It is true that George Lucas conceived of the STAR WARS universe.  And whether you like it or not--especially in light of the prequel trilogy--they are his films, and it's his universe.  We get to visit and live in it through movies, games, books, comics, and toys.

But Ralph McQuarrie was the man who gave the form to Lucas' imagination through the amazing concept paintings and drawings he did for Lucas during the pre-production of STAR WARS.  McQuarrie's artwork defined the _look_ of that "galaxy far, far away", and he also designed the iconic look of Darth Vader and so many elements of the STAR WARS universe that it's impossible to not think of McQuarrie and STAR WARS in the same breath.  Syd Mead on TRON and BLADE RUNNER, and Ron Cobb and Chris Foss and H.R. Giger on ALIEN defined the look of those films.  So did McQuarrie for the first SW film trilogy.  

Looking at his work in the first artbooks dedicated to STAR WARS, one could not help but be drawn to McQuarrie's work.  His skills were honed by years of work in industrial design, especially aviation and the space program.  But he did not just work on STAR WARS; the list of films and television shows he worked on following that groundbreaking film is impressive--the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, BACK TO THE FUTURE, E.T., and even a never-realized remake of the classic SF film FORBIDDEN PLANET.

McQuarrie's work inspired many artists, myself included (although my skills are woefully miniscule compared to his).  And although he declined to work on concept designs for the SW prequels, the artists who did work on those films not only looked to McQuarrie's designs, but were also inspired by his work.

Ralph McQuarrie was 82 years old, and he will be sorely missed.  Hopefully his work will continue to inspire others.

You can find out more on the man and his work via these links:


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Also, a couple of interviews--one from 1978, and one from 2011:


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I wonder where you are, my friend....