From Jackie Craven,
Your Guide to Architecture.
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When you watch a Star Wars movie, the strange alien planets may look hauntingly familiar. The eerie architecture on planets Coruscant, Naboo, Tatooine, and beyond were inspired by historic buildings you can find right here on planet earth.

"I'm basically a Victorian person," director George Lucas once said in a NY Times interview. "I love Victorian artifacts. I love to collect art. I love sculpture. I love all kinds of old things."

In fact, George Lucas's own home at Skywalker Ranch has an old fashioned flavor: The 1860s homestead is a sprawling building with peaks and dormers, rows of chimneys, etched glass windows, and rambling rooms filled with electronic gadgetry.

George Lucas's life, like his films, are both futuristic and nostalgic. As you watch the Star Wars movies, watch for these familiar landmarks...

Begin the Star Wars tour >>