Lucas is a Mastermind, but also never was shy to copy and mix what he liked from elsewhere. Be it from myth, history, religion and classics or more modern pieces like Dune, Flash Gordon and else. Other authors that worked in the sandpit too were not shy to bring all kinds of rival franchises into the SW mold via clever renaming and mixing it up. The Gree have a STARGATE network and even the later Stargate concept of ascension and Celestials found its way into the books. West End Games featured Iskalonian BORG. Dr Aphra is playing TOMB RAIDER. Silentium and Abominor TRANSFORMERS are roaming the spaceways. The Galactic Federation of Free Alliances tries to live STAR TREK Utopia inside SW and fails epically as a more modern darker Federation/Section31 story permeates its LOTF/FOTJ run of stories. Hutt Space is full of adventures remniscient of FARSCAPE. Some fans compare historic eras in the gffa as comparable to WARHAMMER. Jedi Temple tales and its 4 founders conjure images of HARRY POTTER. just to name a few. Many more are there, so lets compile. Which franchise can you find in what corner of the SW Galaxy, even if hiding under another name or mixed with another idea?
Lord Momin and his ability survive=Voldemort and his Horcruxes, although Exar Kun's survival was probably inspired somewhat by Sauron and the ring of power.
All fiction borrows from itself. It’s not stealing, especially if it’s just superficial similarities, or similar broad themes. The Jedi having a school with 4 founders isn’t that unique of an idea to say “that’s stealing from Harry Potter.” The Silentium are not really at all like Transformers, and they barely in any SW anyways. I don’t see how the Hutts are Farscape, or how GFFA history is Warhammer.
Star Wars Resistance-Battlestar Galactica and if they ever do a Sloane in the Unknown Regions lets make it Star Trek Voyager ;p
WEG also introduced the Coynites, who are the Klingons transplanted wholesale into Star Wars without even so much as a reskinning.
Allegiance and Choices of One were The A-Team in space. Scoundrels was Ocean's Eleven in space. The Wraith Squadron trilogy and Mercy Kill were Mission: Impossible (the show rather than the movies) in space. The Rogue Squadron books get called Top Gun in space, but that actually seems unfair to them, if only because they really don't encourage characters like Pete Mitchell. If he were in this universe, Maverick would be, at best, a good but cocky ace that Wedge needs to break of his bad habits before sending him out into combat (like Corran Horn or Kell Tainer at the beginning of their story arcs), and at worst, someone who eventually gets himself killed because he never learns to listen to the older guys (like Castin Donn). The Rogue Squadron books feel more like older-fashioned pilot adventures from the mid-20th century or earlier, like Buck Danny, if anybody understands that reference, or Biggles. Shatterpoint was Apocalypse Now in space. The New Jedi Order series was [insert alien invasion story here] in space. The Lando Calrissian Adventures are definitely something in space, but it's hard to limit it to just one thing. Most of all, I think of it as Maverick in space, since the main character is a gambler drifting from place to place who just wants to be left alone and make a quick buck but keeps getting dragged into adventures. But they definitely take the "in space" part seriously, and revel in the weirdness and alienness of the universe in a way that not enough Star Wars novels do. The first story kind of feels like Forbidden Planet in... well, you know what I mean.
Half of Outbound Flight was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Car'das and his two friends being guests of Thrawn's drew heavily on Monsieur Arronax and his two comrades being guests of Captain Nemo aboard the Nautilus. There's even a scene where they're sitting around trying to figure out what language they should use to speak to their captor that was lifted almost directly from Leagues. It was a great homage.
