What If Star Wars?

[SeanB13]

What if the OT had the same look as the Prequels, the same costumes, armour, Battle Droids, characters, speeder bikes, etc.?


Would it have had the same impact on you?


What if the Prequels had the same look as the OT?


The most disappointing aspect of the Prequels, for me, was the over-all look of it, it was boring, bland and hokey, it looks like they went to the Goodwill and rummaged through the bargain-bin for inspiration and design on vintage VHS and Beta tapes. :unsure


Off the top of my head, here's a small selection (just the mecha, not even mentioning the costumes or, characters), that stands out to me as being the most disappointing, generic and just plain stupid looking crap in the Prequels.


I swear, honestly, when I first saw this stuff, I thought someone screwed-up and edited in some deleted scenes from the The Fifth Element.


Starting off with these two, tied for first, of the worst of the worst.

The rest, in no particular order.

 

[micdavis]

If it all looked like the OT in the PT, it would have not shown the decline of general civilization since the take over of the Empire. Which was the point.

There are literally 1000's of designs of this and that in the Star Wars movies, you're bound to hate a few.

But why should we care what you don't like. Everything you hate, I love. Now what.

This is just another thread that will degenerate into a PT hate fest. Can't you do something better with your time.

Go build a prop or something.

 

[jlee562]

What mic said.

 

[SeanB13]

Hate is such a strong word and I just don't have the emotional investment to actual hate any aspect of the Prequels.

There are several aspects of the Prequels that I do really like, Darth Maul, General Grievous, the Asian influence in Amidala's wardrobe, things like that.

I'm not bitching about actors, plot-holes or, character development, actually I think the PT story line was a lot more involved and mature than the OT.

So I'm not looking for a PT "hate fest", at all.

I've just often wondered if I would feel the same way today about the OT, if it had looked like the Prequels or, vice versa.

 

[micdavis]

Of course you wouldn't because it wouldn't be what it is now.

When Jerry Garcia died everyone was all, "poor guy", "what a tragedy". Well you know if he hadn't been the chili dog eating, heroin shooting guy he was, he probably wouldn't have made all the great music he did 'cause he'd be out saving the whales or something.

Things are what they are, life's too short for what ifs.

 

[SeanB13]

Right.
But would I or, others, have enjoyed the PT a lot more if they would have looked like the OT?

Considering the maturity and development of the PT script, I think the PT may have even had the potential to have been superior to the OT in certain aspects, if it had actually LOOKED like Star Wars.

 

[micdavis]

It does look like Star Wars, it is Star Wars.

I guess I just never understand this kind of thinking. No fan idea I have ever seen or read was better than what was done.

I think it's great just the way it is. It's certainly better that 99% of everything else out there.

I also feel it's kind of insulting to sit around pick and choose out of thousands of designs a few things to pick at. What does that get you?

1000's of man hour go into making something like Star Wars. Respect that.

20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

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[letmebestormy]

Of course you wouldn't because it wouldn't be what it is now.

When Jerry Garcia died everyone was all, "poor guy", "what a tragedy". Well you know if he hadn't been the chili dog eating, heroin shooting guy he was, he probably wouldn't have made all the great music he did 'cause he'd be out saving the whales or something.

Things are what they are, life's too short for what ifs.

Don't forget the Pall Malls. :cool

I still miss the guy.

 

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[rodneyfaile]

I bet about a decade after Lucas becomes one with the force, they will "reboot" Star Wars and fix all the "problems" people point out, but probably miss on what made the originals so great. I hope Beiber does a good job as Han Solo. Chewbacca might be a girl this time like Starbuck.

 

[TheStig]

I don't hate the prequels, I just don't care about them. I had emotional investment in the OT, I don't know if it is because I grew up with it or some other reason. But they felt real, I understood Luke's desire to leave home and go somewhere. Han, despite being a space smuggler, feels like someone you could meet. The prequel characters just feel cold and inhuman. Especially Anakin, maybe some better writing would cause me to care about him going to the dark side.

Really the only interesting character is Palpatine, especially as his trilogy long plan came together at the end.

 

[Jannix Quinn]

I guess if there was one thing that I think should be changed, is the voice of the battle droids. They just don't sound threatening at all. They're more like bellhop droids.

 

[Wes R]

I bet about a decade after Lucas becomes one with the force, they will "reboot" Star Wars and fix all the "problems" people point out, but probably miss on what made the originals so great. I hope Beiber does a good job as Han Solo. Chewbacca might be a girl this time like Starbuck.

I was actually just thinking of them doing a reboot as I read this. I am really amazed that he hasn't done it yet. It's that or do a movie line with Han and Leia's kids.

 

[mez7]

If it all looked like the OT in the PT, it would have not shown the decline of general civilization since the take over of the Empire. Which was the point.

i thought the point was to sell more toys?

 

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[Zombie_61]

What if the OT had the same look as the Prequels, the same costumes, armour, Battle Droids, characters, speeder bikes, etc.?

Would it have had the same impact on you?

In a word--probably. For me, the look of the OT was only a part of what attracted me to it, the other parts being pretty much everything else--the performances, the characters, the story, the music, the effects, etc.. If the OT had been made with the same wardrobe and art direction as the PT but all of the other elements remained the same, they would be essentially the same films with a slightly different look.

What if the Prequels had the same look as the OT?

This is essentially the same question reversed. IMO the PT wasn't as well received as the OT not because of the look, but because of the story Lucas chose to tell. By the time Lucas decided to make the PT films, every Star Wars fan had created their own version of the story in their minds (myself included); at that point it was impossible for Lucas to meet every fan's expectations no matter what he did.

 

[SeanB13]

It does look like Star Wars, it is Star Wars.

I strongly disagree with this, in no way does it resemble the OT, Yoda doesn't even look like Yoda.
I went in with an open mind, I was thinking Star Wars with a bigger budget and modern SFX, awesome!
I was sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation of seeing Stormtroopers once again on the big screen, but what did I get? "roger-roger".

I guess I just never understand this kind of thinking. No fan idea I have ever seen or read was better than what was done.

Better than the OT? No, I agree.
But the PT is utterly average, it doesn't look any different or, any better than anything you can find in the EU on Wookieepedia.


Take the I-7 Howlrunner for example.

It's pretty generic, nothing special or, inspired, if you were to put this into the OT, it would stand out like a sore thumb, but on the other hand, it would blend in seamlessly in the PT.

I also feel it's kind of insulting to sit around pick and choose out of thousands of designs a few things to pick at. What does that get you?

Not a few, I only listed a few things to make a point.

1000's of man hour go into making something like Star Wars. Respect that.

I do respect their hard work, I respect anyone who busts their ass, but that's a completely unrealistic criteria, we would never be able to express our opinion, critique, review or, discuss anything, because it's disrespectful, because they put a lot of work into it and it might hurt someone's feelings.

Yes, I know what you mean. Perhaps you are asking if McQuarrie is a better artist than Chiang.

No, I think when you get to a certain level, it's no longer about who is better than who, but personal preference.


Do I like McQuarrie better than Chiang? Absolutely. Undoubtedly.
But let's not forget Joe Johnston whose contributions, unfortunately, often gets overlooked.

 

[IndyFanChuck]

What did Joe contribute?! I had no clue.

But let's not forget Joe Johnston whose contributions, unfortunately, often gets overlooked.

 

[SeanB13]

What did Joe contribute?! I had no clue.

Here you go.
This is just a fraction of his involvement and influence, but it's a good place to start.


The Star Wars Sketchbook (Joe Johnston)