In 1848, Richard Wagner started the libretto to Siegfrieds Tod (Siefried’s Death).

Midway through it, he realized that there were too many prior events to explain, so he added a prologue. This in turn needed another prologue, which itself needed yet more explanation.

The end result is the tetralogy collectively called The Ring of the Nibelungs. There are four chapters in the Ring cycle - Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold), Die Walkure (The Valkyrie), Siegfried and Gotterdamerung (Twilight of the Gods).

Wagner wrote the libretto between 1848 and 1853, but added the music over the next 20-odd years. The entire cycle was presented in its correct chronology over eight years from 1869 to 1876.

The entire cycle took 28 years to reach its audience.

In the ’70s, George Lucas set out to write a saga. At the end of his 15-month marathon, he realized he had too much story.

So he decided to start in the middle, in 1977, with Star Wars: A Hew Hope. Like in Wagner’s Ring cycle, this would be the fourth episode in the series.

In 1980 he produced Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and following that, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 1983.

So, the Star Wars Trilogy had finally been completed. Was it? The surprise was yet to come.

Lucas had waited another 16 years before shooting Episode I: The Phantom Menace. He plans to film the remaining 2 episodes within the next 6 years.

The entire cycle will take 28 years to reach its audience.

In The Ring of the Nibelung, Magic would be with you if you were a Valkyrie groomed to resurrect fallen heroes to build an army against the evil dwarf Alberich.

The noblest of the Valkyries, Brunhilde, killed herself to save the gods as well as humanity in Gotterdamerung.

In Star Wars, The Force would be with you if you were a Jedi Knight Groomed to protect the peace of the galaxy and to battle evil.

The noblest of the Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi both sacrificed their lives to save the galaxy in Episodes I and IV of Star Wars.

Wotan, leader of the Norse-German gods, begins his life in Das Rheingold as the ordinary but ambitious fella who lusts after The Ring, a magic but cursed weapon which bestows absolute power upon its bearer.

His lust for power causes him to strike one dud deal after another as he obsesses over the ring.

However, he is redeemed through death.

Darth Vader starts off life in Episode I as cute boy Anakin Skywalker, who joins Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in their bid to save the planet Naboo from the evil Darth Maul and Darth Sidious.

His Lust for power causes him to switch over to the Dark Side and he becomes the bad guy we know as Darth Vader.

However, he is redeemed through death.

The offspring of Wotan, the long lost twins of The Ring find each other in adulthood (Die Walkure) and fall in love. Sieglind then conceives the gods’ would-be savior, Siegfried, in the heat of their incestuous liaison.

The offspring of Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader, the long lost twins of Star Wars find each other in adulthood and nearly fall in love (Episode V), when Leia smooches Luke after being provoked by Han Solo.

In The Ring, father and son cross swords when Wotan abandons Siegmund for dead in a three-party duel.

In Die Walkure, Wotan deliberately refuses to save Siegmund in a duel with Hunding. In Gotterdamerung, His son Siegfried returns to shatter Wotan’s spear in a symbolic move.

In Star Wars, Luke doesn’t exactly get along well with Papa Vader, at least not until the final moment of repentance.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke's arm is sliced off by Vader. But Luke Skywalker gets his revenge later when he returns to chop his father’s arm off in another duel.

In Gotterdamerung, Brunhilde falls in love with and marries her nephew Siegfried.

As it happens, Brunhilde is a woman warrior (Valkyrie, duh!) who can certainly shoot to kill.

In the would-be Episode II or III of Star Wars, Queen Amidala falls in love with Anakin Skywalker.

As it happens, Queen Amidala is a woman warrior who can certainly shoot to kill.

Siegmund and Siegfried had a magic sword called the Notung to swipe at enemies in The Ring.

But for all its supernatural powers, the Notung fails Siegmund when he is killed by Jaba Hunding in Die Walkure.

The Jedis had their powerful light sabers with which to swipe at evil monsters in Star Wars.

But for all its supernatural powers, the light saber fails Luke when his arm gets sliced off by Vader in Episode V.

Ring fans sign up on seven-year waiting lists just to catch the shows at Wagner's purpose-built Bayreuth Festival Theatre in Bavaria.

Star war fans queue seven weeks in advance in order to get tickets to catch previews and the premier of The Phantom Menace.