Warning! SPOIERS ahead for Star Wars: Visions.
Thanks to the new themes and stylings of Akira Kurosawa, a prolific Japanese director whose films were a massive inspiration for Lucas as he was developing his epic story set in a galaxy far, far away.
Serving as a large inspiration for other big Hollywood names such as Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola, Kurosawa's films were accessible due to his own influences by Western culture, yet still carried bold and unique stylings that captured the attention of many filmmakers such as George Lucas himself. Featuring themes and tales of adventure, love, civil war, noble samurai, masters and apprentices, and heroic champions rising to right a wrong, it's easy to see the similarities to Star Wars itself. Likewise, Lucas was particularly inspired by Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, which featured two bickering bystanders (the inspirations for C-3PO and R2-D2) and their perspectives on a major civil war plaguing the region. Not only that, but they also help a general escort a princess back to her homeland (Obi-Wan Kenobi and Princess Leia, respectively).
Now, while the majority of Star Wars' Disney-produced projects have somewhat deviated away from the core inspirations and themes seen in Kurosawa's films, Star Wars: Visions is a notable and welcome exception. Episodes such as "The Duel" and "The Elder", in particular, feel as though they're inspired by Kurosawa. In "The Duel", a wandering rōnin saves an oppressed village from a group of bandits led by their Sith leader, while "The Elder" features a wise master teaching his young and brash apprentice as they face the dark threat of a former Sith Lord. As such, these episodes and more in the anthology series perfectly capture the themes and stylings of Kurosawa, if not more so than what's been seen prior due to Visions being detached from Star Wars canon.
That being said, a notable exception beyond Visions would be The Mandalorian from showrunners (and Star Wars superfans) Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. While the series carries more of the gunslinger/western themes Lucas was equally inspired by, there are notable episodes inspired by Kurosawa's films, such as the second season's episode "The Jedi", which featured the debut of the live-action Ahsoka Tano played by Rosario Dawson. In it, Ahsoka and Din Djarin ed forces to liberate an oppressed village which also featuring a standoff between Ahsoka and The Magistrate that was seemingly ripped straight from a Kurosawa samurai duel.
In any case, Star Wars: Visions is incredibly unique and entertaining while also recapturing the major inspiration for George Lucas for Star Wars that were Akira Kurosawa's films. The similar stylings and themes are palpable with many of the featured episodes, providing tales that carry classic concepts while still being fresh new takes on the Star Wars universe at the same time. With fans already clamoring for a second season of Star Wars: Visions, here's hoping Disney delivers in the near future.
