Ok, I’ll give this try.
Even though this is in a distant Galaxy, in a different time, the characters, for the most part, are predominately human, or humanoid, they are dependent on the same things we are, atmosphere, gravity, things like that, so already, there's an inherent, intuitive sense of fundamental rules that have to be followed to be convincing and believable.
There has to be some sense of familiarity with
our reality so we can subconsciously identify with it.
Without a grounding base that follows the fundamental laws of nature, the act of suspending disbelief cant be accomplished as successfully without an anchor in our own reality. There has to be rules so that they can be broken, without them, there's no need to suspend disbelief, because there's no underlying believability in the first place.
Form follows function, the OT followed this criteria to perfection, while the PT sacrifices function, form for the sake of form, it became lost in it's own self-indulgence. Physics and reality became frivolous, the artistic took precedence over the realistic.
There's several factors that have to work individually and in unison for the over-all look and design to be successful and believable, such as shape, proportion, contrast, functionality, the subtle and the dominant, detail, symmetry, asymmetry, variation and theme, etc.
So this post doesn’t become too long-winded, I'll show one example and see where it goes from there.
This first one mainly deals with shape, proportion, contrast, functionality variation and theme.
The Biker Scout and his Speeder Bike.
Even though we've never seen a Speeder Bike before, we can take a pretty accurate guess as to what it is, just based on its shape alone.
The angles and lines, the balance, physics, symmetry, the functionality, the position where the rider sits, the thin, extended length up-front, that adds balance and compensates for the bulk ,weight and mass in the back without adding considerable weight itself, the fins upfront that add stability, so it remains agile at fast speeds, like a Dragster without wheels.
The weathered, assembly line, utilitarian look that the OT is famous for, that adds the imperative grounding anchor and believability, all of these aspects successfully employed in this iconic design. All aspects are working in and of themselves and in accord with one another.
We don't question how the Speeder Bike works, because it just looks like it should work, so instead of our sense of disbelief lagging behind, off we go, along for the ride at a 110 mph through the forest of Endor, not giving the believability and functionality of the machine a second thought.
Now if we exam the “speeder bikes” that Dooku and Maul rode and to makes things a lot faster and easier, the PT “speeder bikes” are completely void of every single positive and successful thing that I just listed and described about the OT Speeder Bike, absolutely everything.
IMO, the main flaws with the PT bikes are proportion, shape and functionality.
Maul looks like he's riding some weird marital aid, or an abstract, Art Nouveau recliner with handle bars, that would look
awesome sitting in the corner of his studio loft, right next to his IKEA bookshelf.
Dooku's proportions are so far off, the evil and menace of his character gives way to the utterly ridiculous. He looks like one of those funny old Shriners, zooming around like silly clowns in their tiny little cars and motorcycles.
All Dooku is missing is a fez and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
