Design failures (and successes) of the PT

So clearly everyone here finds the PT inferior to the OT.  And equally clearly, everyone despises a number of plot points, from the very basis of even including Anakin, to the Chosen One prophecy, to midichlorians, to racial stereotypes (I'm not buying that one, personally), to Jedi masters with lightsabers, and so forth.  To exacerbate the criticisms, people then turn to the acting, wherein some of the most amazing actors of our day seem to give wooden performances, while others (sexy handsome Hayden, anyone?) of lesser establishment couldn't act their way out of an open beach shade tent.  But one issue less touched upon are the design issues.  Now honestly, I must admit that this may be one of the PT's stronger points, as there are several great designs throughout the trilogy.  But there are several design flaws as well.  I will name those that spring most readily to mind.

There is no iconic main ship, no equivalent to the Millennium Falcon.  We come to love that ship as a unique character of the OT, yet there is nothing, absolutely no one ship that makes it through the entire trilogy.  There are few that make it through two films (I can only think of Padme's silver ship in AOTC and ROTS and the Naboo fighters from TPM and AOTC off the top of my head), and of those that do , we see so little of them and it has so little character that it literally doesn't matter at all.

In a similar vein, there are no iconic designs of more mass-produced ships.  The X-wings, Star Destroyers, TIE Fighters, all last throughout the OT, all have an iconic, memorable look, all play a significant role in the films, and all provide a sense of continuity.  Now I like the Naboo fighter design.  But it is introduced at the end of the first film, is shown briefly at the beginning of the next, and then has no important ongoing role for the rest of the trilogy.  There are other similar ships, but it seems like they are always changing, like the Droid Control ships, the cruisers that are essentially mini Star Destroyers (can't remember the class of either, nor do I care to look it up at the moment), but there is nothing to remind us that, yes, we are watching movies in the same continuity.

Where else does the PT fall short in design?  And to be fair, what are its successes?

I have a particularily strong dislike for the lack of visual continuity between the OT & PT.

Now, I'm not talking about the shiny-vs-used-universe thing or even how technology in the PT looks more advanced than technology in the OT; I'm talking about how things which appear in both trilogies -- Obi-Wan and Anakin's lightsabers, the Tantive IV, Vader's armour, etc. --  don't match up on a visual level.

The forcefield thing that our heroes get stuck in on General Grievous's ship at the beginning of RotS has got to be the laziest, lamest effect I've ever seen.

EDIT: Y'know, this thing:

The wardrobe design is pretty bad, at least for the Jedi. Despite the alien Jedi's facial features, overall, the Jedi come across as visually bland, all wearing brown hooded cloaks. I understand that Lucas was trying to stress the idea, visually, of Jedi living and thinking like monks but regardless the end result was making these characters look bland.

Kamino was a great looking planet. I know that's a theme of the Star Wars universe to have planets that are based on simple ideas: a cloud planet, swamp planet, desert planet, etc. So one fully covered with ocean continued in that same vein but provided some great atmosphere. Unfortunately the cloning station looked to "present day" in that it looked like the Apple store.

Purple should never been introduced into the Jedi's lightsabers. Blue vs Red, serenity vs anger was a simple but effective visual distinction for the good guys and bad guys. Luke was originally going to have a blue lightsaber in Return of the Jedi but for design resigns they wanted it to match the green of Endor. I'm okay with that because you could argue that since Luke was new to the ways of the Jedi, the lightsaber he constructed on his own, without proper training, might be different from the standard Jedi lightsaber. But having all the Jedi with blue, green, and purple lightsabers made it look like a rave, especially when congregated to fight on the wannabe Tatooine planet.

The droid cannon fodder had silly designs that made them look totally un-menacing. 

I did however like the design and colors of the senate room where Yoda and Sidious do battle. It felt like Star Wars right there despite my gripe with showing Yoda bounce around like a pin ball with a lightsaber.

Voss Caltrez said:

Purple should never been introduced into the Jedi's lightsabers.

Urge to BOO! rising ... 

Failure: "Jedi" robes. Since when are all Jedi moisture farmers?

