Eragon and Star Wars: Typical or Too Similar?

By Amanda, a.k.a. the Elven Scribe

With the release of Paolini’s first book in the Inheritance Trilogy, many have pointed out the similarities between his work and that of the Star Wars Trilogy created by George Lucas.  Below is a comparison of these two works.

Main Character: Luke Skywalker and Eragon

Both Star Wars and Eragon use a coming-of-age man as their main character.  Luke Skywalker and Eragon each grew up on a farm, living with relatives because their parents were believed dead.  Their origins are similar, but their characterization is not.  While Luke dreams of leaving his planet of Tatooine behind to become a pilot, while Eragon believes himself to be happy in his simple life as a farm boy.  He does not dream of anything bigger.

Luke then finds C-3PO and R2-D2, two androids with whom he can communicate. R2-D2 happens to be carrying a message from a beautiful woman asking for Obi-Wan Kenobi, causing Luke to search for "Old Ben" Kenobi, a man who has spent his life as a hermit on Tatooine.  Similarly, Eragon discovers Saphira's egg, which leads him to the old Storyteller, Brom, who leaves in the nearby town.  It is not until Saphira hatches and Eragon can communicate with her that things in his world become strange.  While Luke embraces adventure, Eragon still watches it with a wary eye, unwilling to dive into it if it's not necessary.

The two young men experience great loss, which becomes the catalyst for their individual journies.  Luke loses his aunt and uncle to Storm Troopers, leaving him free to begin his path Jedi-hood.  However, he does not set out to destroy the Storm Troopers who killed Owen and Beru. "Old Ben," reveals himself as a Jedi Knight, hiding from the Empire, and Luke gladly goes with him, eager to become a Jedi himself after learning that his father was one.  Likewise, Eragon loses his uncle Garrow to two Ra'zac. He leaves to destroy these two specific Ra'zac, who were agents of the Evil Empire, in order to avenge Garrow' death.  Brom, who no longer appears to be just a simple storyteller, asks to go with him.  Eragon is reluctant, but Brom insists, and the two begin a journey with Saphira.  Brom does not reveal his past to Eragon, but acts as a mentor to him.  It is obvious that he knows more and is capable of much more than he has lead Eragon to believe.

Heroes and Villains

In the Star Wars galaxy, it was the Jedi Knights who acted as protectors and peace-keepers of the people.  They had the ability to manipulate a natural entity known as the “Force” to perform amazing physical and mental feats with a lightsaber in their hand.  Alagaesia had the Dragon Riders, wise men and Elves who protected the land with the help of their dragon partners.  The Jedi Knights and The Dragon Riders are of the same concept.  They are an elite group of warriors, dedicated to their jobs, honored above everyone else in their world.

The Jedi were eliminated before Luke’s time by the Sith, an evil group of men who were once Jedi.  They used the “Force” for evil instead of good.  Their leader was Senator Palpatine, who became Emperor Palpatine when he took control of the galaxy.  Likewise, Galbatorix was once a Dragon Rider.  He used the magical powers given to Riders for evil and took control of Alagaesia, eradicating the Riders who would not convert to his rule.  He became the omnipotent Emperor Galbatorix, using terror to oppress the people of Alagaesia.

There cannot be evil without those who would resist it and in both Star Wars and Eragon, there are a group of resistance fighters dedicated to taking down the Empire’s reign of terror.  They are called Rebels in Star Wars and are a conglomerate of various races originating all over the galaxy.  Several secret bases hold their members and they have no clear leader, but several generals in charge of the battles.  Most, if not all, are capable of flying fighter jets of different styles.  In Alagaesia, the Varden are the resistance fighters, hidden in a Dwarf Kingdom within the Beor Mountains.  Their forces consist of men, elves and dwarves, many of whom are capable of wielding magic.  They gain the support of Eragon and Saphira like the Rebels gained the support of Luke Skywalker And both groups face the Empire’s forces in a massive battle, resulting in a victory of the Resistance.

The Hero’s Future

In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Luke travels to a distant planet to increase his Jedi skills under the tutelage of the Jedi Master Yoda after the death of Obi-Wan.  In Eldest, Eragon will be traveling to the distant land of the Elves to continue his training with the Mourning Sage.  No doubt, Galbatorix will plan a counter attack on the Varden like Palpatine prepared for the galaxy.  There is also speculation that Eragon will learn of his heritage like Luke learned that the evil Darth Vader was his father, which presents a major and important difference.

Palpatine’s right-hand man is Darth Vader, a man who was once a Jedi and was Luke Skywalker’s father.  Luke met his father and was able to reconciliate with him before he died. It has already been explained that Galbatorix’s most trusted follower was the Rider Morzan, who has since died, at the hands of Brom, and was Murtagh’s father. Could Morzan have been Eragon’s true father, as well?  There are several clues in the book that point to the possibility of this relationship, not the least of which is the fact that Murtagh and Eragon now have similar scars running down their backs.  Granted, they were not given by the same person.  Eragon received his scar from the evil Shade, Durza, who was also one of Galbatorix’s more trusted followers.  Is Durza, then, comparable to Darth Vader?  Could Durza possibly be Eragon’s father?  Don’t laugh. Durza was once a man, after all.

Differences

Despite the major similarities between Luke and Eragon, and the Star Wars galaxy and Alagaesia, numerous elements of Eragon set the two works apart.

There is no character or object that can be compared to Saphira.  Lightsabers do not talk or have their own intelligence.  Neither do pod racers or fighter jets.  Saphira may be a weapon when it comes to war and battles, but she is her own separate entity, capable of her own abilities and thought process.  The Force of Star Wars has no physical representation like Saphira.

Furthermore, Murtagh and Arya do not have counterparts in Star Wars.  Han Solo was a smuggler who, although he had a sordid past, was not the son of one of the Empire’s most feared allies.  While his assistance in saving Luke and rescuing Arya is comparable to Han’s service, Murtagh did all of that without asking to be paid and his personality is intensely different from Han Solo’s.  While the rescue of Princess Leia is similar to Eragon and Murtagh’s rescue of the “Possible Princess” Arya, it is obvious that the Elf is not Eragon’s sister and, therefore, is not a reflection of Leia Organa. If anything, she is a possible love interest for Eragon.  It was Leia and Han who fell in love and not Luke and Leia, for obvious reasons.  Luke did not even have a love interest in the original Star Wars films.

Roran does not have a Star Wars counterpart, for Luke had a sister, not a cousin, and that sister was fighting on his side, not a potential threat like Roran may prove to be in Eldest.  There is no Chewbacca, R2-D2 or C-3PO in Eragon’s adventure.  There are other characters, of course, like Orik, Angela and Solembum who assist Eragon with his journey, but all heroes have help in some way during their journey.  Paolini did an excellent job of making the supporting characters unique in their duties and characterization.

Conclusion