George Lucas always maintained that the Star Wars films echoed one another, like stanzas in a poem. While Luke and Anakin’s journeys took very different paths (although there were many similarities), Lucas used visuals to both portray Anakin’s slide to the Dark Side within the Prequel Trilogy as well as show parallels within the Prequels and the Original Trilogies. Not all focus on Luke and Anakin. Some show compare and contrast the Jedi and Sith and aks the question, how different are they, truly? Star Wars has always been a story about fathers and sons, and Lucas, being a visual storyteller, shows this incessantly throughout his Saga. The Sequel Trilogy is different, and is nothing more than Disney’s fan fiction, so we discount those entirely. Lucas’ Saga is a Greek tragedy told through visuals and music, and we’ll show you just how much care Lucas put into the visual parallels in his Saga. It adds a whole new dimension to the way you’ll view Star Wars and shows what a genius George Lucas truly is. No one can take away his achievements and the story he so carefully crafted, not even Disney.
There’s no better time to post this than May the 4th. There are so many more parallels than those we are going to post, but these are the ones that stood out to us the most. We tried to avoid the obvious ones. Lucas is a visual director first and foremost, and should be viewed as such, and has so much to say visually. Star Wars are silent films told through visuals and music. Lucas’ greatest collaborator was John Williams. You could watch these films without any dialogue and they would have the same emotional impact. This is the genius of George Lucas.
Fathers and Sons
This is the exact same birds-eye view shot where Luke loses his biological father while Obi-Wan loses his metaphorical father.
The Death of Anakin and Padme
Here we see the exact same shot, with Anakin metaphorically dying and Vader being born, while Padme is on her death bed, still believing there is good in Anakin. Something Luke inherited from his mother.
A Story Ends Where it Began
This is one of the more interesting shots, and are all identical: the funerals of Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Padme. This is one of the most powerful parallels in the Saga and matches exactly, shot for shot.
Anakin’s Path to Darkness
Both of these are high angle shots from Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. One occurs as Anakin is about to embark to save his mother where he begins his path toward the Dark Side. The other occurs as Anakin has just slaughtered the Separatist leaders and while showing remorse, is fully engulfed by his newfound power.
A Journey Towards Uncertainty
These two identical, first-person shots are from The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Anakin embarks both on the beginning of his path to become a Jedi by winning the podrace and the beginning of his descent into darkness. Notice how in Episode I it takes place during the day and in Episode II it takes place at dusk, reflecting on Anakin’s state of mind.
Anakin, His Mother, and Padme
Here are three almost identical shots. Notice how it shifts darker in each shot, culminating in Hell itself. Anakin, despite his immense power, loses those he sought to protect, manipulated by both the Jedi and the Sith. This is the tragedy of it all.
A Master’s Proclamation
In these scenes, Obi-Wan commits to becoming the master of both Anakin and his son, Luke. The shots mirror each other completely (mirrored like many of these shots), though Anakin’s scene is darker in tone.
A Mentor Lost
In both of these shots, Luke and Obi-Wan lose both their mentors and their father figures. Both scream “NOOO!” and the parallel, visually, is obvious.
Obi-Wan Towered Over
No matter Qui-Gon or his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan is always towered over in these scenes from The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.
Similar Positions, Reversed
These two shots are identical, once again, from A New Hope and Attack of the Clones. Both Anakin and Luke are sitting at the Lars Homestead with Owen and Beru.
Padme and Anakin, Luke in the Lars’ Homestead
In one shot Anakin is upset over his mother’s death. In the next, Luke views a message for Obi-Wan from his sister, Leia. The connection to their parents transcends time and space itself.
The Death of Democracy
The outside of the Senate Chambers goes from light to dark as the Prequel Trilogy went on, representing the transformation from the Republic to the Empire.
Pulled Between the Light and the Dark
Anakin, throughout the entire Saga, has been pulled between the light side and the dark. None demonstrates this more poignantly than these two shots from The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. In the first shot Qui-Gon is in the light, his mother in the dark, and Anakin in the middle. Without Qui-Gon to guide him any longer, there is no one to stand between him and the darkness. Anakin is now in the shadows, with Padme in the light, without anyone in-between them.
Palpatine’s Office
The first shot here is from Attack of the Clones where Palpatine congratulates Anakin on receiving his first assignment and tells him he will become the most powerful Jedi ever. The second shot is in Palpatine’s office when he feints the fight against Mace Windu. The shots are identical; one takes place during the day, the other at night. The night and day contrast tells us all we need to know about the scene.
The Jedi and the Sith: Is There a Difference?
The Jedi are glorified as the protectors of peace and justice in the galaxy, yet it is shown time and time again that they are willing to break their own code when it’s convenient for them. In every lightsaber battle in the Saga, minus A New Hope, it is always the Jedi who ignite their lightsabers first, thirsting for combat. What is George Lucas trying to say here? In these shots, Mace, Yoda, and Vader are contrasted amongst each other in identical shots. This is no accident. The Jedi, in all their glory, are no better than the Sith and break their code when it is convenient for them. Case in point: Windu was ready to kill Palpatine, who was unarmed at the time (though we know he feinted the fight), and stated: “He’s too dangerous to be left alive.” At least Anakin showed regret for killing Dooku, yet Palpatine echoed those same words: “He was too dangerous to be kept alive.” All Anakin does is unarm Mace, yet the damage is done. He followed the Jedi code yet by that point he had no choice but to align with Palpatine for his own survival. He makes a choice without truly making a choice.
Darkness and Light
This one is obvious. Despite “turning” to the dark side, Anakin is not devoid of light. Luke had already given into his anger and does so again a moment later when he unleashes fury on Vader. There’s conflict in both of them. Like father, like son. And Star Wars is a story of fathers and sons, as Lucas has always said it has been, despite what Kathleen Kennedy wants us to believe with her propogandized Sequel Trilogy.
Brother versus Brother, Father versus Son
Family versus family in the two greatest lightsaber duels of all-time. Both are framed similarly and they speak for themselves.
Anakin’s Choice and Redemption
These two scenes echo each other like stanzas in a poem. In one, Anakin makes the choice to save Palpatine, his father figure, so he can save his wife. In the second, Anakin chooses to save his son, and in turn, fulfill the prophecy of the Chosen One, destroying the Sith and bringing balance to the Force. Anakin is one of the most, if not the most complex characters in cinematic history and these are the two most critical moments in his life that ultimately end up defining him.
There Are So Many More
We left out a great number of visual parallels because simply put, there are too many to count. This demonstrates, definitively, that George Lucas is a certifiable genius. The backlash he got for the Prequels was disgusting. We’ve demonstrated that the Prequels, and Saga as a whole, are much better than you’ve been lead to believe. These were the most important parallels though and in appreciation for George Lucas, the man who created this incredible Saga that has spanned generations and touched millions of lives, we wanted to honor him on this special day, May the 4th.
May the Force be with you, always. And thank you, George, for touching our lives in such a profound way.