Robert McNees
Artist Ralph McQuarrie was born #OTD in 1929. He is probably best know as the primary concept artist for the Star Wars movies, but he also did work for Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and E.T., and he won an Academy Award for his work on Cocoon.
Image: Ralph McQuarrie
Robert McNees
McQuarrie was one of the first artists hired by young director George Lucas to develop concept art that would accompany his Star Wars pitch.
Many characters, places, and vehicles he envisioned made it to the films almost unchanged. That includes McQuarrie’s early design for Chewbacca, seen below.
Robert McNees
One of the other artists who heavily influenced the designs in the film was John Berkey. George Lucas purchased his painting "The Mechanical Planet" (left) and used it as the basis for the Death Star.
McQuarrie's 1975 painting "Y-Wing Attacks the Death Star" (right), commissioned by Lucas, transforms Berkey's mechanical planet into a recognizable Death Star, and depicts the Rebel Y-Wing Fighters in essentially their final form.
Robert McNees
Lucas was so taken by McQuarrie's vision that many of the paintings just became shots in the films.
Robert McNees
Some of the designs were a little "too smooth" for Lucas, like this imagining of the Death Star trench run.
McQuarrie loved the shadow of the background X-Wing on the trench wall, but Lucas had the modelers add lots of greebles in the final version.
Robert McNees
A lot of iconic character design came out of McQuarrie playing with the characters in those early paintings!
The idea of a villain moving between ships in space suggested the need for some sort of breathing apparatus. This resulted in the masked Darth Vader design.
Image: Ralph McQuarrie
Robert McNees
And while there were some changes later on, especially to C-3PO's torso and face, McQuarrie gets the essence of the droids right from the outset.
That first C-3PO was clearly influenced by the robot Maria from "Metropolis." One of the other concept artists, seeing the early designs, suggested to McQuarrie that C-3PO should have big round eyes that always looked startled.
Robert McNees
Sorry, I'm just now noticing that the second post was in fact my dog Linus and not an early concept sketch of Chewbacca.
AstroMike
@mcnees So lifelike!
Robert McNees
@AstroMikeHudson He was a really talented artist.
Robert McNees
Anyway, June the 13th be with you, always.
Winchell Chung ⚛🚀
@mcnees
I had admired The Mechanical Planet (1958) for years before the first Star Wars movie came out. But I had no idea Lucas used it as inspiration for the Death Star. But it is obvious in hindsight
J. Trent Adams
@mcnees Little known fact... In "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", JJ recreated one of McQuarrie's iconic illustrations of a wookie-like creature confronting an early draft of Han Solo on the streets of Mose Eisley.
I saw it being shot as part of the scene in Maz's castle and I was bummed it didn't make the final cut. It was such a great homage to the artist!
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