TPM technology is fine. The ships sparked when exploded, just like in the OT movies. The other two episodes started to mess up things. What I criticise the most, is the ultra-shiny naboo ships and fighters. PT could have done better with technology. However, I think there's gotta be some balance; I don't want that colourfull, cartoonish stuff the Invisible Hand's bridge is, that's why I support most of what Bob Garcia is doing in his edit in order to OTrize some things, but neither do I want that old, CRT in the OT. And I'm pretty sure that with some effort, it is feasible to give some coherency to the saga. Look at the cockpit of the first ship we see in TPM... it's otish, isn't it?

Look at the ARC-170 fighters... They could be pre-Xwings if they wer shown like this:

http://www.sandtroopers.com/sandwatch/arc170_tru/TRUarc009.jpg

(wel.. more or less)

But they ruin it when they

http://img.swcombine.com/ships/118/large.jpg

Quick mock up of a definitively pre-X wing arc 170 fighter:

http://img192.imageshack.us/i/cwvehiclearc170shadow.jpg/