The
following contains NO SPOILERS
for Episode VII.
Hollywood’s
worst kept secret is that George Lucas borrowed many
aspects of his beloved franchise from sources like Joseph Campbell, Flash
Gordon, the Lord of the Rings, Taoism, and Nazi Germany. When it comes to the origin
of his most iconic character, however, most people are looking in Alderaan
places (OK, no more Star Wars puns). What
you may not realize is that Darth Vader’s character arc (which is, after all,
the plot of the first six movies) closely mirrors one of the oldest stories of
all time—a story featured in a book arguably more famous than any of those
other sources: the Holy Bible itself.
 |
| And you thought the Bible was boring. |
I believe that George
Lucas has been holding out one more major piece of the origin story – the
origin of not only the most iconic villain of all time, but also the plotline
that has kept us all coming back for more for generations. But Anakin’s analog isn’t
Lucifer, Judas, Pharaoh, or any of the villains you might expect. No, George Lucas stole the plot of Star Wars from none other than the giant-slayer himself: King David.
 |
| Who me? |
But
wait… isn’t David one of the good guys? That depends on who (and when) you ask.
Let’s look at some facts.
The
Slave and the Shepherd
1. David and Darth were both the subjects of
prophecy and seen as the source of salvation or balance to their respective
peoples.[1]
2. Both were discovered at a young age, one
working as a shepherd boy, the other as a slave.[2]
3. As a child, each accomplished remarkable
things in spite of others’ skepticism. David killed a lion and a bear defending
his father’s flocks. Anakin won the Boonta Eve Podrace and destroyed the Trade
Federation’s droid control ship.[3]
 |
| "It's working! It's working!" ~ King David, probably |
4. Both young men are soon embroiled in war.
David’s people have been besieged by the dreaded Philistines; Anakin’s Republic
is under attack from the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Each enemy force
sends forth a seemingly invincible champion. David is selected to defeat the
giant Goliath of Gath. Meanwhile, Anakin is left alone to duel the Sith Lord
Count Dooku.[4]
5. There are thousands
of stories about young men facing insurmountable odds, but here’s where things
start to get really fascinating. David immediately takes down his foe with a
sling. Anakin (literally) disarms Count Dooku. To finish the fight, both David
and Anakin decapitate their foe with his own sword.[5]
The
Emperor and the King
6. Both characters develope a close
relationship with their sovereign leader: David to King Saul and Anakin to Chancellor
Palpatine (AKA Darth Sidious). At first, both Saul and Palpatine seem
like trusted allies, but each is soon revealed to be homicidally power hungry.[6]
7. In each case, the “hero” uncovers the
truth of his leader’s megalomania. David then finds Saul alone and defenseless,
while Anakin finds Palpatine at the apparent mercy of Jedi Master Mace Windu.
Both are in a position to kill their sovereign and put an end to his
machinations. But they each decline, instead choosing to extend mercy.[7]
8. Saul and Palpatine reward David and Vader,
respectively, with a suit of armor.[8]
9. Still
don’t believe me? Just before his death, Saul visits a witch who prophecies his
impending destruction. The location for this meetup: a place called Endor, a
name much more commonly remembered from Return of the Jedi. Endor is the forest
moon around which the second Death Star orbits—the place where Sidious meets
his end as well. Interestingly enough, both Endors feature the appearances of
the ghosts of dead prophetic leaders.[9]
Forbidden
Love
10. It gets better. Each falls for a woman
they are forbidden to love.—Anakin for Padme, David for the married Bathsheba.[10]
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| Brought to you by Axe Deodorant and Body Spray. |
11. Both women unexpectedly become pregnant.[11]
12. David’s love of Bathsheba and his concerns
about her pregnancy lead directly to his committing murder, the death of a
child, and a fall from grace. Anakin’s love of Padme and concerns about her
pregnancy lead directly to his committing murder, the death of younglings, and
a fall to the dark side.[12]
 |
| Help! I've fallen to the Dark Side and I can't get up! |
A
Son’s Rebellion
13. Both men eventually come into seemingly
absolute power.[13]
 |
| "Watcha thinkin about?" "Nothin. Just Sith Lord stuff I guess." |
14. Everything seems to be going pretty well
for David and for Vader until their kids start acting up. One of David’s sons
in particular, a boy named Absalom, rises up to avenge his sister Tamar and
ends up leading a revolution against his father. Vader also has a son named
Luke who rises up to rescue his sister Leia and ends up—you guessed it—leading
a revolution against his father.[14]
15. Both David’s and Vader’s sons drive them
out of their strongholds (Jerusalem and the Death Star, respectively).[15]
16. And there are some SERIOUS incestuous
overtones in both stories.[16]
 |
| "Somehow I've always known." |
17. As Absalom’s revolution draws to a close,
David refuses to kill his son, despite being counseled to do so. As Vader’s war
draws to a close, Luke refuses to kill his father, despite being advised by
Yoda and commanded by the Emperor to kill him. In this role reversal, each
tries and fails to save his respective family member’s life.[17]
Redemption
18. While David and Anakin were each viewed as
a savior, each failed to live up to the expectations others had for them.[18]
19. Nevertheless, each had a descendent go on
to fill that role; David’s lineage led to Jesus (who is often called “the son
of David”), Vader’s to his son Luke Skywalker.[19]
20. Both Vader and King David despaired over
their mistakes. David’s laments, “Mine iniquities are… too heavy for me.” Vader
echoes that sentiment and language when he grieves “It is too late for me, son.”
David even compares his guilt to his body being wounded, broken, and destroyed,
similar to what Obi Wan did physically to Darth Vader.[20]
21. David ultimately finds salvation from the
Lord, who “hast delivered [his] soul from the lowest hell.” Compare that to
Luke’s final conversation with his father:
Luke: “I’ve got to save you.”
Luke: “I’ve got to save you.”
 |
| Meth. Not even once. |
You’ll never watch Star Wars (or read the
Old Testament) the same way again. Now we just have to see if JJ Abrams picks
up the story where George Lucas left off. Is Kylo Ren is actually
King Solomon? Could the new movie be about Adonijah's rebellion? Will we see Solomon's Temple? We’ll just have to watch Star
Wars: The Force Awakens to find out.
To read more of Riley's work, click here.
[1] 1
Samuel 15:28; Episode I
[2] 1
Samuel 16:11-13; Episode I
[3] 1
Samuel 17:34-37; Episode 1
[4] 1
Samuel 17:40-47; Episode II-III
[5] 1
Samuel 17:48-51; Episode III
[6] 1
Samuel 18:5-11; Episode III
[7] 1
Samuel 24:3-6; Episode III
[8] 1
Samuel 17:38, 54; Episode III
[9] 1
Samuel 28:7-20; Episode VI
[10] 2
Samuel 11:2-3;Episode II
[11] 2
Samuel 11:5; Episode III
[12] 2
Samuel 11:6-27, 2 Samuel 12:18; Episode III
[13] 2
Samuel 5:1-3; Episode III
[14] 2
Samuel 13:28-29, 2 Samuel 15:1-6; Episode IV
[15] 2
Samuel 15:13-14; Episode IV
[16] 2
Samuel 16:21-23; Episode IV-V
[17] 2
Samuel 18:5-15; Episode VI
[18] 2
Samuel 11:27, 2 Samuel 12:7-14; Episode III
[19] Matthew
1:1, 6-16; Episode VI
[20] Psalm
38:1-17; Episode III, VI
[21]
Psalm 86:13; Episode VI
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