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What happened to the 'used' universe?

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This has been randomly bugging me- in the OT Lucas wanted all of the tech and the planets, etc to have a 'used' or 'lived-in' look to them which greatly added to the 'reality' of the characters and situations. Then along come the prequels, and everything is in bright shiny and/or colorful brand new condition- even the 'slums' of Coruscant for the most part. That alone made me feel like I was watching cartoons or something.

Has anyone seen or read anything in which Lucas or the production team explains why this is per the story, or do I just chock it up to 'no time to age stuff, we need to digitally clone more droids'?
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Lucas says that it is because in the prequel era, everthing was well kept and maintained but when the Empire took over and times changed, things fell into disrepair.

Still, just look at the pristine Cloud City in the OT or the slums of Tatooine in The Phantom menace. It is a matter of how-well the places are kept, not how old they actually are.

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So, everyone stopped cleaning up after themselves after Palp took over? come on now.

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No, but in the midst of war, polishing the chrome on your ship is the least of your worries. For Lando, it was another thing. He is a businessman, and getting people to invest in your company or buy your product is all about presentation. That's why Bespin was so clean by comparison. It's for show and for the sake of "first impressions." He's not directly fighting in the war although he is affected by it.

This is why the ships are no longer clean in Ep III as opposed to Eps I and II. In those, the war hadn't really begun in full scale yet. Ships are clean. Now you're in a war and you are fighting and your only concern is the maintenance of the ships to make sure they work. Beauty takes a backseat to functionality.

Do you really think the soldiers in Iraq are polishing the chrome on their Humvees?
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
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Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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Originally posted by: Bossk
Do you really think the soldiers in Iraq are polishing the chrome on their Humvees?


If they want to keep their spinners looking off tha' chain they better be.

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Originally posted by: Anakin's Mannequin
If they want to keep their spinners looking off tha' chain they better be.


Yo yo yo! Dat's just whack! Me n' my homieeezzzz be rollin' up in Osama's hood, yo! Wit' dem spinners on our Hummaz lookin' dope. It's off da hook, yo!

I can't believe I just typed that.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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"Lucas says that it is because in the prequel era, everthing was well kept and maintained but when the Empire took over and times changed, things fell into disrepair."

Just another way of saying he wanted all his CG to look shiny and pretty. I noticed that the ships in the middle of the Clone Wars look pretty damn sparkly as well. It would appear that the "garbage filter" was applied to the writing, rather than the visuals.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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and how would you explain Obi Wans ship in AOTC....
not really the nicest looking thing....

i think this is a plot hole that will never really be solved.... because Lucas can only tell us what it means.... his word to me means dick all..

i need to see it up on screen for it to have any merit
"Never. I'll never turn to the darkside. You've failed your highness. I am a jedi, like my father before me."
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Originally posted by: Bossk
Yo yo yo! Dat's just whack! Me n' my homieeezzzz be rollin' up in Osama's hood, yo! Wit' dem spinners on our Hummaz lookin' dope. It's off da hook, yo!

I can't believe I just typed that.



LOL!
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I didn't mean to say everything (IE Tatooine) looked pristine, but I do get the impression that less thought and effort were put into making things in the PT more visually consistent with the OT.

Kinda like in 'flashback' or time-travel movies- why is it that when a character goes back to, say, the 1950s that everyone drives brand-new 1950s cars... wouldn't there be some old junkers driving around still of 1940s or 1930s models?
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Originally posted by: greencapt

Kinda like in 'flashback' or time-travel movies- why is it that when a character goes back to, say, the 1950s that everyone drives brand-new 1950s cars... wouldn't there be some old junkers driving around still of 1940s or 1930s models?


true.
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That's something Back to the Future got right at least.

Still, I think in The Clone Wars it doesn't really count because it's a cartoon. Like I said, look at Tatooine in TMP and AoTC; Watto's shop, Anikan's neiborhood. They look pretty trashy because their located in the armpit of Tatooine.
But Coruscant is the capital and is meticulously cleaned to remain pristine.
Remember before the club scene, did anakin not crash and fall of Zam's speeder into a pile of old trash containers or something?

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"did anakin not crash and fall of Zam's speeder into a pile of old trash containers or something?"

The one token trash bin in Coruscant, and Anakin just happens to land in it. LOL

"In my experience, there's no such thing as luck"

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>