There’s no doubt that ever since the firstStar Warsmovie released in 1977,Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, the franchise has taken over popular culture. Not only did it continue on for three trilogies in episodes one through nine, but has also spawned several other movies and TV shows,with a lot more already planned. It seems like theStar Warsuniverse will never end, and even if it does, it will surely remain a staple in popular culture for a long time.
Even so, all movies have to start somewhere. One of the big influences for the creation ofStar Warswas the samurai movieThe Hidden Fortress, according toGeorge Lucas himself. Though there are obvious differences, such as the wildly different settings, there are a lot of similarities between the two, especially in the plot. Here’s a look into the similarities and differences in both movies.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Samurai General
If you have seen both movies, you’ll find that Obi-Wan Kenobi is a lot like the Samurai General Makabe Rokurota inAkira Kurosawa’s filmThe Hidden Fortress. Rokurota is a famous general on the side of the losing army turned rebels, and he is trying to keep the princess safe and help her travel through to an ally who will protect them. Along the way, he runs into his nemesis from the other army, and they have a grand duel together.
InStar Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi has similar experiences. The Jedi were generals in the war against the empire, a war in which they lost. Among them, Kenobi was definitely famous. Meeting and dueling against his nemesis is clearly when the Millennium Falcon ends up on the Death Star, during which he and Darth Vader meet and fight. While it wasn’t nearly as epic of a fight,it is promised we’ll see onein the Disney+ showObi-Wan Kenobi.
Related:Obi-Wan Kenobi: Why the Jedi Master is Such a Compelling Star Wars CharacterHowever, there are definitely differences between the two generals, other than the genre shift. While Rokurota stays with the princess the entire movie, escorting her to safety, Kenobi had no intentions of rescuing Leia, as he had no idea she was there on the Death Star. It just so happened that they were able to rescue her and usher her to safety after. The fight in Star Wars also leads to the death of Kenobi, while Rokurota won his fight and even spared his enemy, running off again to catch up with the princess in his charge. The two generals definitely play off of each other, but it is clear upon closer inspection that they still have their differences.
Princesses Leading Rebellions - Yuki and Leia
One of the big plot points inStar Wars: Episode IV: — A New Hopeis Princess Leia receiving information to help take down the Empire, and her journey of trying to bring it to the rebels.Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyeven shows the people that retrieved this information and the efforts and sacrifices they went through, all ending with Leia receiving it. She is captured but eventually rescued, and from there, leads the rebel army against the Empire as they hope to win and free the galaxy of their rule.
InThe Hidden Fortress, Princess Yuki is very similar. She is the princess of the losing side of the war, running away before she can be executed, as she is the last remaining hope for her people. Of course, she doesn’t carry with her information, but she does have what is left of her family’s wealth in the hopes of restoring and leading her clan once more even in the face of the opposing army.
Star Wars Movies, Ranked From Worst to BestThere are definitely differences between the two princesses, though. Princess Leia acts like a rebel, knowing how to fire a gun and not standing behind and letting other people do the fighting. Everyone knows she is a princess too, unlike Yuki, who pretends to be deaf and mute so that no one finds out just who she really is (though she certainly has a rebellious side). There is even a body double sent in her place for execution to protect her, something similar of which does happen inStar Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. While it’s clear George Lucas drew on Yuki for Leia’s inspiration, it isn’t as obvious as with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The Dynamic Duos - Peasants and Droids
The Hidden Fortressdoesn’t start off with the samurai or the princess, but two bumbling peasants who get wrapped up into the rescuing of the princess, and who have been compared to a pair of famous droids fromStar Wars. There are several similarities (and differences) to be found within this duo and two other duos inStar Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope: R2D2 and C3PO, and Han Solo and Chewbacca.
The peasants inThe Hidden Fortressleave their town looking to get rich but are instead captured and forced into slave labor. Only after they escape do they run into the general and princess, though they don’t know what they are getting themselves involved in by following them around, and are later rewarded for helping the princess reach safety.
Related:Star Wars: The Strongest Non-Jedi Characters in the Live-Action Franchise, RankedR2D2 and C3PO are enslaved for a while after Leia gives them a reason to escape from the empire onto Tatooine, having been captured by the Jawas and sold to the Skywalkers. Their escape leads them to Obi-Wan Kenobi, who then leads them back to Leia. Solo and Chewbacca are also led to her by Kenobi after being hired, though they were not really aware of what they were getting themselves into either. They are also very money motivated, a fact that Luke uses to get them to help him free Leia and escape with her. Later, the pair is rewarded for helping save the rebellion and destroy the Death Star.
Of course, some differences are obvious between the duos. Where the similarities for the sometimescomical R2D2 and C3POstop, Han Solo and Chewbacca pick up the rest.The Hidden Fortressalso only ever has one duo, while this splits it into two, even though R2D2 and C3PO are in the entire movie alongside Solo and Chewbacca. The peasants also return home in the end with their reward, something that doesn’t happen inStar Wars. In a moment where Yuki and Rokurota are captured, the two peasants also try and tell the army Yuki is the princess as they hope to get a reward, something not only unnecessary inStar Warsbut not something either duo would do. The idea of the dynamic duo helping out certainly carries through intoStar Wars, but not without a lot of changes.
Ultimately, it’s a fascinating thought experiment to watchA New HopeandThe Hidden Fortressback to back and see how these two films, separated by decades and countries (and fictional galaxies), can be compared and contrasted. AnyStar Warsfan should do themselves a favor and check outAkira Kurosawa’s fun, influential Japanese adventure movie.
