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As many Eragon fans may know, several similarities have been pointed out between Eragon
and Star Wars. This article was written to compare and contrast the two fantastic series.
The first aspects to be looked at should be the main characters. Both Eragon and Luke
are young men that live in remote areas. They are both living with other relatives because
their parents are believed dead. So, the background of each character is similar but they
themselves are different. Luke grows up dreaming of leaving his planet to become a pilot
while Eragon is content as a farmer. Then both characters find something that turns their
life around. Luke finds C-3PO and R2-D2, two androids, and Eragon finds Saphira’s
egg. After their finds, both characters are led to another person for help. Luke is led to
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Eragon is led to Brom the storyteller. Once again, we find that the
characterization is different. Luke dives right into adventure, growing more excited every
minute about doing something interesting, while Eragon sits back and watches carefully,
unwilling to rush into anything unnecessary. Both characters experience a great loss.
Eragon loses his uncle to the Raz’ac and Luke loses his aunt and uncle to Storm
Troopers. Both Eragon and Luke also find that the men they had gone to earlier turn out to
be more than they seem. Obi-Wan turns out to be a Jedi Knight hiding from the Empire and
Brom turns out to be a Dragon Rider working for the Varden.
The next major topic of similarity is the heroes and villains. In Star Wars, it is the
Jedi Knights who used to be the peacekeepers of the galaxy’s people. In Eragon, it
was the Dragon Riders who kept the peace for many years. Rebels from their own groups
overtook both of them. In Eragon it was the Forsworn led by Galbatorix. In Star Wars it
was the Sith led by Emperor Palpatine. In both stories, the evil empire had already
reigned for many years before the main character was born. Also, in both cases, there is a
rebel group trying to bring back the peacekeepers of their galaxy or land and overtake the
Empire. In Eragon, this rebel group is the Varden, a group of mixed races, heart bent on
destroying the Empire. In Star Wars, the rebel group is simply the Rebels. In both cases,
a person is discovered who is going to bring back the race of peacekeepers. In Eragon,
Eragon finds Saphira’s egg and becomes a Dragon Rider. In Star Wars, Luke starts
training to become a Jedi Knight. The Varden and the Rebels both find themselves in major
battles, which end with their victory.
The largest topic of concern is one that can’t even be properly addressed yet
because the Inheritance Trilogy has not been finished. Nevertheless, it is a worthy topic
to consider. The topic under consideration is the hero’s future. In Star Wars Luke
travels to a distant planet to increase his Jedi skills under Jedi Master Yoda. In Eragon,
Eragon is going to visit Ellesmera to complete his training under the Elves, who started
the race of Dragon Riders. Probably the biggest theory going around is about Eragon’s
father. Who is he? If, like many theories suggest, Morzan is Eragon’s father, then
that will present even more similarities. In both books, the main character’s father
would be the right hand man of the ruler of the Empire. In Eragon, Morzan, a former Dragon
Rider who joined the Forsworn, was Galbatorix’s most trusted follower and right hand
man. In Star Wars, Luke’s father was Anakin, a former Jedi who joined the Sith, who
later became Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine’s right hand man. If it is true that
Morzan is Eragon’s father than the above would also be a major similarity.
Although there are major similarities between Star Wars and Eragon, there are still
numerous differences that set the two series apart. Nothing in Star Wars can be compared
to Saphira. Light sabers 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 a living-breathing thing with her own emotions, thoughts, and
abilities. The Force in Star Wars is also not comparable to Saphira but could easily be
compared with magic and the Ancient Language in Eragon. Also, Murtagh and Arya do not have
counterparts in Star Wars. Roran does not have a Star Wars counterpart. 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. There is
no Orik, Angela, or Solembum in Star Wars. As you can see, the amount of individuality in
all of the characters makes Eragon very different from Star Wars.
In conclusion, although there are tons of un-ignorable similarities between Eragon and
Star Wars, maybe more than other books I have seen, both books are still very different.
Although, it would be interesting to see how Paolini would react if he were shown these
similarities, there is no reason to accuse him of taking ideas. Paolini has nothing to
worry about as far as his books seeming too similar. Besides, we all must remember, the
series are by two totally different authors. Although George Lucas’s skills have
impressed many, they have no hope of ever being a match for Paolini’s writing talent.
May Eragon continue to triumph over all other entertainment sources in the galaxy!
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