Star Wars is the plot of Hidden Fortress, in a universe similar to Dune, in the style of Flash Gordon, but with genius special effects and Jaws level care for every aspect of the production of the film itself.
When I said my biggest problem with the story was the same problem I had with Star Wars, royalty starting wars. My buddy who likes both said they were "Space Operas". I think that's the perfect way to describe them and how they are similar.
—Wait till they find out about Rebel Moon and how it was churned out with the specific intent of creating a space-franchise to capitalise on.
You might want to consider looking up "Jodorowsky's Dune" for a bit more insight into how... huh... let's say "influenced" Star Wars (and others for that matter) was by Dune overall.
Frank Herbert spent his entire family fortune building his time machine, and even had to sell his family ranch in California and the family's stock in General Electric.