The Incredible Star Wars Concept Art of Ralph McQuarrie

The release of Star Wars (1977) marked the creation of one of the most expansive fictional universes ever to grace the silver screen, and one of the most integral parts of bringing Lucas’ visions to life was the legendary concept artist Ralph McQuarrie.

Photo of McQuarrie painting the Millennium Falcon on a docking platform of Cloud City.

From the original film, to the upcoming, eight addition to the Star Wars films The Last Jedi, McQuarrie’s influence can be seen all throughout the final product that’s loved by so many.

Below is a small collection of some of the coolest Star Wars concept art from Ralph McQuarrie.

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Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

Reminiscent of Maschinenmensch from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927), this was the first concept painting ever completed for Star Wars (1977). As you can see, the final version of C3-PO changed quite a bit from the original concept, and the original version of R2-D2 is very similar to the adorable trashcan we all know and love today.

Originally know as Deak Starkiller, we can see here that Luke Skywalker was going to wear a breathing apparatus (similar to Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy) and that Darth Vader was going to tower over him to increase the intimation factor.

Although there’s a lot of of details of note in this art, the most obvious difference from the finished product is that lightsabers were originally supposed to be a standard issue tool for all soldiers (and white instead of the classic blue and red). You can also see that stormtroopers were equipped with shields as well

Although the Death Star trenches look slightly different in this art, the final product matches the original idea pretty closely. The way that McQuarrie conveys the feeling of fast and dynamic movement surely made bringing this concept to life much easier.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

In this art, we can see that the At-At Imperial Walkers didn’t change a lot from the debut appearance on the ice planet of Hoth. However, Luke is featured prominently riding what could be the predecessor to the Tauntaun, or a completely different creature altogether, in what could’ve been an exciting chase sequence through the battle a for the Rebel base.

This is a great example of a lasting concept that was left generally unchanged in the final product. From the shape of the Bacta Tank to the design of the 2-1B Surgical Droid, this concept is pretty spot on to what we see in The Empire Strikes back (save for the red fluid in the tank).

The original concept for Yoda’s home on Dagobah stayed very similar, other than that the final version of his hut is built into the trees and much more overgrown. The final version, as a result, feels organic and old.

The biggest difference here is easily the original look of Yoda. Smaller, and seemingly older (although at 900 year old, look as good, we will not), Yoda still maintained the lovable and wise face we see in the final product.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)

In regards to the look, size, and environment of the Rancor under Jabba’s Palace, the original idea wasn’t changed much at all. Also, the walls and the Rancor’s skin are great examples of the attention to detail that McQuarrie had for his concept paintings.

The most interesting concept in this article, this art features a large, 10 legged creature on Dagobah that Luke encounters during (presumably) his second trip to see Yoda. Interestingly enough (or horrifying to some), the creature is laying what appears to be eggs all over the ground. This would’ve been a amazing addition to the swampy forests of Dagobah.

An incredible display of movement, this concept art seems to have gone vitually unchanged, even in the final product. The speeder chase on the forest moon of Endor is one of my favorite moments in the film, and it’s obvious that this was an easy concept to build a scene around.

One of the defining moments in Return of the Jedi, this concept art depicting the Emperor shocking Luke with his Force lightening is very different from the final product mainly due the Emperor looking more like an evil creature than man. The change was probably for the better considering how campy it may have turned out, but it’s still a brillent use of color.

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While there were hundreds of people that contributed to the creation of the Star Wars universe, Ralph McQuarrie played one of the most pivotal roles. He managed to take the visions and ideas of an entire universe that didn’t exist, and brought them to life in the form of meticulously detailed paintings in way that inspired George Lucas and hundreds of staff members to create one of the most beloved fictional universes of all time.

 

“Ralph McQuarrie was the first person I hired to help me envision Star Wars…His genial contribution, in the form of unequaled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy…When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph’s fabulous illustrations and say, ‘Do it like this.'” 

– George Lucas