Star Wars Archives - Pints of History

Star Wars and History: Samurai and Nazis

by David Tollen | Jan 26, 2016 | The Postclassical Age (Medieval History), The Early Modern Age, The Recent Modern Age

~ This is the last of a six-post series called Star Wars and History. ~ Star Wars draws on history for its look and feel as much as for its plot choices. In particular, the samurai of Medieval and early modern Japan contribute their style both to good guys and bad...

Star Wars and History: Divine Conception in Myth

by David Tollen | Jan 23, 2016 | Classical Civilization, The Postclassical Age (Medieval History)

~ This is the fifth of a six-post series called Star Wars and History. (See below for a list of the six titles.) ~ In The Phantom Menace, we learn that the Force conceived Anakin Skywalker in his mother’s womb, without a father. That divine conception puts him...

Star Wars and History: Joseph Campbell and the Urban Myth with a Thousand Faces

by David Tollen | Jan 19, 2016 | Teacher-Specific, Writing About History

~ This is the third of a six-post series called Star Wars and History. (See below for the six posts’ titles.) ~ In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, mythologist Joseph Campbell argues that the same basic stories and themes appear in all the world’s myths....

Star Wars and History: Fall of the Knights Templar

by David Tollen | Jan 18, 2016 | The Postclassical Age (Medieval History)

~ This is the second of a six-post series called Star Wars and History. (See below for the six posts’ titles.) ~ In Revenge of the Sith, the Chancellor/Emperor orders the sudden liquidation of the Jedi Order, including an assault on the Jedi Temple. The story...