The class opened with a story: of a crumbling republic where an unlikely politician rises to power amidst chaos, occupation, and a separatist threat. Thanks to a vote of no confidence, he becomes chancellor but he uses his new position to play on the fears of the people. He attains emergency powers and builds his military. With unlimited power, he would purge his own military leaders, build secret armies, and disband a senate. He would declare a new order and empire, build super weapons, and eventually be brought down by an alliance. Of course, this isn’t just the story of Star Wars – it’s also the story of the Second World War.
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| Cole Horton shares a story about The Millennium Falcon's most famous passenger, Sir Alec Guinness. Guinness served for two and a half years during World War II |
There are hundreds of connections between World War II and Star Wars, but this class focused on one major topic: The Millennium Falcon. We talked about battles in Karellia, how WWII airplane sounds were used for the Falcon’s engines, looked at World War II tanks that made up the Millennium Falcon models, and heard about the wartime hijinks & heroics of the Falcon’s most famous passenger: Sir Alec Guinness.
Finally, special guests Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas joined me on stage to talk about just a few of the WWII relics that made their way into the Star Wars Universe. Whether it is the Meteor jet aircraft engine or stormtrooper blasters, the Star Wars universe was filled with props originally used in the 1940’s.
Finally, special guests Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas joined me on stage to talk about just a few of the WWII relics that made their way into the Star Wars Universe. Whether it is the Meteor jet aircraft engine or stormtrooper blasters, the Star Wars universe was filled with props originally used in the 1940’s.
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| The line before the panel stretches around the third floor. From World War to Star Wars was the most attended Star Wars University panel of the convention |
Given the amazing turnout and interest, I hope there is opportunity in the future for more From World War to Star Wars presentations. If you would like to see more, please leave a comment or tweet me @ColeHorton.
1 comment:
Just a small note but I'd just like to point out that Guinness was in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve for four years; he joined as an ordinary seaman in 1941 before obtaining his commission the following year. He ended the war with the rank of sub-lieutenant.
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