I saw a gif the other day on Facebook which showed a short clip of Han, Chewy, Leia and C3PO in the woods (obviously from The Empire Strikes Back), followed by a shot of the four main characters from The Wizard of Oz. It was an a-ha moment for me.

Could George Lucas have unconsciously borrowed elements from L. Frank Baum’s fantasy?

Cast of Characters

My daughter, Rosanna, and I exchanged comments on the post, speculating who was whom, in a match-up of characters. Here’s what we came up with, with some finessing by me :

Leia/Luke (twins): Dorothy

Han Solo: The Scarecrow

C3PO: The Tin Man

Chewbacca: The Cowardly Lion

Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Wizard

Yoda: Glinda (The Good Witch of the North)

Darth Vader: The Wicked Witch of the West

R2D2: Toto

Ewoks: Munchkins

Storm Troopers: Flying Monkeys

Aunt Beru: Aunt Em

Uncle Owen: Uncle Henry

Obviously, this list is not exhaustive, but it does give some food for thought. What do you think?