Star Wars has certainly taken a lot of influence from The Lord of the Rings and its depiction of the Hero’s Journey, but this unpopular opinion on social media takes it a step further by claiming Sauron and the One Ring serve as a better explainer of the dark side of the Force than the galaxy far, far away’s own canon.
At its core, Star Wars recreates eastern mythos in a classic tale of good versus evil. One could argue that Middle-earth roughly follows the same themes and represents the temptation of power as a path toward the dark side, whether that power is manifested through an object like the One Ring or a cosmic energy like the Force.
The stories also follow a burgeoning hero who has to shoulder the responsibility of saving the world, guided by an enigmatic old wizard who departs the story in the first installment and comes back later to assist the protagonists again. As you can see, the parallels are endless.
But according to a fan on social media, The Lord of the Rings did a much better job of establishing Sauron and the One Ring as the villainous forces behind its story. In fact, Sauron’s evil explains the Dark Side of the Force better than Star Wars, though the how of it baffles us even though many seem to agree.
And it’s not just the light or dark side of the Force. The Lord of the Rings even explains the Sith Rule of Two through the One Ring poem.
The arguments keep piling up.
Well, take that, George Lucas. You might have revolutionized cinema, but when it comes to philosophy, the “father of fantasy” is going to win this round.