How closely do the events of the First World War relate to those in 'A Galaxy Far, Far Away'?

In this episode Chris, Jessica, and Angus discuss the historical inspirations of the Star Wars saga from the depiction of body horror and the creation of those who are 'more machine than man' via Stormtroopers, cavalry charges, and the cinematic impact of Paths of Glory.

Who are we? What do we do? And what really happens at academic conferences during the tea breaks?

In this introductory episode, Chris, Jessica and Angus introduce themselves and their research interests, both academic and geeky. We discuss various cultural genres which reference the First World War, including detective fiction, Star Wars and death metal music, and ask why the First World War has particular popular cultural relevance.