Star Wars is partially based, among a million other stories and mytholigies, on Akira Kurosawa’s film The Hidden Fortress from 1958, which is set in Feudal Japan.
Lucas really liked the idea of telling the story from the viewpoint of film’s lowliest characters, two peasants named Tahei and Matashichi in the Japanese film and the most famous droids in the galaxy, C-3PO and R2-D2 in the Star Wars films. Lucas also based a lot of his plot outline on the Hidden Fortress and the use of frame wipes as a transition device.
Artist Clinton Felker, knowing or not that Star Wars has deep Japanese cinematic roots, decided to give a few characters from the loved trilogy (and the less popular second one) a more retro, Oriental kind of look. This is what came out.
Boba Fett, Samurai and Part time Bounty Hunter
Which reminds me of some excellent Boba Fett cosplay from not too long ago…
The Emperor and an Unknown Lackey
Samurai Darth Vader, or is it Simply Shredder?
Yoda???
Combined with strokes of Dhalsim from Street Fighter II.
Just a Stormtrooper
For more Clinton Felker art, go here.
