Star Wars Conspiracy: Behind the History

From Professor Sturgis:
Star Wars Conspiracy: Does Fear Cost Us Our Liberty? (video): Professor Amy Sturgis explains how Emperor Palpatine’s rise to power mirrors the election of dictators in our own history.
“Star Wars, Remixed” (article): Professor Sturgis explains how George Lucas’ universe is a mashup masterwork 
“The Jedi, the Cowboy, and… Thomas Edison? Pulp Science Fiction and Star Wars” (video):  Lecture from 2015 Mythgard Guest Lecture Series 
“The History Behind the Jedi, Part 1” (podcast): Audio talk from 2015 for “Looking Back at Genre History” at the StarShipSofa podcast 
“The History Behind the Jedi, Part 2” (podcast): Audio talk from 2015 for “Looking Back at Genre History” at the StarShipSofa podcast 
from Others
“From World War to Star Wars” (essay)”: Essay series (2014-present) by Cole Horton for StarWars.com 
“Republic vs. Empire: 10 Ways Star Wars Is Millennia Older Than You Think” (essays): Essay series (2015) by Alex Stark for StarkAfterDarkonline.com   
Real World Dilemmas of the Hunger Games (program): Professors Amy Sturgis and James Ottesson explore the parallels between the fictional Panem and our world. 
Pop Culture and Economics (playlist): Learn about the ideas of freedom through the lens of pop culture. 
The Walking Dead, Tocqueville, and Voluntary Cooperation (video): Professor Dan D’Amico explains what zombies can teach us about a free society. 

>> One of the historical inspirations for the Jedi order and for their evil sibling, the Sith, is the samurai order from Japan. So, its fitting the Dark Vader’s helmet looks the way it does. Because that was taken from traditional samurai helmets. So the Knights Templar were also one of the historical inspirations behind the Jedi.
The Knights Templar claimed that they were fighting on two different planes. They were fighting here on the Earth, but they were also fighting on the spiritual plane in the same way that the Jedi were engaged not only in fighting for peace, but also fighting against the pull for the darkside.
Remember how Emperor Palpatine issued Order 66 to get rid of the Jedi? The Knights Templar experience the same sort of thing in France. King Philip IV saw that he would benefit from taking their stuff and also from taking away a source of independent power that could eventually threaten his own throne.
So he issued an arrest warrant for all of the Knights Templar in France and also engaged in a smear campaign against them so that the people would not rally behind them but would accept the fact that he had essentially wiped them out. To learn more about a galaxy far, far away and how it applies to our world, the videos you are looking for, these are.