The Star Wars Connection

Christopher Paolini has said before that Inheritance Cycle is closely paralled to the Star Wars trilogy and this is an easy connection to make for most Star Wars fans. Just the fact that we're dealing with "The Empire" brings Star Wars into mind. There are some striking similarities, but also puzzling divergences, which make it tempting to speculate about the next book by drawing from Star Wars.  It should be noted though, that Star Wars is in no way original and bears great similarities to books such as Dune.

Characters

• Eragon/Luke Skywalker - the simple farm boy ripped from all that he knows and thrown into an epic adventure - this is an accurate description of our main characters. Like Luke, Eragon lived a simple life with his uncle and was unaware of the wider world/greater galaxy with the exception of some scraps of information and gossip that he gets from traveling merchants, residents and friends. He had no idea who his father was and he dreamed that he was a great warrior. He was approached by Brom (Obi-Wan) and was told of the Dragon Riders (Jedi). His uncle and home were destroyed by the empire and he went away with Brom (Obi-Wan) to begin his training. While at first it seemed entirely random for our main character to wind up with this new power or ability - being a Dragon Rider (Jedi), we eventually find out that it was in his blood to take up this path. He also loses Zar'roc in the second installment Eldest (The Empire Strikes Back) by a recently revealed family member Murtagh (Darth Vader). Eragon makes a new sword, Luke makes a new lightsaber.
• Injuries - Eragon's back was sliced open at the end of his battle with Durza, leaving him to have spasms of incredible pain. Luke lost his hand in the Duel on Cloud City, with Darth Vader, but his injury did not trouble him physically after his hand was replaced with a cybernetic replica. It did bother Luke that part of him was mechanical as he was concerned with ending up being more machine than man, like his father.
• Brom/Obi Wan Kenobi - The old, wise, misunderstood teacher. Both Brom and Obi Wan were considered eccentric by their neighbors. Each one had been exiled because their enemies have gained power and it had become necessary for them to go into hiding. Obi Wan took up residence on Tatooine, where Luke's uncle, Uncle Owen spoke of him as a crazy old hermit Brom got more respect in Carvahall, but that may be because he was in closer contact to the villagers while Obi Wan was off in his hur working on communicating with his old mentor. Both Brom and Obi Wan were killed before Eragon and Luke's training was complete.
• Oromis/Yoda - The wise old sage who taught the hero the skills he needed to defeat the Empire. Luke had to go off to Dagobah to finish the training that Obi Wan could not complete. Eragon needed go to the elves to learn from Oromis and complete the training that Brom started. Both of the old mentors were unable to fight the Empire themselves, their time had past and they knew it. The training styles were much the same as well, focusing on reflective techniques and tempering the impatience of youth that both Luke and Eragon suffered from at first. Oromis was more capable than he seemed, yet as time went on and the training progressed, his weaknesses did become apparent. They also live in a tree infested land Ellesméra/Dagobah. Yoda dies in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, and Oromis dies in Brisingr.
• King Galbatorix/Emperor Palpatine - The evil villain who was behind the scenes pulling all of the strings. The Emperor was content to let Vader and his other minions do his dirty work. The King was equally content to let Murtagh, Durza, as well as the Ra'zac do his work. While it was known that they had powers from the Force and from being a Rider, it was a mystery how they use their powers for some of the things that they do. The Emperor used the dark side to carry out his will and subsequent horrors. The King drew on secret and forbidden uses of magic to control minds, forge a relationship with a stolen dragon, as well as commit other horrors. The prime motivation behind this character was power and they can never have enough. They also both betrayed the Order they were a part of; Galbatorix: the Dragon Riders, Palpatine: the Republic. They also both have an Army of warriors completely obedient to their will; Galbatorix: the Empire's soldiers, Palpatine: the Imperial Stormtroopers.
• Arya/Leia - The connection was not very strong at all, but there were a few similarities to be pointed out. The main one was that the first time we meet this character is when she was being chased by the Empire. They were carrying something vital to the survival of the rebellion (Varden). She was on a mission to deliver this item. In Eragon, it was Saphira's egg; in Star Wars, it was the Death Star plans to an old friend and ally of the rebellion Bail Organa, Brom/Obi-Wan. She was incredibly strong and has withstood torture without breaking and revealing information that would harm the rebellion. This character was a diplomat and more notably, a princess. Their important packages also wound up being interfered with the farm boys finding it accidentally. The similarities seem to end there. There was no way that Arya and Eragon were related. Arya's demeanor was far different from Leia's. There were surface similarities, but not much beyond that, making Arya's path in the new books hard to predict. She was also a love interest, except that Leia and Luke are siblings which means incest which George Lucas would not allow, while Eragon and Arya are unrelated which Christopher Paolini and everyone else supports. However, Lucas originally made A New Hope as a stand-alone film, where Leia was a love interest. He only decided at the last second in The Empire Strikes Back to make her Luke's sister.
• Arya/Mara Jade Skywalker - again, this is a loose connection. Both are fierce, as well as rather smart and cunning. They are both profiicent-if not a master- of many weapons, Arya a bow, sword, and magic, while Mara Jade a blaster, lightsaber, and The Force . Another connection is their love interest. they both love the main character, Eragon Shadeslayer/Luke Skywalker. Both at first are a not quite sure of or looks down upon/ thinks herself better than him, Mara Jade more so as she wants to kill Luke for ruining her life by killing The Emperor. However the are major differences. Arya is a very prominent character in the books, but Mara Jade does not appear in the Star Wars films, only the extended universe after the films. Also Arya and Eragon never get married, because Eragon has to leave and Arya is Queen and has to stay, but Mara Jade and Luke get married and have a son, Ben Skywalker.
• Murtagh/Han Solo - Though the similarities are not immediately obvious, they are there, especially in the first installment. Both are sidekicks to the main characters in the first installment, meeting in the middle of the adventure. They both ride powerful vehicles/animals which are better than nearly all of their kind (Tornac/Millennium Falcon) and use them in the final battle of the first installment. They have similar personalities and are not afraid to attack first (Torkenbrand/Greedo). They fight for neither the Empire nor the Rebellion, planning to leave before the final battle but ending up fighting alongside the hero in it. They also fight in the battle to rescue a princess (Gil'ead/Death Star). Also, both attack a primary antagonist with a ranged weapon, but fail to kill him (Durza/Darth Vader). Finally, both are captured in the second installment but rescued by the hero in the final installment.
• Murtagh/Anakin Skywalker - While Murtagh was most definitely not Eragon's father, he was a blood relative. This character started off good and was then compelled to join the other side. Eragon did believe that Murtagh was dead for most of Eldest. Luke grew up believing his father was dead. This character has been forced into service by the Emperor/King. Anakin's mind was twisted by Palpatine: he committed atrocities and this only pushed him into Palpatine's service more because he felt that he was beyond redemption. This character had an attitude problem and was very focused on survival. This came from a harsh upbringing, with Anakin starting off his life as a slave and Murtagh dealing with an abusive father and Galbatorix's court. Murtagh's joining Galbatorix was much more reluctant than Anakin's was, though. Murtagh actually was a true slave, as Galbatorix knew his real name. This character faced the hero in battle and won, but did not kill the hero. Darth Vader's confrontation with Luke in Cloud City resulted in Luke losing a hand through the act of cho mai, but Darth Vader easily could have slaughtered his son right there in his weakened state, though his intention was to have Luke join The Dark Side of The Force. Murtagh beat Eragon in their fight at the end of Eldest, but did not kill him, showing mercy to his younger brother. During the battles they also offered the hero to join them (which the hero inevitably denies out of the goodness of his heart).
• Morzan/Anakin Skywalker - They both epically fought against the mentor - Morzan/Brom, Anakin/Obi-Wan, as well as were servants to the King/Emperor. They both helped topple the order which they belonged in: Morzan, the Dragon Riders/Anakin the Jedi. Both were corrupted learning the dark side of the force/magic; Morzan was taught older fouler techniques of Magic and the Ancient Language, while Anakin became a Sith Lord.
• Rider's Swords/Lightsabers - In Star Wars, Obi Wan gave Luke his father's Jedi lightsaber, Zar'roc was Morzan's sword. There were also many different colors of lightsabers (though green and blue were prominent) and no two Rider's swords were the same color. A lightsaber was also what marked someone as a Jedi, just as Rider swords marked someone as a Rider.
• Key Differences:
  • Anakin and Luke never fought together before Anakin's fall. The bond between Murtagh and Eragon appeared stronger because of the time they spent together before Murtagh's capture.
  • Murtagh and Eragon were described as mirrors of each other. The scar was the most obvious example of this. Now the scar is gone and they're on different sides of a war, seemingly equal in skill with swords and magic and both in possession of a dragon. Their lives have followed opposite paths, with Eragon being raised on a farm with a loving family, while Murtagh faced a vicious and abusive upbringing. When they met and were working together, though, the differences seemed to disappear then. It was only when they were apart that they really appeared to be opposites: (1)their upbringings, (2) Dragon Rider trainings, as well as (3) the scar (which, at the time they both had it, they were apart. Whenever they've actually been together it has only been Murtagh who has the scar).
  • Predictions: Murtagh will most likely help to kill Galbatorix, but it's hard to say whether he'll die doing so.

