Yoda

Know what Star Wars Episode IV would reveal the audience did not. Fan Ray Layton this experience had when a padawan he still was. He says much information about the movie there was not—little more than posters and a few trailers, hmmm (Layton n.p.). High expectations some like him had, but beyond it being exciting their hopes were not (n.p.). Seen movies with effects of today the audience yet had not. Doing something never done Master Lucas wanted to do, yes, and to do this free he was. Open-ended the assignments and creativity were for his helpers (Wolff n.p.). Create with their hands they could. A feeling of "boys building model planes" it was, yes (n.p.). Reality their technology could make not, hmmmm, but expect perfect reality Master Lucas or the audience also did not. As fast-paced as today the battles were not, but excited the audience still was

(watch clip 2 now).

See, unexpected the result turned out to be. "Unlike anything that I had ever seen before," Master Layton reveals (Layton n.p.). Exceed his expectations it did; clap at the end the audience did (n.p.).

Master Lucas the power of the Force did show. But a divide between nature and technology—clear it was. To Obiwan you listen!

Obiwan Kenobi

Yes, nature and technology. Both are useful and important (Lee). “Life creates it,” and thus, nature is important to its flow (Star Wars V.31). And the Force is always more powerful than technology. In episodes 4-6, let me show how they were used. On Tatooine, the desert planet in 4, I hid, and watched over Luke. When I was struck down and was afterwards only an apparition, I spoke to Luke as he flew in his X-Wing near the end of the film. “Use the Force, Luke,” I said (Star Wars IV.47). He switched off his targeting computer, which had already failed another fighter pilot. The goal was to set off a chain reaction of explosions in the Death Star by shooting two proton torpedoes into an exhaust port, a two-meter target. One young man had said, during the briefing, “That’s too small, even for a computer” (Star Wars IV.42). He did not understand the power of the Force. Luke, by applying his knowledge of the Force, was able to fly in such a way, and fire those proton torpedoes in such a way, that he could avoid his own death by the efforts of Darth Vader, and destroy the Death Star. Because he could feel it “flow through” him, he became the only hope to destroy the “technological terror [the empire had] constructed” (Star Wars IV.20). Having destroyed the Death Star, they returned to the moon, Yavin 4, where the Rebel Alliance had gathered years ago.
Now, since the empire knew the location of the Rebel base, to what place from this very natural habitat would the Rebels go? They would go to Hoth, where the storms rage, and the cold is nigh unbearable. Yes, they would rely upon nature to avoid being found by the emperor. There, it was difficult to adjust the speeders to the cold (Star Wars V.6), the power of technology succumbed to the powers of nature.

When the empire found the rebels on Hoth, it was through a combination of probe droids searching the galaxy and Vader using the dark side of the Force. When Luke was on Dagobah with Yoda, he could see Han and Leia and Chewy, his friends, at Bespin, without the use of technology. Luke was surrounded by living things and his vision through the Force was better than Vader’s who was in deep space.

I might go on into episode 6, and show how Luke and the rebels and the Ewoks were able to overcome evil and technology on Endor. But it’s clear the Force is stronger in episodes 4-6 for people and creatures in nature, and they overpower technology. They rely less on technological powers than does the Dark Side of the Force. My apprentice and good friend, Luke Skywalker, experienced the conflict between nature and technology in his training and growth as a Jedi.

