This Could Be Why Technology Advances So Slowly In 'Star Wars'
Image Source: IGN
There is lots of wonderful technology in Star Wars, but this creates something of a puzzle; to the casual observer, it looks like Star Wars technology reached a peak and then inexplicably stopped advancing. And this isn’t just in the period from the prequels to the original trilogy to the sequels. Instead, it goes back thousands of years—they had lightsabers, blasters, ships, droids, and shields in the time of the High Republic right up through the Rise of Skywalker. The question is, why?
The easy, obvious, and realistic answer is that George Lucas only made the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. That only depicts about a 37-year period of time. All the rest of the Star Wars universe was made by other creators basically riffing on Lucas’ ideas, set pieces, characters, and designs. The technology doesn’t advance much because people like the original, and don’t want to stray too far from it.
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But that answer is completely unsatisfying. This question begs for an in-universe explanation. The fun of Star Wars comes from immersing ourselves in its world; talking about George Lucas behind the scenes can sometimes break the spell. So, what are some possible in-universe explanations?
The first reason goes pretty deep into Star Wars lore. Tens of thousands of years BBY, there was a species called the Rakata. They were the first species to invent hyperdrive technology and be successful in visiting most of the planets in the galaxy. They left some of their technology behind on all the planets they visited. In time, the species on the planets learned the technology through backwards engineering. So, the technological stagnation is a result of all the tech being based on the that of one ancient civilization.
Image Source: Universe Today
Another possible reason is that people, even in a galaxy far, far away, need friction to advance. They need wars and strife to spur innovation. For thousands of years, the Republic was too successful, and the galaxy was relatively peaceful. People’s needs had been met, and there was never any real reason to advance. When there was conflict, like during the Clone Wars, there were some developments; much of that was bigger and more powerful weapons, culminating in the Death Star, but technology didn’t really advance in general.
Those two explanations are much more satisfying than blaming it on a lack of creativity from the people who took over after Lucas. They are especially powerful when working together: the backwards engineering led to peace and stability, which disincentivized innovation and new technology.
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Sources: YouTube, Wookieepedia