Form follows Function : and other lessons from the Millennium Falcon

Every day I have the great pleasure to work alongside some of the most gifted creative professionals in the industry. Although not renowned for my own artistic flare, you cannot help but breathe in that energy and learn as you observe the creative process. When we engage with our client on a digital transformation, the tools and assets at our disposal are numerous but I feel that it is the most simplistic and elegant principles that can be the most impactful.

The American architect, Louis Sullivan, is credited with first coining the term ‘Form follows Function’ and its power and scalpel-like incisiveness is as prevalent today as it was in 1896. It is a foundation upon which we build our user experiences, upon which we develop our software. In the most simplistic terms, “figure out what you need to build and how it needs to work before you design the look and feel.”

I was reminded of this recently when I found myself on the road for business and decided to catch a showing of ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’. Like many boys who grew up in the times of Star Wars, I am a fan of the movies, a study of the science fiction and a savant when it comes to the mythos. One of the central characters in the movies is that of Han Solo – the swashbuckling raconteur who upstaged the all-too-good Luke Skywalker. I was always a HanFan – and with that came a healthy obsession with the Millennium Falcon.

The Falcon was the most glorious spacecraft that anyone had seen on any screen. So alien compared to any design that had come before, it was at once industrial in its design and elegant in its movement. Ralph McQuarrie’s original design was one of the levers that George Lucas pulled on to help us float away on this magical journey.

The beauty of the Falcon was that it had been designed after McQuarrie had understood a very complex backstory for the vessel. Han Solo was a smuggler. His ship was intended to look like a ‘piece of junk’ but hidden beneath the surface was an engine that rivaled any in the galaxy and maneuverability that would test the most capable law enforcement.

The Falcon had started life as a light freighter intended to move cargoes from one point in space to another. Look at the backend of the ship – almost the whole rear quadrant featured a bright blue thrust port – far more thrust than would be needed for its own weight. And what of the cockpit, oddly stationed to the far right of the vessel. This is peculiar as any pilot would surely be better placed along the central axis of the spacecraft.

For me, this is the most alluring feature of the spaceship. The Falcon was a ‘freight pusher’ as seen in this concept drawing. The twin arms on the front of the ship would dock with the freight pods and the powerful engines would then accelerate the cargo through space. The strange off-center cockpit becomes sensible when we think of how the pilot might see the space in front of the cargo.

Han’s ship was a lion in lambskin. It looked like an aged, workhorse but could move like a predator.

The makers of the new movie forgot all of this. The new Falcon (actually, the old Falcon as the movie is a prequel) is jarringly white and pristine with comfortable interiors and stately rooms for passengers. The whole mythos of the cunning behind her disguise has been lost in favor of a shaky backstory around Lando Calrissian’s garish tastes. The architecture of the front arms has been re-tasked to house an escape pod that barely makes any sense.

Luke: “What a piece of junk!”

Han: “She’ll make point 5 past light speed. She may not look like much, kid, but she’s got it where it counts.”

Luke’s incredulity when he first sees the Falcon has nothing to do with the dirt and disrepair, its to do with the promise that the ship was fast and him trying to reconcile that with what he sees before him.

Han: “I’ve made a lot of special modifications myself…”

I don’t know why my mind went straight to the ‘Form follows Function’ idiom when I beheld the new Falcon – but it certainly made me question whether the desire to change the design of the fabled ship had overpowered the foundation that had been built around its function.

So much of what I do as a consultant involves learning and understanding what came before and the rationale and basis for why things are why they are before we work on a way to make things better. There is something to be said for deference to legacy; within reason.

That said, enjoy Solo – and look out for me when the next Star Wars movie comes out – I’ll be the one clapping and cheering like everyone else.

Sanjay Marwaha

About the Author: Sanjay Marwaha is a Financial Services Lead at Avanade, concentrating on Emerging Technologies and Strategy; he also leads our Blockchain program. For over twenty years, Sanjay has advised global firms the world over on their transformational programs, leveraging his deep industry knowledge and his awareness of emerging technology to deliver direct business impact for his clients. Sanjay is also a speaker and adviser on all things Digital and is active in the Fintech community. He is passionate on topics ranging from Blockchain to AI and from UX to Quantum Computing.