George Lucas has acknowledged that he was influenced by Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film Kakushi toride no san akunin, or The Hidden Fortress, while creating Star Wars. In particular, he has cited the use of two lowly peasants in Hidden Fortress, Tahei and Matashichi , to tell the story of a warrior-general's mission to deliver a princess and her treasure to safety. In Star Wars, the peasants would of course be translated into the roles of R2-D2 and C-3PO.
