Jedi Dark Knight said:adywan said: Adding a display of any kind for this scene would be a case of "adding it just because you can".
you pretty much checkmate-ed me there man....ok, since the idea is precisely not fall into tweaks and changes just because you can then ok.....
And that is why the design in the OT is so much better than the PT. Things seem more functional in the OT and the design elements made it look like a different time. Now look at the Pt and everything is just so flashy yet a lot of it looks like elements from today's society. Just because the falcon design was around in the PT era doesn't mean that it should have all the fancy displays we see. Look at today's cars for instance. there are so many varying features you can get with a car depending upon how much you are prepared to pay. The one thing i really want to do when i get to the PT is downgrade a lot of the technology and design. yeh, i can imagine that the queen of naboo would have a very expensive craft with the latest tech but other ships & environment do need the downgrade (which they actually did a bit for the jedi starfighter in ROTS)
Just as a side note just because something has buttons and switches doesn't mean it's more functional, but rather it's less sophisticated. A lot of it looks like elements from today's society? back in the seventies everything looked like the Falcon: switched and buttons, technology has advanced to the point you don't have to have a dashboard with fixed buttons, but rather it can reconfigure to the situation in a nice touchscreen. You put the example of the Jedi fighter and that ship still has a lot of screens.
Corellian77: your comment seems to forget that back in the day everytime you wanted to show sci-fi/futuristic stuff you strapped a jetpack into the hero and there you go, same with flying cars, and same with a lot of things, it's because those things speak to us of future, holograms are futuristic because they are not yet here, but buttons and switches? they are here since waaaay back, it actually makes things look old and dated and unrealistic now, and the key is "now". Back in 1977 star wars looked futuristic, now? the ships don't. I don't want to start the debate like Josh put it, but if we are not here to debate about certain things then what? if these days something speaks of future tech is touch screens since we all know that CRT screens are old and out. it's just the way it works, look at other sci-fi movies from the day, before star wars and you'll see old looking things.....with buttons and switches.
I think the motto: "don't change something just because you can" is a good one, but let's not stay away from screens "just because.."
The thing i was trying to get across is that in the Ot the designers and set builders did a great job making things look like they didn't come from our time and universe even with the limitations of what stuff could be used, whereas the PT many things look like we actually could have these things on your desktop PC or car etc. I don't think that any of the sets in the OT look dated at all. from a design point of view they work perfectly. you have to remember a few words that start the movie...."a long time ago......" . everything in the OT universe had that lived in look which went against the grain of usual sci-fi. The PT could have been any old or modern day sci-fi using character names from Star Wars. The PT will date a lot worse than the OT ever will. All the buttons and switches gave the sets character which most of the PT sets sorely lacked.
I remember when i was a kid and i always wanted to redecorate the rooms in my house into sets from the movies. i actually still would love to do something like that now. But there isn't a single set piece in the whole PT (accept fro reused sets from the OT like the stardestroyer bridge or the Tantive IV etc) that i would even want to recreate. i found that kinda sad. The whole design element in the PT is very forgettable
Octorox said:As someone who uses my ipod touch everyday, I think the PT starfighters seem a lot easier to use. I wouldn't know where to start with the Falcon, the PT ships probably have a step by step set-up wizard and nifty one-touch autopilot. :)
and there is the problem. wasn't Anakin supposed to be a great pilot but if everything is so easy to pilot then that means anyone could pilot a starship. the OT ships all looked like you would have to actually learn how to fly them and not rely on a computer and idiot proof interface to do all the work for you.
Jedi Dark Knight said:Consistency is great, have the ships in the OT equipped with the touchscreens whenever is right would be wonderfull, that way they look like advanced spacecraft from another time and not like a Boeing 737
no ships will have touch screens in the Revisited OT. From a design point of view the PT should be changed to fit in with the OT and not the other way around.