[PvK]

I'd have to watch the pod race again to give detailed reasons why it was so unbelievable. I'm sure kids on an arcade game can push buttons at insane speeds. I don't believe though that any contraption is going to have the maneuver characterstics shown, nor will it be as easy to control them as just pushing a button or jerking a control stick. Maybe there's some explanation to the way they moved that involves force fields rather than direct control, but my reaction to watching it was just that it was a lot less believable than someone redirecting lazer bLasts with a light saber (which is saying a lot).

As for SW not being hard-core sci-fi, well yes, but there is interesting and somewhat internally consistent space opera and fiction, and there is lame and inconsistent. Of course, people probably draw their lines in different directions. Personally, I think the first Star Wars was first-rate Space Opera, and the next two were very good too, while Episode I had some really questionable parts by comparison.

Also, I really prefer actual models and costumes to paintings and CGI computer graphics, for the most part.

PvK