The original 1974 "Yamato" series has a number of striking similarities to the later 1977 film "Star Wars". For example, both are space opera works with militant empires, star ships and space battles; the robot Analyzer in "Yamato" bears a strong resemblance to R2-D2, in terms of both design and narrative function; and both works involve ship design blue-prints which are delivered by the female leads. Several critics have suggested that "Yamato" may have influenced "Star Wars", though George Lucas did not mention it among his Japanese influences (such as Akira Kurosawa's samurai films).