Modern-day special effects, for all its reliance on computers, digital graphics and ultra high-end technology, owed much of its existence to John Dykstra. One of the first technicians to merge traditional photography with developments in electronics, Dykstra created the groundbreaking visual effects for “Star Wars” (1977), which earned him an Academy Award, and inspired a generation of filmgoers and future filmmakers. With his invention of the “Dykstraflex” camera, Dykstra literally turned movie special effects on its head with an electronically controlled moving camera that dove, swooped