Ralph McQuarrie: Star Wars' Concept Artist

Remembering the work of Ralph McQuarrie, the visual genius behind the look of Star Wars

Star Wars has captivated audiences over four decades. Its actors as much a part of popular culture as the characters they play and its creator George Lucas is already living history.

To celebrate Star Wars Day, May the Fourth, we are revisiting at an artist who may not have George Lucas' fame but certainly played his part in the look and soul of Star Wars: Illustrator Ralph Angus McQuarrie who designed the concept art for the first three films.

The visual father of the Star Wars universe

Ralph McQuarrie was the conceptual designer and futurist artist who George Lucas to bring the universe he had in his mind to life.

Impressed by his work, Lucas contacted him for the first film Star Wars: A New Hope. During the earliest stages of production, he commissioned him in 1975 to illustrate a few scenes from the script.

His vivid original illustrations helped George Lucas convince 20th Century Fox to take risk on what would become one of the most lucrative film investments of all time. It could be said that McQuarrie not only defined the visual tone of the films, but was fundamental in their very existence.

Curiously, McQuarrie always said the work he did for his Star Wars Portfolio was never created for public eyes and, if he knew how far they would travel, he would have tried to make them better.

Conceptual art revolution

McQuarrie's influence went further than the looks of environments, architecture, and landscapes. He designed iconic characters like Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO and even Darth Vader.

His influence even extends to the story as it was he who suggested Darth Vader wear the respiratory mask that defined him. He shows just how important concept artists and their perspectives can be to the souls of cinematic universes.

As George Lucas said:

Beyond the films, his art inspired at least two generations of young artists who discovered that films are designed.

Apart from Star Wars, McQuarrie also worked on and left his mark on Battlestar Galactica, and films like E.T. and Cocoon, with which he won an Oscar.

Keeping McQuarrie's futuristic world alive

Although McQuarrie died in 2012, his work lives on in the collective imagination of Star Wars fans, even the most recent films. In 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, director Rian Johnson revisited McQuarrie's work when designing some of the film's best shots, such as the climax when Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren meet at the end of the film. He forms such an intrinsic piece of the films, that it is impossible to separate his vision from the saga.

His contribution was celebrated with a cameo in The Emperor Strikes Back: the more attentive will see a General Pharl McQuarrie appear for an instant on screen.

Despite his brief presence in the saga, a doll was dedicated to this "character" on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the saga. A subtle thank you for the incredible impact he had on the film which led George Lucas to describe him as "a generous father of the conceptual art revolution that was born from his work" and ensures his memory remains alive in our world and in a galaxy far, far away.

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