| Similarity |
Harry Potter |
Luke Skywalker |
| Taken to live from his aunt and uncle as a baby. |
Harry is taken to live with his aunt and uncle as a baby. |
Luke is taken to live with his aunt and uncle as a baby. |
| Lives his life as a normal boy with a hidden destiny. |
Harry lives in a cupboard under the stairs in the house of his aunt and uncle who keep the secret of his magical destiny. |
Luke is raised on a moisture farm run by his aunt and uncle who keep secret the truth about his destiny. |
| Has the power to battle the Dark Side. |
Harry has triumphed over the evil lord Voldemort numerous times including when he was a baby and Voldemort killed his parents, when Voldemort tried to steal the Sorcerer's Stone and when he tried to kill Harry after the end of the Triwizard Tournament. |
Darth Vader tells Luke near the end of Empire Strikes Back: "Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny." |
| Wants to follow the footsteps of his father. |
Harry wants to go to Hogwarts and study magic like his mother and father. |
Luke wants to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like his father. |
| The enemy is a good guy gone bad. |
Voldemort was a Hogwarts student who went bad. |
Darth Vader lived his childhood years as an honest, moral and loving child and was later seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. |
| The enemy changed their name when they went bad. |
Voldemort was originally Tom Marvolo Riddle. |
Darth Vader was originally Anakin Skywalker. |
| Important heirloom to aid him on his quest. |
Harry has his father's Invisibility Cloak. |
Luke has his father's light saber. |
| A wise, old mentor to help him on his journey. |
Harry's mentor: Albus Dumbledore |
Luke's mentor: Obi-wan Kenobi |
| Both tempted to join the dark side by the person who killed their parents. |
Harry's parents were murdered by Voldemort. |
Luke is told that Darth Vader murdered his parents. |
| Their best friends are a guy and a girl. |
Harry's best friends are Ron and Hermione. |
Luke's pals are Han Solo and Princess Leia. |
| Their best friends are a guy and a girl who may have a thing for each other. |
Ron and Hermione. |
Han Solo and Princess Leia. |
| Guy friend who is a bit of a goofball and has a good sense of humor. |
Ron. |
Han Solo. |
| Proof of contact with evil. |
Harry's scar. |
Luke's mechanical hand. |
| Female friend (not girlfriend) who is smart and very forward. |
Hermione. |
Princess Leia. |
| They are both gifted flyers. |
Harry flys his broomstick. |
Luke flys his X-Wing and other crafts. |
| They both see apparitions of their fathers. |
Harry sees his parents in the Mirror of the Erised. |
Luke sees an apparition of his father at the Ewok party at the end of Return of the Jedi. |
| They both are raised by unsupportive relatives. |
The Dursleys don't want Harry to become a wizard like his father. |
Luke's aunt and uncle don't want Luke to become a Jedi like his father. |
| Their mentor raised the "bad guy." |
Dumbledore taught Tom Riddle/Voldemort when he was a student at Hogwarts. |
Obi-Wan Kenobi taught Anakin/Darth Vader to become a Jedi. |
| They both have a close friend who is "frozen" for a long period of time. |
Hermione is petrified when the Chamber of Secrets is opened. |
Han Solo is frozen in carbonite when he is captured by Jabba the Hut. |
| Large, hairy protector. |
Hagrid. |
Chewbacca. |
| Both have teachers that are dead. |
Harry's History of Magic Professor is a ghost (Prof. Binns). |
Luke's mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi continues to teach Luke even past his death. |
