Lucas definitely started to miss the forest for the technology right around this time. My favorite example is how he kept saying how much better the palace creatures were than the ones in the cantina, which I've never heard anyone agree with. But the step up in hardware, from pullover masks to the more complex muppety nerf creatures with all the hoses and shit in them, was something that just had to be better. Because you know, technology. It was like the first version of the cgi-vs. models debate. (All the prequel-era debates could be found in some form during the Jedi vs. SW/Empire days. The big difference is the pro-Jedi guys were never as touchy about it.)