I noticed a long time ago that the starfields often moved independently of the other elements. I briefly wondered if they might be mistakes, but soon saw that it was happening far too often and too interestingly to be anything other than deliberate.

What I never realized until now, upon seeing the video, is just how much that separate motion actually contributes to the feel of the effects. It can clearly be seen that the motion of the ships is far more static and lifeless with the independently moving backgrounds removed, while the counterintuitive motion of the stars can create a sort of dizzying, high-speed swerving feel that really pulls the viewer into the experience. I think it may in fact be one of the single most important elements of why the effects in Star Wars are so much more convincing than those of almost any other film.

My already great respect for the work done by the original artists has just gone up even more. Thanks for demonstrating it all so clearly!