Provavelmente, mas ninguém parece ter dito isso diretamente.
Você não é o único a perceber as semelhanças.
Por exemplo, o historiador Tony Keen diz sobre isso :
...the architecture on the planet Naboo resembles that of imperial Rome, and the pod race in “The Phantom Menace” rivals that of the Roman chariot race seen on screen in “Ben-Hur.” The transition from the democratic Galactic Republic to the dictatorial Galactic Empire over the course of the franchise also mirrors that of ancient Rome. “It is plain that the basic structure of Lucas’s history derives from the fall of the Roman Republic and the subsequent establishment of a monarchy...
A Wikipédia também faz esta reivindicação (ênfase minha):
Star Wars, the space opera saga and cultural touchstone, is acknowledged to have been inspired by many sources. These include Hinduism, Qigong, Greek philosophy, Greek mythology, Roman history, Roman mythology, parts of the Abrahamic religions, Confucianism, Shintō, and Taoism, and countless cinematic precursors.
No entanto, essa afirmação parece ter sido feita apenas com base no fato de Lucas dizer
I love history, so while the psychological basis of Star Wars is mythological, the political and social bases are historical
e não consigo encontrar nenhuma citação relevante diretamente relacionada à história romana.