Legendary Star Wars concept artist Ralph McQuarrie passes away at 82

McQuarrie helped shape Star Wars, Start Trek, E.T. and other iconic films.

Aurich Lawson – Mar 4, 2012 3:30 pm | 40

Ralph McQuarrie, best known to fans as the conceptual artist who brought the world of Star Wars to visual life, passed away at the age of 82 on March 3, 2012.

Ralph was a talented technical illustrator. His large body of work included projects for companies like Boeing and numerous film posters and book cover illustrations. He also did the concept art for Star Trek, E.T., the original Battlestar Galactica, and even won an Academy Award for Visual Effects for the movie Cocoon. But it was Star Wars that he became truly known for. George Lucas once called him “the gentle giant of the Star Wars universe.” It was through his brush this universe, beloved by geeks around the world, began to live and breathe outside of Lucas’s imagination.

For a Star Wars fan, browsing the early drawings Ralph did for Lucas is a real treat. The world was not yet fully realized; ideas that never made the film can be seen. One of my favorites features an early Han Solo (sporting a beard and cape no less) holding a lightsaber while Stormtroopers holding their own lightsabers with almost medieval-style shields round the corner. Ralph’s commentary on this drawing: “I gave Han Solo a lightsaber, and I thought it was reasonable to assume that the opposing forces would have the same weapons.”

A vision of a more civilized age. Credit: Ralph McQuarrie

Everyone seemed to carry lightsabers in those initial images. One famous painting features a face off aboard the Blockade Runner starship with an early-but-still-obvious Darth Vader. This is often erroneously noted as the first duel between Vader and Luke Skywalker but, at that point, Luke Skywalker wasn’t Luke at all. His character in the script was then a girl, sporting the last name Starkiller instead. The “Luke” in the painting was just an anonymous rebel trooper.

Vader facing off against an unknown rebel assailant. Credit: Ralph McQuarrie

Ralph was a meticulous documenter of his own work, which is a lucky thing for fans. Often details were changed right on the original paintings, and it’s only through photographs that original intentions were preserved. C3P0 was envisioned by George Lucas as being much like the robot from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. When Ralph showed Lucas his painting featuring the protocol droid, however, his features were deemed too human. Ralph went back and painted over them. He documented the original version first, seen below in the added inset.

C3P0, as seen before and after revisions to face and torso. Credit: Ralph McQuarrie

Anthony Daniels, the actor inside the C3P0 shell, credits Ralph McQuarrie’s artwork with accepting the role of the droid. In 2006 he remarked, “I believe without the artistry of Ralph McQuarrie, I might not have ever been involved in the Star Wars phenomenon. My admiration for him and his abilities is sincere. With his draftmanship, his art and his spirit, he created an image of a figure that really did arc between man and machine. As the man inside, I am very grateful to him.” As are we all.

Fans wishing to pay tribute may do so at Ralph McQuarrie’s Facebook page. If you’re interested in owning printed versions of his work you should try to buy copies of his books from Dream and Vision Press. The quotes from Ralph and others in this article were all sourced from that excellent book, The Art of Ralph McQuarrie, available through that link. It’s a bit expensive, but if you’re a fan, it’s an incredible volume.

As both a visual artist and a fan growing up with Star Wars, I don’t think I can overstate the impact Ralph McQuarrie had on my life. May he rest in peace.