Creating a galaxy

I first realized this when watching the Maltin/Lucas interview on the 1995 video release, but there's been a change in this as the series progressed. Lucas said that he tries to have three major environment in each movie, and to have them as different as possible in the context of each film individually, as well as being as different as possible from film to film. What Maltin had pointed out was that Return of the Jedi had a large part of the action taking place on the ground.

If you watch Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, there's a major difference between them and the subsequent films. Star Wars spends its first hour on the ground, on Tattooine, and ends on Yavin. But in between there's an entire middle act that takes place in space; specifically, on the Death Star. Empire begins on Hoth, climaxes at Bespin, and has Luke spending the middle act on Dagobah. But it also has a middle act where, once again, the major location is just somewhere in space. We see a space chase, we see Han and Leia hanging out in the Falcon, and Vader barking orders to his officers on board his Star Destroyer.

In subsequent films, outer space was never the major environment it had been. The second Death Star provides only one major setting and action set piece: the throne room and lightsaber duel. The first half hour takes place on Tattooine. The rebels have one briefing in space, and then the space battle, but the rest of their time is focused on Endor, at least until Luke leaves them behind.

In Episode I, characters travel from one planet to another, but only at the beginning and end is there a major space sequence. The rest of the film is focused less on space, and more on what happens on the planets the people travel to. Episode II had one major outer space sequence: the asteroid belt sequence. Other than that, the major action sequences are on the ground. Episode III begins with a space battle, but the rest of it is on the ground. Neither Episode II nor Episode III had a major space battle at the climax; their climaxes are ground battles and lightsaber duels.

Part of this is probably due to budget, the rest to technology. The question is, which is more effective in selling this galaxy to the audience? Space sells itself, since it reminds the audience that this is an adventure in the stars. But the worlds help to show the diversity of that galaxy and show how it is different from ours.

 

Part of this is probably due to budget, the rest to technology. The question is, which is more effective in selling this galaxy to the audience? Space sells itself, since it reminds the audience that this is an adventure in the stars. But the worlds help to show the diversity of that galaxy and show how it is different from ours.

I think it depended upon the story that Lucas was telling in each movie. He still managed to spend a good deal in space during Anakin and Padme's trip to Naboo and Obi-Wan's trip to Geonosis in AOTC and the beginning of ROTS.

 

Mmmm, I think you're right. The PT does spend way too much time planetside.

If it wasn't for the opening battle in ROTS I would've forgotten that Star Wars still existed ^^

 

R2-D2 kind of reminded me of Star Wars.

 

It's the nature of the events and the players involved, really.

Clone Wars=massive engagements (which, obviously, taking planets is going to be key to) with opponents of equality.

Galactic Civil War-engagements between a light-footed guerrilla force that gets mauled when the Empire catches it on the ground.

And Empire spends at least as much time on the ground between Hoth, Dagobah, and Bespin as it does in space, IMO.