Missing Pieces

Orik, Chewbacca, Nasuada, Orrin and Roran are among the major characters without parallels in the other series. Nasuada shared some qualities with Leia, in that she was very young and was involved in a world of politics where: at first she was underestimated by her fellow peers, but was more than capable and showed it authoritatively. Orik shared the fierce loyalty and warrior spirit of Chewie, but did not show Eragon loyalty out of a life-debt obligation, but out of an obligation to his king, Hrothgar. Orik's loyalty and friendship to Eragon developed over time, but there wasn't really a sense that protecting Eragon was Orik's primary concern. Roran was an entity unto himself. He was a man possessed and an amazing character who seemed completely independent of the Star Wars storyline. While there was the potential for him to become Eragon's right hand man in the next book, he was no Han Solo (despite the fact that he caused the Empire some trouble).

Plot Points

1. A small, grassroots group of rebels are taking on a huge Empire. They are incredibly mismatched, yet the rebels have to prevail or all is lost.
2. Magic and mystery. Magic in Inheritance takes energy from life, whether it be the Rider's energy, or whether the Rider decides to take energy from surrounding life. The Force is present in all life and Jedi use that energy to accomplish "magic."
3. Epic journeys. Across a continent or across the galaxy, relatively speaking, it's the same for the characters. They're going to places they've never dreamed of before and they're making a huge impact on the universe.
4. Cycles. The rise and fall and the coming of a new generation. The Riders fell, as did the Old Republic's Jedi. The Empire's rose. Now we have a whole new generation ready to take over and allow good to prevail and rise again.
5. A young, untrained boy is trained by the last warrior of his kind, as well as ultimately prevails against immense odds.

Similar Scenes

• Princess Leia is captured, but manages to get the schematics away from Darth Vader and to Luke, Anakin's son.
• Arya is captured, but manages to get Saphira's egg away from Durza and to Eragon, Brom's son.

• Leia is captured by Darth Vader and Luke rescues Leia.
• Arya is captured by Durza and Eragon rescues Arya.

• Luke destroyed the Death Star by a last minute distraction from the Millenium Falcon to deter Darth Vader.
• Eragon kills Durza by a last minute distraction from Arya and Saphira to distract him.