>
> Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 14:35:59 -0400
> From: Tim Tulley <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Star Wars
>
> I've been curious why no one has ever brought up Smiak's <sp?> _Way Station_
> when talking about origions of Star Wars. The concept of the "Force" and
> getting in contact with it is very similar.
"The Force" very clearly comes from the concept of "ki" in Japanese
(as in "aikido"), or "chi" to the Chinese (as in "Tai Chi"). The
notion of a basic life force that one needs to get in touch with in order
to live correctly is central to many asian philosophies and martial arts
(see _The Book of the Five Rings_, the works of Sun Tzu, etc.). Lucas not
only paid tribute to _The Hidden Fortress_, but also drew on asian concepts
and lore as well. The similarities between Jedi knights and Japanese
Samuri/philosophers is not accidental. A lot of sf writers have drawn from
the same sources, so it is not at all surprising to find parallels of the
concept of "the force," or rather, "ki" elsewhere in the genre.
Stephanie
Stephanie A. Hall, Archivist - [log in to unmask]
Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540-8100
Opinions mine
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