Star Wars and The Spanish Armada

        A long time ago in a galaxy far far away Jedi ships sailed toward the death star hoping to return back to their home planets with tales of victory. Although the enemy, called the Sith, seemed to have superior powers, more resources, and a larger battle ship the Jedi knights were determined to use clever war strategies and their smaller ships to thwart their evil plans. In 1558 fleets English ships sailed out to meet the Spanish armada with the same goals in mind.  Minus the lightsabers and Wookies, the Spanish Armada and Star Wars have more in common than you might think.

     

Both the Jedi Knights and the English fleets are smaller in numbers than their enemies. In Star Wars the Jedi’s seem as though they will not win because they have smaller ships and less fighters than the Sith. The Sith also happen to have a massive weapon named the Death Star that is much larger than any of the Jedi’s weapons, but the Jedi wont back down. The smaller ships end up helping the Jedi stop the Sith from causing destruction. The English, like the Jedi’s, were out numbered and had smaller ships that ended up benefitting them. The Spanish ships were very large, causing them to be difficult to maneuver thus giving the English an advantage in the water.  The English were able to set their ships on fire and drive the Spanish back.

         The Sith and the Spanish also had many failed attempts to defeat their opponents but failed again and again.  Each time the Sith plots to take over or do something evil the Jedi always seem to find a way to defeat them and inflict a loss. This is just like the Spanish Armada because King Philip repeatedly sent over new fleets and each time they returned with fewer numbers or don’t return at all. By the time that King Philip gives up more than half of his soldiers are dead.

Although this may seem like a silly comparison it is surprisingly accurate. In both cases the side that seems to substantially weaker or smaller pulls through and is victorious. They are both tails of an unexpected underdog saving the day. Who knows, maybe George Lucas was inspired when he learned about the Spanish Armada in school and decided to give the classic story a new spin.

Sources:

Dougs DarkworldWeb. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://unitedcats.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/another-famous-

            military-blunder-the-spanish-armada-proof-that-combining-two-good-ideas-is-a-really-bad-idea/>.

The Star Wars ReportWeb. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.starwarsreport.com/2012/03/21/swbtf-12-race-

            factor/>.