“It’s like something out of a dream,” Luke muses to R2D2 as he’s setting up camp on Dagobah. Still learning the ways of the Force, Luke wasn’t schooled yet regarding Force dreams and their potential impact on his life.
Anakin, on the other hand, had years to explore the Force, its elements, and to heed the potential warnings that a Force Dream might portend.
Dreams. They’re fascinating. And just like Yoda impressed upon Anakin, they are open to interpretation.
I have long been intrigued by dreams — those gateways to an individual’s subconscious. Not too long ago, I awoke with a start, and as I lay in my comfy bed getting my bearings — and deciding whether I should try to fall back to sleep — it dawned on me that I had just been dreaming about Star Wars and the Wizard of Oz …
An unusual blending of the two iconic films in which the characters from each film exist in the other’s story, and in some cases, appear in a world where Luke, Han, Leia and Chewie, and Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion coexist in each other’s world. The only thing — I could not recall exactly what happened to all these characters while I slept.
How silly, I thought. They’re from two very different worlds.
But then it occurred to me — that isn’t so far-fetched after all. Dreams can do that — open up the mind to new possibilities. 🙂
Now that I was fully awake, I knew returning to the Land of Dreams was out of the question. I roused myself from bed, slipped my feet into my fleece-lined slippers, donned my Jedi robe, and strolled into the kitchen to brew a fresh pot of coffee. When the coffeemaker beeped, I grabbed one of my Star Wars mugs, delighted in watching the amber liquid fill the cup, and settled into one of our “funky” living room chairs to think about the “Star Wars”/”Wizard of Oz” connection. I never considered there were any similarities between the two — but there most definitely are. 🙂
As I gave this some thought, my first line of thinking was determining which Star Wars character matched up with which Wizard of Oz character. This is what I came up with:
Luke = Dorothy: Each ventures on an adventure that takes him/her to world(s) far from home, and each learns a great deal about him/herself along the way.
Leia = Scarecrow: The real brains behind each group. Also, both Leia and the Scarecrow have never-wavering faith in their groups’ hero(ine).
Han = Tin Man: Each earns a heart. Need I say more?
Chewbacca = Cowardly Lion: While I wouldn’t really describe the fearless Chewbacca as “cowardly”, I can’t get those scenes from “A New Hope” out of my mind — Chewie was not too keen about diving into the trash chute, and he had his misgivings about leaving it as well. (Peter Mayhew played those scenes superbly, giving the audience an inkling that there were occasions that gave Chewbacca some trepidation.) However, that “walking carpet” always came through for his friends, just as the Lion did for Dorothy. Both always found the courage to do what must be done.
Emperor Palpatine = The Wicked Witch of the West: Yes, I equate Palpatine with the witch who craves the magic ruby slippers because the two personify evil, rule their empires single-mindedly, and have their armies do their bidding — the Emperor has his stormtroopers; the Wicked Witch, her flying monkeys. Each is intent on “capturing” another to attain his/her ultimate goals — the Emperor sets his sights on Anakin; the Witch, Dorothy. Too, both characters meet an unexpected (to them) death.
Ben/Yoda = The Wizard: The teachers/mentors who set the hero(ine) on his/her quest — informing each that the journey will be wrought with peril, that same journey will not be easy. (Is anything worthwhile ever easy?)
As far as the two stories are concerned, each deals with the hero’s journey, the obstacles they must overcome, the need to dig deep within themselves to grow and become the person he/she is meant to be. Luke and Dorothy each face what many might consider insurmountable odds. The question always is: Can I do this? The answer requires a great deal of soul-searching. With a little help from their friends, they are able to accomplish great deeds. 🙂
Of course, the two stories have different endings. Dorothy realizes that her heart’s content is no further away than her backyard. Luke, on the other hand, is destined to leave his home planet, to escape the scorched desert of Tatooine. Sometimes we must leave our homes in search of our destinies; sometimes staying put is where one is meant to be.
It’s just a matter of figuring out which is right for each of us.
The hero’s journey certainly was not a new theme to film when George Lucas penned “Star Wars”. “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, published 77 years before Lucas’ epic hit the silver screen, is testament to that simple fact. So are countless other novels and films that came before the 1977 blockbuster. While I haven’t seen “The Wizard Of Oz” nearly as many times as I’ve seen “Star Wars”, I have watched the 1939, L. Frank Baum-based classic quite a few times over the years. Funny, though, that I never — consciously 😉 — saw the similarities between the two stories … until I had a bizarre dream.
To this day, I can’t recall what happened in that dream that meshed the two classic films. I suppose it really doesn’t matter. It wasn’t the first time one of my dreams revolved around “Star Wars” or one or two of its characters, and I imagine it won’t be the last. 🙂 Still, I wish I could remember what happened … 🙂
Thank you for letting me share this with you. Thank you, too, for stopping by. It really means a lot to me. Since my next blog won’t post until after Thanksgiving, I hope you won’t mind an early holiday wish — Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Wherever you find yourselves on the 28th, I hope you’ll have a wonderful time. Try not to overstuff yourselves on turkey and pumpkin pie. 😉
Thank you so much for being part of my world. 🙂
MTFBWY 🙂
————————————————————–
p.s. If you took part in my Anniversary Raffle last month, and have not yet sent me your mailing address, please do so at melindaw@coffeewithkenobi.com. Everyone who entered was a winner. You can check out the details explaining everything in my last blog. 🙂
This is the podcast you’re looking for!
Powered by Sidelines
