Alan Watts, born in Chislehurst, England in 1915, played an instrumental role in introducing American audiences to philosophies like Zen Buddhism and Taoism (or Daoism). Although it has never been explicitly stated by George Lucas himself, the work of Alan Watts seems to be particularly influential on the themes echoed throughout the science-fiction narrative of Lucas' Star Wars trilogy, which came out only four years after Watts’ death in 1973.
Some people even believe that the character of Obi-Wan Kenobi, as portrayed by the late Sir Alec Guinness, was based on the persona of Alan Watts, though this likely isn’t true since George Lucas has stated that he based the character on Makabe Rokurōta played by Toshiro Mifune in Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress – who was also Lucas’ original choice to cast as the old Jedi recluse.
Furthermore, not only did Lucas attend school in San Francisco around the same time that Watts was a prominent celebrity in the Bay Area, delivering lectures on philosophy to large audiences in schools and public lecture halls, but Lucas and Watts also shared a mutual friend in Joseph Campbell, whose writings on the 'Hero’s Journey' are legendary thanks, in part, to their deliberate inclusion in Star Wars. Whether Alan Watts had a direct or indirect influence on George Lucas’ work is not important, but the connections are still worth mentioning.

EXCERPT FROM MY UPCOMING BOOK - USE THE FORCE

May the Force be with you this Star Wars day!