Apr 09
633 Squadron and Star Wars
Today, by chance, I saw the end of the UK cult classic 633 Squadron (wiki). What I saw was the larger part of the film’s climax: the fjord factory bombing. And after a few minutes I was wondering why this scene appeared to be so familiar to me.
Then I knew it: that is the trench run from Star Wars! (Officially now Star Wars IV: A New Hope(wiki)). In the 1964 film, a group of pilots has to fly through a narrow fjord while the Norwegian anti-aircraft fire is targeting them. In Star Wars Luke and his allies fly their X-Wings in a “trench” on the Death Star’s surface to drop abomb, exactly as in 633, on a specific target.
Of course, when you’re thinking you’ve discovered something new about Star Wars, go online and you will find out that there is already a chapter of the official fan club discussing just this detail. Same with 633 Squadron: a bit of research brought up - this duality is actually a well known fact.
George Lucas has told so in various interviews, as Wikipedia knows. And there is a discussion if the closest match is 633 Squadron or The Dam Busters (wiki, see Influences) from 1955. More evidence here. Decide for yourself.
You can have a look at the overall style of The Dam Busters here, or watch the 633 Squadron trailer here (an excerpt from the trench sequence can be seen starting at 2:15).
