Um, and another thought that just occurred, following on from the initial Lucas brainstorm below, is the debt that Star Wars owes Jack Kirby's Fourth World series - which was itself in part derived from Old Testament/apocalyptic Jewish theology, blahblahblah...ie The Source/The Force, The Anti-Life Equation = Dark Side of The Force, etc..this is something that has been long acknowledged by comic-book fans, but not cinema buffs. Kirby certainly alluded to it a couple times and was "flattered" apparently. Not sure if Lucas has ever acknowledged the links; he mainly talks about the 1930s/40s cinema serials of his childhood and the 'universiality' of world religions.