C3PO

Might I also add how very important nature was in the Original Episodes. Lucas filmed these episodes on various outdoor sets in locations around the world, including: Tunisia, Guatemala, England, Arizona and California. Episode 3 however was done entirely in-studio (see link-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uZH9i3J4rw&feature=related). Not only was it incredibly hard for the actors to perform with nothing to evoke real emotion, I was never given the opportunity to get out and stretch my gold plated legs (Reeves).
More evidence of Lucas using nature in episodes IV-VI can be found in his decision to implement a potato (see link-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKsVVmOGV9I) as one of the asteroids (starwars.com). That is correct, while it appeared that Han was navigating us all through a perilous field of asteroids, it was no more dangerous than flying over Idaho. Lucas also turned to other foods for inspiration. The Millennium Falcon was patterned after the shape of a hamburger with an olive on the side (Lucas).
Due to the lack of nature and overuse of technology the newest Star Wars Episodes are far too busy! The backgrounds and scenery of the original episodes are full of scenic skies, natural landscapes, and relatively calm backgrounds. The new episodes contain constant movement and brilliantly colored backgrounds that scream they were technologically enhanced. Take for example these shots from the Original Episode and Episode III. In the Original Episode R2D2 and I are in a wide open area of Death Valley, CA. In Episode III we were simply in front of a blue screen. There is absolutely nothing real about that background. By relying so heavily on computers and technology Lucas lost the forceful effect of reality.

Luke Skywalker

I am a Jedi, like my father before me. Obiwan and Yoda taught me the ways of the Force. Surrounded by nature during my training on Dagobah, I learned that nature and technology are just part of the great conflict between the good side and the Dark side of the Force (watch clip 1 now). And in the original Star Wars, I brought balance to the force. I faced evil and overcame it. But have you seen the new Star Wars? Episodes 1-3? What a piece of junk! The struggle between good and evil was totally undermined.

So what made the original episodes so good? It was the focus on the conflict. The audience came for the classic struggle between good and evil. And it was the conflict between good and evil that compelled audiences to come back—to experience my journey time and time again.

When I first began my training as a Jedi, I was young, headstrong, never my mind on where I was or what I was doing (Star Wars V.26). I worked on a farm, and only wished that someone could alter time, speed up the harvest, or teleport me off the rock of a planet I lived on.

But as the story unfolded, I realized that I was more than a mere farm boy. The original trilogy follows my path in becoming a Jedi. I was not afraid. I faced Vader and the evil empire that boasted to be the ultimate power in the universe (Star Wars IV.16). The empire's technology and weaponry easily destroyed entire planets. But it was my destiny to stop them and to save the galaxy. And the fight scenes were proof of my desitny. The action sequences carried meaning, purpose, and charged dialogue (watch clip 3 now). I could not escape my destiny. And in the end—good really did conquer evil. That was the original Star Wars story. That's what people wanted to see.

Han Solo

Great, Kid. Don’t get cocky. Since nature versus technology and good versus evil are key themes in episodes 4-6, my relationship with Leia became a sub-priority. Luke just told me that she’s pretty (true) and she had lots of money. For me that was pretty significant, but all that came from that were a few scenes of her squabbling at me and finally admitting her true feelings for me. We were just breathers from all of Luke’s action scenes, or even from the whole movie (watch clip 6 now).

Yoda

But different now things are. Expect more from movies the audience does. The pressure on Master Lucas must have been great, hmmmm. Evolution the films have seen. Increasingly fast they are; hold attention they must (Choi 150). To captivate is what they seek through unending auditory and visual stimuli, yes (150-151). Captivate the brain, yes (151). Biological the attraction is. Accustomed to attention being kept always the audience has become, accustomed to overflow of brain stimuli. Learning the movie companies are. More appealing is fiction over documentary, pictorial over abstract, fast-paced over slow, hmmm (150). Old narrative films too boring, yes, too slow even with great promotion and funding (151). When more action one has seen, more boring anything less appears. Evolution of expectations of the brain the audience has experienced.

Not only biological the change is. Cultural it is as well. Cartoon company leader knows faster and younger are our young padawans growing older (Tracy A27). More fast-paced the cartoons have become over time. Accustomed to "savvy entertainment" or entertainment that "is a bit more live-action" they are, yes (Tracy A27). Prompted the company is to expand into more live-action cartoons, for competitive the market is (Tracy A27). More fast-paced society is becoming every day. "I sense much fear in you" (Star Wars I). For kids the new episodes are directed? Think so some may, but even young padawans seek more action than used to be.

