As the Resistance X wings are practically Ralph McQuarrie’s concept painting of them come to life, I have no issues with them.
That’s exactly the problem I have with them. I don’t regard McQuarrie as a great designer but as a great concept artist. I believe the workflow of the designing process by the OT era was Ralph making a concept, GL aproving it, and the guys at ILM making a final version with some modifications which made it “technically” feasible. In the case of the X Wing, the idea of an engine split it too doesn’t really feel good to my gut. It could be four-engined as it was in the OT, or with two engines and the S-foils opening after the exterior line of the engines, which would remain whole.
At some things like this, I feel a little condescended as a fan. Like “see how faithful we are to the OT? we’re making real the original designs of McQuarrie, be happy”, while most of Ralph designs aren’t actually conclussive on theirselves without the part of materiality that was imported by ILM’s input. The DeathStar feels heavy on the final film while it was light in the design. Bubbleheaded star destroyers, Stormtroopers, Vader, etc.
The interior of the Starkiller did remind me of levels in the old Dark Forces/Jedi Outcast games. I half expected Kyle Katarn to show up.
It was expressionistic to me. Like with chiaroscuros. Han’s death matte painting was straight out of GianBattista Piranesi’s chiaroscuros.
Lest we forget, Vader himself has roots in old cliffhanger serial villains who are merely a guy in a scary mask disguising their voice.
Yet somehow those villains weren’t nearly as succesfuls as Vader. And if get it right, nor will be Kylo.
Not so subtle WWII imagery is nothing new in Star Wars either.
Trouble it’s that the reference is so obvious it gets you out of the movie.