It's no secret that “Star Wars” was inspired by countless other stories, including other science fiction shows. On occasion, however, you would see one idea or name that was less “inspiration” and more “shout out,” an occasional reference or connection.
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| Image source: starwars.com |
The Foundation Series: The city-planet
Planets whose terrains are comprised entirely of cities are common in the franchise, prominent among them Coruscant, capital of the Republic and the Empire.
The planet spanning city is not a new concept, and “Star Wars” appears to have borrowed this idea from Trantor, capital of the Empire from the “Foundation” series by the father of American sci-fi, Isaac Asimov. The main difference is that while both Trantor and Coruscant are completely paved over, Trantor is described as dominated by dome structures whereas Coruscant involves skyscrapers built on top of previous skyscrapers.
The Day the Earth Stood Still: The Nikto
The mark of this otherwise unrelated film is seen in the references to its iconic phrase “klaatu barada nikto.” It mainly appears in the “Legends” expanded universe, but is also represented in the present canon by Nikto, a culturally diverse species that commonly appears throughout “Star Wars” media.
Star Trek: Shared crew and chummy creators
Ah, our old nemesis (heh). While Star Wars and Star Trek co-influenced one another (and Star Trek itself was one of the many, many inspirations for Star Wars), they are widely different franchise themes and, as mentioned, it is common for people to notice that some Star Wars and Star Trek fans do not get along.
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| Image source: afi.com |
This did not stop “Star Wars" and “Star Trek” production crews to be involved with one another. George Lucas himself is friends with William Shatner, who played the famous Captain Kirk in the series. Another Star Trek veteran, George Takei, also lent his voice to one of the Confederate villains in the second “Clone wars" television series. J.J. Abrams, the director and producer of the Star Trek films (yes, he's still with them) directed “The Force awakens.”
Wendy Eber, literary critic and lover of all things “Star Wars,” here. Follow me on Twitter for more on my thoughts, “Star Wars” related or otherwise.
