Why no hyperspace effects in the PT?

Hardly the most pressing of galaxy-wide issues, but it's always struck me as odd that two of the most distinctive SW effects of the OT aren't included in the PT at all - the 'star-streak' through the cockpit window as a ship enters hyperspace, or the actual Dr Who-type view of hyperspace while travelling.
They're used in all three films of the OT, & also in TCW, for that matter, but unless I'm very mistaken, not once in the PT.

There are the external views of ships entering & leaving hyperspace, that sort of stretching before the ship disappears or reappears, but not the truly memorable hyperspace effects. Very odd omission, they're hardly dated or anything.

 

Are you sure?

I can't pinpoint an exact scene, but I have a vague image in my head of Anakin in front of a cockpit window while they come out of hyperspace...

 

Nope.

I've heard that Lucas wanted to reserve the "excitement" of the hyperspace effects for the OT.

 

It's because the cockpits aren't big enough to fit a couch/bench on which to shoot a shot/reverse shot dialog scene.

 

I've always wondered why too. As you say, it's really distincive of Star Wars and stunning special effect, and it would have helped bridge the 2 trilogies easier.

To keep the excitement and surprise for the OT, it's really baffling...

 

Yes, this is what I've heard too. The PT intentionally omits that view of hyperspace from within the cockpit, and only shows the view of the ship from the outside, disappearing into hyperspace.

 

I'd rather they kept the "surprise" of force lightning til ROTJ.

 

On one of my theatrical viewings of AOTC, when Obi-Wan blocked Dooku's lightning, a friend of mine said, "I wonder why he never taught Luke how to do that?" Indeed. Although my answer would be that he never really had the opportunity.

IOW I agree. I had never noticed that about the lack of hyperspace effects though. What bothered me were the hyperspace "rings" that Obi-Wan's (and Anakin's as well?) ship attached to. I just assumed that PT ships would have the ability to go into hyperspace on their own just as OT ships did.

 

Its indeed an odd omission. As Halibut said, why not "preserve" the force lightning for ROTJ? As Ord said, it would have been a very subtle, non obstructive, and non contrived way of connecting the two trilogies (unlike putting Hayden, Naboo, and Conruscant in ROTJ).

 

You're thinking of a scene from the Clone Wars movie.

 

I read somewhere years ago that Lucas wanted the moment when the Millenium Falcon uses hyperspace to escape from Tatooine in A New Hope to be the first onscreen instance of hyperspace starlines in the saga. I read that sometime after the release of Phantom Menace.

 

I thought this was common knowledge.

I never really understood Lucas's reasoning with this, much bigger scenes are spoiled by the prequels.Father Vader being the obvious one.

 

That's right It's something that Lucas wanted to save for the OT, for the chronological viewers of the saga! Which is a good thing, I think

 

I thought I read somewhere that the reason they needed those "hyperspace rings" is because the smaller ships during that time period didn't have hyperdrives-only the larger ones did. Then, sometime in the 20 years between ROTS and ANH, they developed what would become the "mini-hyperdrive" that could be installed onto ships even as small as a starfighter, like the X-Wing. Another thing I found interesting that kind of connects with this is the fact that TIE fighters do not have hyperdrives. Luke even mentions "a fighter THAT SIZE couldn't get this far out into space on its own...", as if that idea was somewhat common knowledge for smaller ships.

 

Yeah it does seem a bit silly, but to be honest i have never really noticed untill now!

Yeah, the fool threw his lightsabre away, i mean, what did he think Palpatine was going to do? just say "oh, ok...of you pop then"