Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE

One brief scene in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is based on a shot from ‘Apocalypse Now'

rey finn star wars
Lucasfilm

Warning: There are some mild spoilers ahead for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Advertisement

There's a scene early in the new "Star Wars" movie when Rey and Finn are on Jakku. The two have just met and before they even learn each other's names, they're on the move trying to escape capture from a couple of First Order Stormtroopers. 

Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are on the run as Finn and Rey in The Force Awakens
Lucasfilm

Not long after, we see a flock of TIE fighters barreling across the desert sands toward our two heroes. 

tie fighters star wars the force awakens
Even if you haven't seen the new movie, you may recognize this shot from an international trailer for "The Force Awakens." Disney/Lucasfilm

It's a gorgeous shot. But it may also look familiar.

Many fans were quick to note how similar the shot looked to these ones from Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 Oscar-nominated war movie "Apocalypse Now."

Advertisement
apocalypse now
United Artists via Amazon
apocalypse now
United Artists via Amazon

The shots come from around the 36-minute mark in "Apocalypse Now" as a fleet of helicopters are preparing to raid a village during the iconic "Ride of the Valkyries" scene.

It's not a coincidence.

Concept artist Doug Chiang explained how "The Force Awakens" scene was a nod to the iconic film in book, "The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

"This is a moment of TIE fighters coming in — our riff on 'Apocalypse Now.' Some of those moments are so powerful that all we have to do is put in something different like TIE fighters, and it totally works," said Chiang. 

Advertisement

It's not the only scene in the movie that appears to borrow from that sequence. 

Later in the film, we see Poe Dameron lead Resistance fighters across a waterfront to chase off the First Order at Maz Kanata’s Palace.

x wing maz kanata
Lucasfilm

It's a moment that also feels similar to the scene in "Apocalypse Now" when a fleet of helicopters are seen swarming toward the beach-front village across the ocean.

helicopter apocalypse now
United Artists

It's a weird choice for the "The Force Awakens" to emulate in this moment. As I noted, it’s not a heroic scene — the military group blows up the village. They're kind of the bad guys.

Advertisement

In "Star Wars," however, Dameron's squadron is warding off the evil First Order. Perhaps movie creators just really loved the sequence.

Here are a few more comparison shots.

force awakens poe dameron x wing
Lucasfilm
apocalypse now beach
United Artists via Amazon
apocalypse now beach raid
United Artists via Amazon

"The Force Awakens" is currently in theaters and has already made over $1 billion worldwide in theaters.

Star Wars Digital Culture
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account