Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Maybe I have way too much time on my hands, but it occurred to me this morning that, in Star Wars, the entire rescue of the Princess and the escape from the Death Star might, in part, be an homage to The Wizard of Oz. Consider:

Princess Leia=Dorothy
"We've got to help her!"
Leia is the reason why the other three characters are together in the first place, and it is because of her that they undertake the perilous journey through into the Death Star. Far from being a typical damsel in distress, however, Leia frequently takes charge and has to rescue the others on at least one occasion. That, and she's the only girl in the foursome, so who else could she be?

Luke Skywalker=Scarecrow
"When you came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?"
[Indicating Luke] "He's the brains, sweetheart."
Luke is like the Scarecrow not in the sense that he's stupid, but in the sense that he's naive and inexperienced. He's also a Jedi apprentice, a student--if you will. It is he who urges the others to infiltrate and fight through a battle station occupied by hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Wait--maybe he is stupid after all. . .
Plus, there's the fact that he's a farmboy--an obvious scarecrow connection there.

Han Solo=Tin Man
"I wonder if he really cares about anything . . . or anyone."
Through most of the movie, Han proves that he is a true mercenary: lacking compassion for the larger, nobler cause of the Rebellion and would rather look after his own interests. He redeems himself by the end of the movie, of course, and in the next film, it is he who at last wins Leia's heart.

Chewbacca=the Cowardly Lion
"C'mere you big coward! Chewie, c'mere!"
When we are first introduced to Chewie, he seems a big, frightening animal with the strength to kill a person instantly. During and immediately after the garbage compactor scene, though, we see a very different side of Chewie, as he's the first to flee from the dangers inside of it.
Ironically, Chewie doesn't receive a medal at the end of the movie (I always call it "the graduation" because of the music), and, if I recall correctly, the Cowardly Lion is symbolically transformed into a brave lion after receiving a medal at the end of WoO.

So I guess that leaves Darth Vader as the wicked witch. Maybe R2 is Toto. I don't know who Obi Wan would be, though (the Wizard himself?)--I guess that's the point were my analogy breaks down. :)