Monroville said:
(4) it would be primarily a visual thing to represent the visual aspect of something thought to be damn near nothing but superstructure is in actuality 60%+ finished, and finished enough to wipe out every last rebel. STAR WARS isn't STAR TREK, which itself has some issues with the laws of physics... though STAR TREK "has" to be fairly accurate (or accurate enough) as it depicts a human future. STAR WARS is science fantasy, with laser swords and talking bigfeet. As with most mythical stories, symbolism and visuals play a big part in the storytelling to emphasize a point.
Well, science fantasy or not, it can't commit the crime of being silly. Laser swords and aliens are one thing, people not being able to read plans or see in three dimensions is another. Suspension of disbelief functions the same way regardless of the genre you're viewing; I just wouldn't buy them simply "not seeing" the firing crater on the other side. I appreciate your desire for an OMG moment, but I don't think this is the most believable way.
Granted, we have hindsight, having seen the movie already, but imagine seeing this as a 13 year old kid in a theater for the first time and seeing something that looks like nothing but model parts turn around and reveal for the first time the Death Star we all know and fear.
Well, a lot of 13-year olds might not think in three dimensions, but I do.
You know, I think that is one of the biggest problems with JEDI is how everything is just kinda there... no build-ups or crafty reveals.. everything just sort of happens. It is almost as if George was just going through the motions and didn't really care anymore.
Well, Star Wars is just as guilty of this as Jedi. The Death Star in Star Wars doesn't even get a pan down like at the start of Jedi, it's just a cut and you see it. Not one iota of surprise. Ady did his best to put some anticipation into the reveal. Right or wrong, I think Lucas does this deliberately; this is just what this fictional universe looks like. Not everything is a wow moment. Dramatically it's very underwhelming, but I'm not sure it's accidental.