Rogue One reminds me partially of Guns of Navarone, the movie, and similiar war movies about infiltration, ragtag teams and last one standing stories. Galaxy of Fear really reminds of some old horror serials and invokes not only the Blob, giant killer insects, the earth swallowing you and other such themes of early horror flicks, tech betraying you, etc. Likewise Adventures in Wild Space is your typical 80s kids on adventure without parents sojourn, complete with guardian nanny (droid) that can't stop them and has to come along and a pet too. Save the parents trope included. Aphras new sidekick kid-girl... - is the girl a teenager or kid anyway? - is like Indiana Jones and Short-Round sidekick, though Aphra is more Belloq still. (Makes me wish for whenever Aphra passes the torch, the kid grows up to be awesome too and inherit something typical Aphra, like Indy had the hat to pass on... though the kid probably won't survive her lol) In part, Jacen's vision searching of the future and deciding for one path is like Doctor Strange did in Avengers Infinity War, and also remniscient a bit of Terminantor where the heroes basically fight many potential futures hoping for a better one. Though timetravel played ultimately less into Jacen, it was referenced and mocked quite some through the series with Flowwalking, Mindwalking and Anakin-return fantorture hints. Jacen's Breaking Bad run though even featured Tahiri as Jessie, addicted to someone instead of somthing and lead on by Jacen yet ultimately surviving him. Tenel Ka and Allana fit the bill of Walter Whites family even... and even if I do not like it, some fans too think Tenel Ka had other lovers, like Whites wife in the series. Makes me now wonder who in Legends is lawyer Saul Goodman? The Killiks are a cross of Scientology and 60s Hippie communities and 70s communes with free love and Joiners. Flower Power and arm rubbing for everyone! Medstar Duology: Everyone knows its M.A.S.H.! Though I still wait for Hogan's Heroes to make their gffa debut! Had hope Alphabet Squadron will provide given it features such camps but nope it turned out to be more a Wraith Squadron remake. Some Prequel Jedi stories reminded me of X-Men and social commentary between humans and mutants. Especially Baby Ludi. Wouldn't be surprised if she grew up to become an Imperial Inquisitor and Jedi Hunter later akin to the X-Men and Dark Phoenix maybe.
The best comic ever, UNION is Love Actually movie... couples everywhere! So aside war and killing, what other lighthearted good tales are there and what do they remind you of? Even if only scenes in a book or comic. We had Valentine Day stories and comics aplenty. And West End Games even attempted a "Flirt of the Month" for every Luke cameo. Rogue Squadron and X-Wing comics, or Allston and Stackpole works in general feature good recreation and everyday scenes in between the battles. Few authors understand the worth of these and I am glad that Alexander Freed in new canon does utilize the same in his novels well. Denning too tried but pulled it toward the awkward and creepy often with his jokes and allusions. Though he had his moments too, even if he can be critizised for a lot else. Shadows of the Empire, Coruscant Knights and The Last Jedi novel as well the Death Star novel too excell at average joes and lives. Death Star especially with the minor sidecharacters working inside the battle station. Then there are the Ewok movies... Cindels parents reminded me of the Chevy Chase Griswald family adventure movies, something always goes wrong. Stover writing the epic ROTS novel like an inuniverse media coverage or holoflick was pure gold remniscient of old propaganda flicks. Can I get a The Professional, with Nat Portman and Jean Reno, style story in Star Wars? Reno's assassin character's cool professional attitude with a moral code reminds me a lot of Boba Fett. Maybe in new canon he has no family of his own but in mandalorian fashion adopts a kid seeking his help... and is stuck with her, teaches her and ultimately.. dies for her (or pretends to for he has to die in ROTJ) so she can continue her own life free of his burden and enemies. Another interesting potential topic may be The Last Samurai movie or Last of the Mohicans or even Braveheart, a dying culture and the world changing and someone caught in between. Could be set in the Mandalorian Civil War between traditionalists and the reformist new Mandalorians or further back before the Jedi went in against the Mandos, before Mandalore was glassed. Have one Jedi Revan style see the Mando pov and infiltrate, then join them against his Jedi brothers and sisters despite it being futile making a stand/point. Or one could if not Mandos use other cultures that changed a lot over time or are no more in later times.
While it's Leia rather than Padme, the Giles Durane story https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Giles_Durane might be a little like this.
