saw in the two Dune movies, BTW) So the analogy is Tusken Raiders/Fremen. They even attack like the Fremen an ANH, seeming to just pop out of nowhere.

 

Neither hero (Luke nor Frodo) could have been successfully without his fallen predecessor. Both would have succumbed to the dark temptationss.

The theme: our elders and ancestors, even those who were imperfect, are very important. Mankind develops along a continuum of human experience through the generations, not just through the individual.

It's a common theme in the history of human storytelling / mythmaking. Very Joseph Cambell.

 

What are...parellels...precious?



Actually...Yoda is the yin to Smeagol's yang. Know whut I mean Vern?