Appearance supersedes function and reality. Or in simple terms, if it looks or sounds funky, it makes sense. It's not necessarily a bad rule. Someone once told George Lucas that there were no sound effects in airless outer space. Today Mr. Lucas owns a multi-million dollar entertainment enterprise, while that other person runs a moisture evaporator on Tattooine.
Brilliant scientists are universally knowledgeable in all fields of scientific study.
There is no such thing as specialization. Come to think of it , he never did get around to studying the marine life in the area, the one thing about the island that should have fascinated him. . Kind of like the way our parents used to lie to us when we were five. Well, I mean . Remember that any device improvised or jury-rigged, out of available materials on short notice, will work at least as well as or better than the actual device whose function it is meant to emulate or replace.