Over the years, cinema has been flooded with a number of franchises. Between the never-ending MCU to the James Bond franchise, it would seem that film franchises have picked up a great deal of traction with audiences around the globe, bringing in billions of dollars combined. Aside from the MCU, a few of the most successful franchises are Star Wars and Harry Potter, each of which has more than 10 films and counting, with several spin-offs to boot.

Indeed, Star Wars and Harry Potter are two of the highest-grossing movie franchises in cinematic history. Despite the fact that Star Wars began more than four decades ago, Harry Potter was equally successful in the box-office, doing outstanding numbers. While each franchise has its own unique set of characters and storylines, there are a number of areas in each universe that share some striking similarities at their core. Here are some connections between Star Wars and Harry Potter with one in particular that you probably didn’t notice, explained.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Similarities Between Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter

     Lucasfilm

One of the most obvious yet most overlooked connections between Star Wars and Harry Potter is the similarities between the main characters of the story, specifically the connection between Luke and Harry. Both characters are the heroes of their respective stories, who are seemingly orphans and live with their aunt and uncle. On top of this, Luke and Harry also have it revealed to them that, through their parentage, they are exceptional in wizardry and Force-sensitivity. The two go through journeys of self-discovery and build up their power to fulfill their potential, with Luke becoming a Jedi to defeat the Empire and Harry honing his skills as a wizard to take down Lord Voldemort.

Music Cue in Attack of the Clones and Chamber of Secrets

     Warner Bros.

Perhaps the most surprising connection between Star Wars and Harry Potter: the music. Both franchises share the award-winning composer John Williams. It’s not uncommon for composers to use similar compositions throughout their works, but Williams chose to use the exact same cue in Attack of the Clones as was used in Chamber of Secrets, both of which were released around the same time (via Screen Rant). In the track titled “Zam The Assassin and The Chase Through Coruscant,” the cue is nearly identical to the cue in the Harry Potter track “Quidditch, Second Year.” This similarity makes a whole lot of sense considering that both scenes involve a chase of some kind and require a high energy pace in the score.

Use of Magic / The Force

Despite the obvious differences between these two franchises, both have the presence of an external force, which the characters are able to use for both good and evil. Harry Potter has the presence of magic, while Star Wars has the ever-present Force, an external power source that allows Force-sensitive beings to practice things like telekinesis and mind-reading. On top of this, wands and lightsabers are both essentially powered by some form of magic, and while a lightsaber is more of a physical presence than a wand, both weapons are powered by some mystical force.

Villains with Purpose and Meaning

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Yet another similarity is the profound relationships that the villains have with the main characters of each franchise. Voldemort’s relationship with Harry has extended throughout his whole life, as Voldemort literally left both a physical and emotional mark on Harry when he was a baby. Similarly, Darth Vader AKA Anakin Skywalker’s relationship with Luke goes beyond, as in Empire Strikes Back, it is revealed that Vader is in fact Luke’s biological father, despite Luke being told his father was dead. Considering this, both Luke and Harry have complex relationships with villains that almost everyone is fearful of as Harry is not afraid to say Voldemort’s name and Luke believes that Vader still has some good in him.