The Big Picture
- Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Night Troopers in Ahsoka Episode 6 feature a striking design inspired by Japanese art and culture, specifically the practice of Kintsugi.
- Star Wars has evolved its Stormtrooper concept to fit different needs and aesthetics, with Thrawn deploying Night Troopers to serve his return from exile.
- Japanese culture has had a significant influence on Star Wars, from George Lucas’ admiration of Akira Kurosawa to Bushido inspiring the Jedi Code and the incorporation of martial arts like kendo.
Grand Admiral Thrawn’s (Lars Mikkelsen) Night Troopers made their debut in Disney+’s Ahsoka Episode 6, and their prominent design is yet another direct callback to how Japanese art and culture have influenced Star Wars throughout its history. This striking visual is more than just pleasing to the eye: there is a rich, symbolic meaning behind the gilded aesthetic. The ornate, golden cracks seen on Thrawn’s Star Destroyer and on his Trooper’s armor follow the practice of Kintsugi, an age-old tradition with an even deeper philosophy behind it.
Star Wars has outgrown the need for only one style of Stormtrooper, and since, has been able to use its creative touch when re-imaging the basics of the armor to fit different needs or aesthetics. While it was originally the Stormtroopers who marched across the screens, the concept of the Troopers in Star Wars has adapted to the series as time has gone on. Grand Admiral Thrawn deployed a new type of Trooper to serve his needs as he made his fated return. These Night Troopers don’t just escalate the stakes for what could be in store for Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), and Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) as Thrawn prepares to return from exile, but calls back to one of Star Wars’ most early and prominent influences through the use of Kintsugi.
What Is Kintsugi?
This gold-flecked style of decoration originated in Japan and has impacted how philosophy has played a role in the creation of art. Art has always been subjective and welcomes personal interpretation or feeling. Kintsugi furthers how in-tune an artist can be with their work, or how it may resonate with those who admire its eye-catching accents. When looking at the etymology of the word Kintsugi, it translates into the literal “golden joinery.” While the term is simple in its description, the straightforwardness only comes at a surface level. Kintsugi is the art of fixing broken pottery by piecing the fractures back together with lacquer that has been mixed with some metallic powder.
Traditional Japanese Kintsugi opts for gold, silver, or platinum powder to be used over other metals. The means of mending broken goods through Kintsugi can be compared back to maki-e, or “sprinkle picture,” the Japanese art of metallic lacquer embellishment. The origins of how Kintsugi came to be are unclear, but it’s estimated that the elegant art of repair first emerged around the 15th or 16th century. It’s been traced back hundreds of years, meaning that this age-old practice has been passed down throughout generations. It only makes sense that it would find a way to become a part of popular culture, and feels fitting that it was used for the adornment of Thrawn’s Night Trooper armor. Using Kintsugi prominently is a bold look for Captain Enoch’s helmet and is more than just a conversation piece.
Kintsugi has far surpassed its initial mission of just filling in the cracks of broken wares and has taken on a greater meaning when it comes to its philosophical roots. Kintsugi is seen as a way of celebrating hardship that people may face when working their way through life. It’s also viewed as a counter-cultural statement: instead of focusing on the unattainability of flawless beauty, Kintsugi emphasizes that there is still something to admire outside what societal norms. Kintsugi asks that onlookers do not try to hide their pasts, but to honor the parts of them that may be damaged. Such a unique means of piecing back together cracked goods calls for the admiration of imperfections. The “scars” of shattered ceramics are stitched up with gold to represent resilience and resistance to truly break, a common trait shared with the members of the Rebel Alliance.
George Lucas’ Star Wars Took Inspiration From Akira Kurosawa and Japanese Culture
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Japan as a nation has impacted key themes throughout Star Wars. The influence has generously become a motif in George Lucas‘s early Star Wars ventures and has promised to stay around in the modern era. The cultural juggernaut has nodded to other aspects of entertainment, such as Frank Herbert’s Dune, but Japan’s arts and culture have made themselves incredibly prominent throughout the vast Star Wars universe. Lucas was known to be a fan of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, and there are undeniable similarities between The Hidden Fortress and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope that demonstrated the admiration Lucas held for Kurosawa. Darth Vader’s armor borrows heavily from Japanese warlords, with the most obvious distinction being the signature design of his helmet. Contrary to the Dark Side of the Force, the Jedi have been compared to samurai in their own way. Much like the Jedi had their own Jedi Code, samurai lived by Bushido, which asked the warriors to put emphasis on mercy, honor, and self-control. The Sith can be compared to the rōnin, otherwise known as samurai who have gone rogue or carry on without a master.
It’s alleged that the word “Jedi” comes from the phrase “jidaigeki.” Jidaigeki are Japanese period dramas that typically took place during the feudal Edo period, featuring shogun warlords, lower-class people, and samurai looking for their next adventure. Much like the Jedi, or the newly-introduced Bokken Jedi, most samurai were more concerned with the art of peacekeeping than anything else. Both have faced centuries of social and cultural evolution and have been noted to share similar attire when it comes to analyzing their personal styles. Just as the Jedi were skilled with a lightsaber, the samurai were known to be accomplished swordsmen.
Nick Gillard‘s stunt coordination and lightsaber fight choreography have been known to incorporate martial arts. Kendo, or the modern practice of sword fighting with bamboo sabers, has become widely popular in Japan. Gillard admitted in the documentary Star Wars: Evolution of the Lightsaber Duel that kendo was a “basic ingredient” when it came to crafting each clash. More specifically, the confrontation between Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Count Dooku (Sir Christopher Lee) in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones is kendo. Disney’s Star Wars has upheld the importance of keeping Japan’s effect on the saga close to the heart. Star Wars: Visions features anime shorts, and while the anthology celebrates a variety of cultures, it keeps its thumb on the pulse of Japanese entertainment. The Mandalorian episode “The Sanctuary” is a direct reference to Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai, and the series can easily be compared to the manga Lone Wolf and Cub: an outlaw forced on the run after being framed for a crime, all while protecting a young child along the way? It sounds all too familiar. Kintsugi is just another aspect of Japanese art that has continued to bond worldly culture with Star Wars. The imprint that Japan has bestowed upon on the series has since made itself quite at home in a galaxy far, far away — and it’s welcome to stay for as long as it likes.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
