Help me design a cockpit of a small spaceship
Corey Martins, US
Answer
Tony replies
The original and prequel trilogies have a very different visual feel, and that’s only partly due to the decades between them. More importantly, the two stories they tell are different. Episodes IV-VI are all about desolate planets, primitive peoples and a struggling rebellion. As such, the ships from those movies tend to look like they’ve been maintained on a tight budget. Episodes I-III, on the other hand, take place largely on advanced worlds, often in the midst of royalty. These ships are more likely to be slick, polished machines kept in pristine condition.
It’s worth noting that the original X-wing cockpits look more like old fighter planes than modern jets. The films’ ships interiors all have far fewer buttons, lights and gauges than your average 747. In contrast, real-life planes have instrument panels busier than a shopping mall on Christmas Eve. It could be the advanced technology, the astromech droid, or just the fact that it’s more visually appealing, but I’ve yet to see a ship in a Star Wars product that has so many instruments.