Star Wars is full of moments that rhyme with previous films, and there are examples of when Star Wars movies told the same story twice. The making off of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace saw George Lucas noting how Anakin’s story in Episode I rhymed with Luke’s story in the original Star Wars film. “It’s like poetry” can be used to describe several moments in the Star Wars universe, although there is a fine line between a narrative rhyme and just doing the same story over and over.

The Star Wars galaxy can sometimes feel very small, as several main characters are either related or somehow tied to previous names from the saga. This adds to the perception that some stories have been told more than once, especially when there are so many parallels between characters like Anakin and Luke or Kylo Ren and Darth Vader. Here are 10 times Star Wars movies did the same story more than once.

10 Return Of The Jedi Did A New Hope’s Death Star Again

Whereas The Empire Strikes Back took the story to unexpected places and shocked audiences all over the world with its Darth Vader twist, Return of the Jedi played safe and repeated story beats from the first two films. More specifically, Return of the Jedi’s third act was very much a rehash of A New Hope. Once again, the Rebel Fleet was heading to an impossible mission in which they would have to explore a flaw in the Death Star’s design to destroy it. While having Luke, Han, and Leia on Endor added a different dynamic to it, Return of the Jedi’s ending battle was another “destroy the Death Star” mission.

9 Anakin Skywalker’s Journey Begins Like Luke’s (On Tatooine)

Anakin Skywalker’s journey was supposed to mirror Luke’s, to the point some story beats from The Phantom Menace are almost exactly like what happens in A New Hope. The first major similarity between the stories of Luke and Anakin is how the latter begins his journey as a seemly ordinary kid from Tatooine. Of course, the main character who did not know how important they were and eventually answer the hero’s call before embarking on an adventure is a trope older than Star Wars. Still, Qui-Gon Jinn taking Anakin out of Tatooine for training very much mirrors how Luke left his home planet with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

8 Anakin Saves The Day In Episode I Like Luke Did In Episode IV

Another major example of how The Phantom Menace did Luke’s story with Anakin comes at the end of the film, when Skywalker saves the day. Anakin, who was already a great pilot by then, participated in Naboo’s attack against the Trade Federation’s Droid Control Ship. The Droid Control Ship was essentially The Phantom Meance’s version of the Death Star, as the Naboo soldiers would have to destroy it to save the planet from the droid army. Just like Luke destroyed the first Death Star, Anakin destroyed the Trade Federation’s Droid Control Ship, thus deactivating the droids on Naboo.

7 Anakin Lost His Hand Against Dooku (Like Luke Against Vader)

Star Wars characters losing their hands is one of the franchise’s most recognizable tropes, and it was solidified by Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Anakin losing his hand after a duel against Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back was quite a dark and shocking moment, especially because it was followed by the “I am your father reveal.” Attack of the Clones, which, like Empire, was the middle chapter of its trilogy, tried to craft a similar moment. Anakin Skywalker, now the hero of the story, lost his hand dueling Count Dooku. While this was not as impactful, it created another parallel between Anakin and Luke.

6 The Force Awakens Did A New Hope’s R2-D2 Plot With BB-8

Star Wars: The Force Awakens intentionally mirrored the original Star Wars film in a lot of ways, as the idea was to move away from the prequels and recapture what had made the original trilogy so successful. As a result, The Force Awakens tells almost the same story as A New Hope, especially regarding its MacGuffin. BB-8, the Resistance’s droid who had the map to Luke Skywalker, was wandering on a desert planet before running into the hero of the story, Rey. Decades earlier, Princess Leia’s R2-D2, who had the Death Star plans, was sent to Tatooine and was bought by Luke Skywalker.

5 Rey’s Origin Story Is Similar To Luke & Anakin’s

Rey’s actual origin story was only unveiled in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which retconned elements from Star Wars: The Last Jedi and explained mysteries from The Force Awakens. That said, going by what The Force Awakens established only, Rey’s origin story was similar to how the journeys of Luke and Anakin began. Rey did not know she was special; had never left her desert planet and dreamt of knowing the galaxy, and eventually answered the hero’s call when she found herself in the middle of an adventure. While a Jedi Master was not involved until The Last Jedi, Han Solo served the role of Rey’s first mentor.

4 Han Solo’s Death Was The Sequels’ Version Of Obi-Wan’s Death

Harrison Ford’s Han Solo was The Force Awakens’ version of Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope, although Han was obviously very different from a Jedi Master. Still, Han Solo was the one to guide the new heroes, explaining to them the rules of the world and even teaching them about the Force. In addition, Han Solo’s death at the Starkiller Base was very much like Obi-Wan’s death at the Death Star. Han Solo was killed by his son, whereas Obi-Wan died by his former apprentice. Even the way Rey and Finn reacted to Han’s death was similar to how Luke and Leia reacted to Obi-Wan’s demise.

3 The Force Awakens Had Star Wars’ Third “Death Star”

After A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens introduced Star Wars’ third “Death Star.” While the Starkiller Base was not a Death Star in name, it was another Star Wars super weapon that could obliterate planets. The Starkiller Base was bigger than the two Death Stars – the weapon was a planet – and it could destroy multiple worlds all at once. However, from a narrative standpoint, the Starkiller Base played the same role in The Force Awakens as the first two Death Stars played in their respective movies – the giant superweapon that had to be taken down during the movie’s third act.

2 The Last Jedi’s Throne Room Repeats Return Of The Jedi

The Last Jedi had its own version of Return of the Jedi’s Throne Room sequence. In the third film of the original Star Wars trilogy, Darth Vader brought Luke Skywalker in front of the Emperor, hoping that his son would join the dark side of the Force. In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren brought Rey to Supreme Leader Snoke, hoping that Rey would join the dark side. Snoke’s words to Rey and Kylo were similar to what Palpatine said to Vader and Luke in Return of the Jedi, which makes sense given that Sidious was speaking through Snoke after all.

1 Kylo Ren’s Redemption & Death Was Exactly Like Darth Vader’s

Kylo Ren was the Star Wars sequels’ equivalent of Darth Vader, although there were many differences between Ben Solo’s character and Anakin. Despite those differences, the conclusion of Kylo Ren’s story in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was very similar to how Darth Vader’s story ended. A redeemed Ben Solo sacrificed himself to save Rey, resurrecting her at the cost of his own life. Decades earlier, a redeemed Anakin Skywalker stood between Luke Skywalker and the Emperor’s lightning bolts. Both Ben Solo and Anakin Skywalker died right after they were redeemed, making their stories even more similar.