10 More Important Star Wars Details That Are Almost Never Mentioned
3. The Prequels Being "More Advanced" Than The Originals Actually Makes Sense
Fans often complain about the Star Wars prequels looking more technologically "advanced" than the original trilogy, and while this is a common problem in prequels of any kind, Star Wars actually manages to get away with it better than most franchises.
For starters, it's important to remember that the original trilogy focuses more on heroes who are part of a seat-of-the-pants rebellion without the access to shiny, newfangled tech.
Comparatively, the prequels are set in a far wealthier, more bureaucratic environment for the most part, with the Republic's emphasis on gloss and flashiness, compared to the brutal functionality of the rebellion's wares in the originals.
Given that Obi-Wan straight-up refers to the Empire's rule in A New Hope as "the dark times," it makes perfect sense that the accompanying aesthetic would be considerably more gritty and run-down.
The world of Star Wars is huge, and the originals and prequels respectively only cover miniscule pockets of it, so it's not really true that the prequels' tech is inconsistent with that of the originals.