After launching the globally successful Star Wars franchise with the original trilogy, filmmaker George Lucas returned to the galaxy far, far away for the prequel trilogy. The prequels proved to be extremely divisive among the critics and fans, never quite earning the same reverence as the originals.
However, one interview where Lucas discussed the first installment in the prequel trilogy proves that the films are massively underrated, especially when it comes to the cinematic achievements they feature. In the interview, Lucas spoke about the massive effort that went into creating one scene from The Phantom Menace that is truly a CGI marvel.
George Lucas Talked About Creating an Underwater Society in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
George Lucas returned to his epic space opera saga after nearly sixteen years with 1999’s The Phantom Menace. The film is set before the rise of the Empire and depicts the Republic during its heyday. As a result, the film is visually much different from the original trilogy entries.
During an interview with Bill Moyers, Lucas discussed the new and captivating worlds he introduced to the viewers in The Phantom Menace, particularly, the underwater society of Otoh Gunga, on the planet Naboo. The society was derived from his desire to explore settings he hadn’t previously explored in the franchise.
Lucas explained that while creating a setting like the Otoh Gunga, his team had to develop every small aspect of the society, including facets such as their culture, religious faith, economics, etc. He said:
Most of it doesn’t appear in the movie, but you have to have thought it through, otherwise there’s — something always rings very untrue or phony about what it is that’s going on.
The acclaimed filmmaker added that while he enjoyed creating such settings, grounding them in a sense of realism was challenging for him. As a result, Lucas followed his own sense of science while crafting such settings but ensured not to break the rules once he had devised them.
George Lucas Discussed the Visual Effects of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
During the same interview, Luas also spoke about the advent of digital technology, which helped him make the world of Star Wars more expansive and inhabited. The filmmaker explained that prior to the progress of CGI, he was limited in his ability.
The progression of technology in filmmaking by the time he made The Phantom Menace allowed Lucas to truly flex his imagination.
It was just impossible. You couldn’t build a set big enough. You couldn’t create that reality.
Lucas made the above statement about a scene that takes place on a landing platform in the middle of a city. The filmmaker explained that before the advent of CGI, such scenes were impossible to execute with a sense of realism.
From Lucas’ comments, it is evident that he and his team put a lot of thought and effort into crafting the visual aesthetic of the prequels. Moreover, the films pushed the boundaries of CGI at a time when the technology was relatively new. Hence, The Phantom Menace deserves more credit at least in the visual effects department.
The Star Wars movies are streaming on Disney+.
