Andor excluded of course, it’s so 70s right down to formally being the grimy thrillers Star Wars '77 would be analyzed as cultural antidote to. The writing is timeless, the mullets and moustaches, even the Niamos beachwear feel so in line with ANH’s time period. And don’t forget the junky analog tech! Machines are big and unwieldy; Dedra has to do what’s basically an archive search by asking an attendant to collect those files from giant tube computers. There are illegible glass interfaces of lines ala Yavin and Hoth, tons of tactile knobs and switches and buttons, etc. Modified AK-47s as the symbolic weapon of revolution circa the 70s is loaded imagery, just like the modified StGs and Mausers in the OT evoke WWII. I was hyped as hell when Cassian was sentenced to prison by a 70s credit card machine.
And it makes it thematic. Nemik has a whole right-to-repair bit about technology being lost or forgotten; one of the many ways Empire imposes its will is through centralized uniform technology, moving populace away from the different lines of communication and information they maybe once had access to. Seperatist projects like tactical droids with databases in their head, Techno Union touch screens, or Umbaran bubble fighters fall by the wayside in distinctly important ways. It’s great!
Stuff like that really puts us right back into the space A New Hope is in. Whereas, yeah, it feels like a lot of other Star Wars stuff recently just conceptualizes “Star Wars” as anything that’s been in the movies before. Fair game for inclusion at any point, regardless of its faux-historical context. Aside from looking like a very modern Disney+ show in lighting and costuming, I wouldn’t be surprised if there isn’t any real technological difference between High Republic and Mandalorian eras in Acolyte. I would have loved design that feels more historical than just “cool” for the characters.
Definitely agree here, those ISB meeting scenes had all the right acting demeanor for the cultural transition to 70s/80s Empire. The tech looked great, the locations were vast and alive, it didn’t look sterile and flat, the technology matched the era, etc. Absolutely phenomenol production. Aside from the lack of aliens, it’s interesting how the least “Star Wars” story looks and felt the most like Star Wars out of any live-action production we’ve seen so far.
I think some sporadic earlier episodes of The Mandalorian had the right vibes too, but it’s been something that the selected directors have consistently struggled with. Hope it gets identified and addressed soon!
screams in the void said:
…Even with older stuff like the look of the old republic games , I felt the tech and look could have been more unique to reflect those much older time periods , instead of showing ships and armor etc , that didn’t look much different at all from later time periods . What I would love to see is a show that goes much further back in time and has a look akin to the original Tales Of The Jedi comics as drawn by Chris Gossett . Now that would be unique .
For sure! I’d say out of any potential project, I want to see Disney try to very authentically adapt the Tales of the Jedi comics into a movie saga/show. Not remake them for modern audiences, but really, really try to adapt them in the style that they were originally created.