One more expectation the audience of today has: media competition. More competitive entertainment has become. More places to find it there are. The creators of film must offer something more than iPods, Wi-Fi laptops, Xboxes, and Bluetooth phones, yes (2). Feel it to be the "blood-and-guts demands of show business" many do (1). Seen as a "revolution" of technology it is (2). Many more options the audience has. More expensive than ever it has become, yet entertainment more divided than ever (2). Worse I fear it will become, for "always in motion is the future" (Star Wars V).

Gone the days are when creators could create as "boys building model planes," yes (Wolff n.p.). Freedom to create there was, but now is not (Wolff n.p.). Sad it is, the fate of the new movies, but why see a movie Master Lucas knows: special effects, hmmmm, yes (Lee 103). Great pressure is never gone from an animator of Star Wars, no. No question should there be of what something is; photo-real they must be as artist, Church, reveals (Wolff). Much pressure it is, for expect it the audience does (Wolff). Fear of the audience is not wise. "Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering" (Star Wars I).

Master Lucas tried to make real the scenes, "insisted on rust and dents," yes, wanted reality the audience to see (Wolff). Wanted consistency with old movies he also did. But airbrushed the future is not. Star Wars the future is not. A galaxy far, far away it is, and long time ago (Wolff n.p.). Real-looking it is. Warned Master Lucas should have been. "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will" (Star Wars V). A quest for animating perfection is impossible to complete, hmmm, but perfection the audience expects. A careful but required path they walked, for go too far and the audience believes not the film (Wolff n.p.), but go not far enough and unsatisfied the audience becomes.

But many changes there were. "Lost [consistency] Master [Lucas] has. How embarrassing" (Star Wars II). New possibilities and new expectations for constant and amazing effects a great divide did create. "Unprecedented feats" the characters could now perform, yes; the droids and the puppets were no longer inhibited by lack of technology (Wolff n.p.), hmmmmm (compare clip 4 to clip 9 now). Create a divide in the movies it did. Men in suits and puppets no more were used, animator Chiang reveals (Wolff n.p.) (compare clip 5 to clip 8 now). Fast-paced they could make me as well, but different I was (watch clip 10 now).

Even design droids too thin for a body inside they tried (Wolff n.p.). Hmph. "Luminous beings are we. Not this crude matter" of computer pixels (Star Wars V). Confuse original themes the new technology did. Line between nature and technology greatly blurred, I fear. Good and bad distorted as well. Love… mmm… love no longer overshadowed; main theme it becomes. Disturbing these changes are. To Obiwan you listen!

Obiwan Kenobi

I sensed a disturbance in the theme of nature and technology during episodes 1-3. It is as the transformation of Anakin to Darth Vader. From a certain point of view (mine), technology seems to have overtaken the Jedi council from the beginning of episodes 1-3. Remember their place of gathering. Remember the tower. Around them flew thousands upon thousands of space-cruisers and speeders through the great city on Coruscant. The Jedi in episodes 4-6 were in nature. They were fast enough and strong enough to do well in a city or a spaceport, but they were, as I said before, in nature: Tatooine’s deserts, Yavin 4’s forests, Hoth’s tundra. But right in the middle of a big city? The Jedi? Yoda once said, “Life creates it.” Surrounded by technological wonders in episodes 1-3, the Jedi rely upon them, like Yoda on his hoverchair in the council room. Luke knew where Bespin was as a partially trained Jedi. But I, a Master, relied upon computers in episode 2 just to find a planet. That’s what the Dark Side did in episodes 4-6! I shouldn’t have needed a computer. I wouldn’t even have thought of trying that. I should have just trusted my feelings like Yoda and the Padowans did just after that foolish mistake.

In episode 1, before the great Pod Race, Qui-Gon Jinn told Anakin to trust his feelings, to use the Force as he races in his pod against Sebulba and the other constestants. However, while Anakin promises, “I will,” to Qui-Gon, we are never shown that Anakin relies on the Force during the Pod-race. Neither does he mention later having felt the force during the race. This is in total contradiction to Luke’s use of the Force as an untrained Jedi in episode 4. In a perfect moment when the force should have been used, when there was potential to make the films consistent and mirror each other, Master Lucas failed.