Success: Senate Guards. I love how they took the Royal Guards and made them more human and classical.

Ryan McAvoy said:

If other things in the PT had the same echoes of real world stuff it would have been better IMO (e.g. Han was a cowboy).

But wasn't Padme a brothel madam?

The only design I liked from the prequels was the Destroyer droids. The things with cobra-like upper bodies that could fold into rolling balls. They seemed pretty imposing. At least next to the skeletal dog-faced battle droids in the prequels anyway.

^Yes, they were indeed impressive. It would have been so awesome to have seen them side-by-side with IG-88 type droids instead of those stupid "roger roger" robots.

As has been mentioned, the pod-racers and droidekas had good designs. I don't understand those who hate the pods because they're "obvious copies of chariots." As if everything in the OT was completely separate from real world concepts.

I also like Theed, Otah Gunga (or whatever that Gungan city was called). The Gungans...not so much, though they could have been tolerable if the ones that got screen time weren't so goofy. General Grievous's wheel thing isn't bad, although I don't know if one could really consider it a success in terms of design.

RicOlie_2 said:

As has been mentioned, the pod-racers and droidekas had good designs. I don't understand those who hate the pods because they're "obvious copies of chariots." As if everything in the OT was completely separate from real world concepts.

I also like Theed, Otah Gunga (or whatever that Gungan city was called). The Gungans...not so much, though they could have been tolerable if the ones that got screen time weren't so goofy. General Grievous's wheel thing isn't bad, although I don't know if one could really consider it a success in terms of design.

 I didn't even get the reference to chariots for the pod-racers. I just didn't like the design. They didn't seem like something that would be in the SW universe.

I didn't like the Droidekas either but they were a little better than the roger*roger droids. I didn't like how everything in the prequels had technological designs that were modern and smooth. In the OT everything was square and clunky like 80s tech devices, and in recent times everything got less angular and more curved. So shouldn't the tech in the PT be similar? The Droidekas also reflect this incongruity.

Voss Caltrez said:

I didn't even get the reference to chariots for the pod-racers. I just didn't like the design. They didn't seem like something that would be in the SW universe.

No offense, but that doesn't make a lick of sense. The podracers are basically just souped-up landspeeders.

My biggest problem with the Pod racers was the lack of fuel tanks.

Although I despise the prequels in many, many ways... I will point out something that was better in the prequels than in the OT for a change although it really is a small thing and does not make for a better film it's more of an aesthetic.

The Prequel Trilogy never felt to shy or it too complicated to show ships taking off and Landing. Now some may argue that it is not important to see the ships our heroes are piloting take off and land but I think it is.

In all of the OT the only proper Landing I can remember was the Falcon putting down on Bespin Landing platform. and the only proper take off was the Falcon blasting out of Mos-Eisley Oh And Boba Fett Slave 1 although even that felt inferior to the ATOC take off which drew many themes from cloud city.

The prequels always showed the magnificence of flight yet it looked a bit plastic in some regards and too cgi.

Special edition haters cover your eyes!!!

Proper exhilarating Take off of x-wing in POV view out the temple  hanger in ANH prior to battle of Yavin. As Seen in Star Wars Battle Pod (YES PLEASE!!!)

Proper Exhilarating take off of T-47 in POV view out the Echo Base Hanger in ESB prior to the battle of Hoth. As seen in Star Wars Battle Pod (YES PLEASE!!!)

Proper Exhilarating take off of Millenium Falcon in POV view out of Home One prior to the battle of Endor. As seen in the Star Wars Battle Pod (YES PLEASE!!!)

I actually only came across Star Wars Battle POD today and it really made me realise an edge that the prequels have on the OT but without the good story it is unfortunately not something to keep you coming back to the films for more magnificence of flight sequences. But if the OT had them I would have liked the special edition to go the extra mile and match the PT in this regard in some instances.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSqNgKsXmIQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bob41EQ9ifM

Had the technology have been there without doubt for the OT. But also The OT made you feel like you were there and the PT really did not make you feel like you were in many respects because of the plastic look.