I, like the majority of others, experienced Lin Manuel Miranda's Hamilton for the first time in July. And having now watched it, twice, I can safely say it lives up to the hype. But in analyzing what I had witnessed- between the history and the politics, between the Rakim and Biggie references; I saw a connection to something else: Star Wars. For both Hamilton and Star Wars, specifically the prequels, revolve around a group of revolutionaries changing the game of politics. Both have a hero that, at times, finds themselves becoming the villain. And both follow a pretty similar story structure. So why not combine them? Let's take a look at who the Hamilton characters would be in the Star Wars Universe.
Alexander Hamilton – Anakin Skywalker
Don't lie, you knew this was coming so let's just get it out of the way. Alexander Hamilton, who is the one in the center of all of the action in the musical, is the equivalent of Anakin Skywalker. Hamilton is almost too good for his own good. He is loud and proud, and is ultimately the cause for his own doom when he can't help but get into a duel with Aaron Burr. Similarly, Anakin is more skilled than every other Jedi around him. He has more midichlorines flowing in his veins than Yoda. But his pride gets in his way. Both have ambitions to do more, but are constantly kept at bay by their superiors and lose in duels.
King George – Jar Jar Binks
King George, while in real-life was probably not singing Elton John baroque pop, is portrayed purely for comedic effect. In real life, he lived in a life of politics and was one of the most hated people in the young nation. George III is obviously Jar Jar Binks. The most hated character in the franchise (dare I say most hated character in any franchise ever?) What else do they have in common? They both spit quite a bit, and talk with accents unlike the rest of their peers. The most condemning similarity is if you buy into the whole “Jar Jar was the mastermind behind the rise of the Emperor and fall of the Republic” theory. Yeah, that's a thing. And who else wants to destroy liberty with a thunderous applause? King freakin' George.
Thomas Jefferson – Mace Windu
Thomas Jefferson is probably known best for two things: writing the Declaration of Independence and being the third President of the United States of America. In the musical, Jefferson is constantly butting heads with Hamilton. He argues with Hamilton to go and fight with the French in their own revolution for their freedom. Mace Windu also goes from out of the narrative (in Phantom Menace he is barely important) to leading the invasion on Geonosis and trying to kill Chancellor Palpatine. Both have their hearts in the right place- to do what is best for the country/galaxy, but their methods come at complete conflict with the main characters.
Peggy Schuyler – Beru Lars
Peggy has some golden comedic moments in her introduction, but after that kind of disappears from the narrative of Hamilton. And while Beru Lars (Luke and Leia's Aunt/Anakin's stepsister-in-law) has some really nice moments in A New Hope, she is just thrown into the prequels for the sake of having her be there. In the end, it would have been interesting to see more from both characters in their respective stories.
Lafayette – Ki Adi Mundi
Lafayette steals the show away from everyone else as he raps 19 words in three seconds, but other than that is pretty much just a cool soldier. That and he's one of two characters not from the colonies. With this is mind, he is the equivalent of Ki Adi Mundi. Mundi at first just sticks out because of his alien head that is too tall for him to stick in with the crowd. But he becomes a great general during the Clone Wars.
John Laurens – Shmi Skywalker
Okay, okay- I know this sounds like a stretch, but hear me out on this one. John Laurens is definitely Shmi Skywalker. Why? Well, let's look at John Laurens first. He had a single mission in mind- the abolition of slaves and the creation of the first ever black regiment in the Continental Army. He was super passionate about it, and his passion inspired Hamilton to pursue his own goals. Shmi Skywalker is Anakin's mother, and she cares for him deeply. Her passion is to see him get freed from slavery, and leave not to return. And with both characters, their deaths affect the main characters majorly, and one could argue the main characters are never the same once they are gone.
Eliza Hamilton – Padme Skywalker
Yeah, I know. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Eliza was married to Alexander, and although there is some tension sometimes in their marriage, she is still in love with him. That and she's a super badass. After Alexander is killed in his duel, she goes on to do great works for the country. There are many fans of the show that even claim that the musical is just as much her story as it is Alexander's. Padme is also a super badass. By the age of 14 she was already Queen of Naboo. Yeah, that's right- a 14 year old queen of an entire planet. She does some great things for the galaxy, and never stopped loving Anakin. But this begs the question: on the next rerelease of Star Wars should they beef up Padme's roll and just name the entire franchise Skywalker?
Angelica Schuyler – Ahsoka Tano
Angelica is perfect for Alexander. A perfect FRIEND. But for real, Angelica understood Alexander more than anyone else and is also an extremely strong and independent role. Just like her, Ahsoka understood Anakin better than anyone and is extremely strong and independent. Both leave the main character at times when they are probably needed most. And had it not been for their disagreements, perhaps the doom that overcomes both Alexander and Anakin would not have happened.
George Washington – Qui Gon Jinn
This one also seems fairly obvious. As portrayed in Hamilton, George Washington is the father figure that Alexander always needed. He tried his best to guide him on the correct path, and also disagreed with many of the popular beliefs of the other central figures of his time. But by the time Alexander loses his direction, Washington has retired and done his best to urge Hamilton to do the same. Qui Gon Jinn is one of the most interesting characters of the prequels (and possibly franchise). He is in almost constant disagreement with the Jedi Counsel, and does as he feels is right. He is the father figure to, first, Obi Wan, and then to Anakin. Before he is able to train Anakin, he is killed by Darth Maul. But one must ask: if he wasn't killed, and he was able to train Anakin, would Anakin ever turned to the dark side of the Force? Was there another way balance in the force could have been achieved?
Aaron Burr – Obi Wan Kenobi
Finally, we have Aaron Burr, or should I say Obi Wan Kenobi? Aaron Burr's fate is tied from the start with Alexander Hamilton's. He could have been as close as brothers with Hamilton, but instead he fights for the attention of George Washington and in the end just tries to make peace with everyone. That is, except for Hamilton who he ends up defeating in a duel of fates. And when asked what he believes, he waffles. Obi Wan at first is Qui Gon's padawan, but when Anakin comes into the picture, Qui Gon moves on from Obi Wan. And although he tries to seek out the peaceable solution most of the time, he ends up defeating Anakin in a duel. Finally, he waffles back and forth when telling Luke the truth about his father, saying when he told Luke his father was killed by Darth Vader he was telling the truth “from a certain point of view”. That's a waffle of an excuse at best, and for that Anakin would have voted for Mace Windu for President instead of Obi Wan.
(Cover Photo: Edited by David Robson)
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