For this thread, I’m focusing on the first trilogy, especially Episode IV:A New Hope.
I know it’s not exactly 50 years yet, but close enough for blaster fire.
Back in 1977, the look and feel of Star Wars seemed very futuristic, if space opera. I didn’t actually see the first movie in the theater, but by Empire I was all in.
Naturally as a young boy in the seventies and eighties, I fell in love with the characters, the adventure, the space tech. I collected the toys and analyzed the plot with my siblings.
What I wasn’t sophisticated enough to notice was how much the futuristic stuff was actually modeled on old tech.
Take the droids: C3PO was a human-shaped metal robot that walked and talked, a bit stiffly and without moving features. Little did I know that he was actually derived from the futuristic projections of a movie from 1927.
It makes sense that humans would prefer a robot that looks vaguely humanoid for regular interaction. And perhaps Lucas thought a more humanlike droid would work against the intended feel. Nevertheless, what we now have invented with robotics will have is leapfrog C3PO.
What about R2D2, the little intrepid droid that could? Certainly having different shaped droids for different purposes makes sense, and R2 is a story of mechanical Swiss- army knife of space vessels. But there really is no reason why she should be constrained to only speak in beeps and whistles. But what it does is make R2 seem more of a pet than a fully independent person, which is appropriate for a droid.
For contrast, think of Twiggy from Buck Rogers. They struggled to find a voice that worked.
The other droids in the movies are mostly eye-candy, used to demonstrate droids are commonplace and used for innumerable purposes.
Okay, what about weapons? The guns are a type of energy blast discharge rather than a solid projectile or a beam weapon. They have the energy feel for a futuristic look but at the same time are constrained functionally like bullets. More on this in the vehicles discussion.
That brings us to probably the singular iconic item of the series - the laser sword lightsaber. A sword for a sword and sorcery type movie, but with a twist to make it space age. And boy is the lightsaber concept fun. Of course the practicality of such a weapon really leaves a lot to be desired in a galaxy without the Force.
Imagine swinging that around in the gym. Heck, think about the newbies who get carried away before they master the force. A little too close and oops - there goes a leg.
Also take the fact that there isn’t a hilt, so blades can slide right down onto the opponents hands.
I’m reflecting on that training scene in the Falcon when Luke puts on the helmet and tries to deflect shots from a pulse droid. I hope Ben thought carefully about where to do that so he wouldn’t accidentally carve up a bulkhead.
That brings us to the Space vessels and their overall style. What seems obvious now in hindsight is how much they were designed off the look and feel of WWII airplanes.
Take the x-wing, a WWII fighter plane set in space. It flies like an airplane, it shoots like an airplane, it has a glass cockpit and flight suit like an airplane.
Now look at the most iconic space vehicle of all time - the Millennium Falcon. That wedged disk seems truly original. But look at that cockpit, derived from a bomber aircraft from WWII. Check out the turret guns that are human operated like turret guns on said airplanes. Now we know an automated laser cannon system works be much faster at targeting, and many more guns could be operated than the number of crew present.
All of these elements seem to be much less futuristic now that we are 30 years in our own future.
