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WHO IS RALPH
MCQUARRIE?
A talented conceptual artist with a vivid imagination,
Ralph McQuarrie served
as one of the major creative forces behind the first three Star Wars
Films. McQuarrie's visionary paintings and concept drawings brought
to life characters and locations that had previously existed only in
the mind of George Lucas.
Born on June 13, 1929 in Gary,
Indiana Ralph quickly took to design and creation. At age 10, Ralph
began art classes and studied technical drawing in high school and
landed his first major job with Kaiser Graphics in the 1950's. He
soon moved to the Boeing Company where he sharpened his craft in
mechanical drawing illustrating the latest concepts in air and
spacecraft. Millions of Americans became familiar with Ralph
McQuarrie's artwork during the televised CBS news coverage of the
Apollo lunar missions. His graphic illustrations revealed to us the
first stages of man's exploration of the universe.
In 1975 Ralph was hired by George
Lucas to develop a series of conceptual paintings that were
ultimately used to convince the executives at 20th Century Fox to
finance Star Wars. Once the film was in production, Ralph continued
working for what would become Industrial Light and Magic. Ralph's
imagery helped define the look of the Star Wars universe, from Darth
Vader and R2D2 to the Sandcrawler and Stormtroopers. In addition to
the Star Wars Trilogy, Ralph's designs have been realized in Close
Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Cocoon
(for which he won an Academy Award) and Battlestar Galactica (the
original television pilot). Ralph's artwork has graced numerous
science fiction and fantasy book covers, and was used to illustrate
two collections of Isaac Asimov's robot stories. Now retired,
Ralph's influence in contemporary design and illustration,
particularly modern cinema, is immeasurable. Thousands of artists
worldwide credit Ralph McQuarrie for inspiring them to pursue their
careers.
HASBRO
BRINGS HIS VISIONS TO LIFE
Hasbro has decided to honor the man who is credited in making Star
Wars a reality. Without Ralph McQuarrie’s illustrations Star Wars
would have never been.
Stormtrooper
This stormtrooper is based on a conceptual art from the film A New
Hope, depicting the Empire’s shock troopers in a corridor of the
Death Star as they hunt down the escaping Luke, Han, Chewbacca and
Princess Leia. While armed with blaster pistols or blaster rifles in
the movie, this Imperial soldier is unusual because he holds a
lightsaber, the weapon of a Jedi. This is the second release of this
figure. The first was the 2003 Saga series Ralph McQuarrie
Stormtrooper.
Boba Fett
This bounty hunter was one of the first new characters to be
designed for The Empire Strikes Back. The costume began as a
Mandalorian supercommando suit and went through various designs, as
well as being aged, dented, and painted to give it a battle-scarred
appearance. It's final look hides a plethora of built-in weapons -
and the identity of the ruthless bounty hunter it encases. This
figure is actually a combination of several Boba Fett ideas put into
one figure.
Chewbacca
Inspired by his Alaskan malamute, George Lucas created one of the
most enduring and well-loved non-human characters of his saga.
Constructed from knitted mohair and yak fur, Chewbacca was given
life by the actor Peter Mayhew and voice by a wide array of animals
from walruses to black bears.
R2-D2 &
C-3PO (Celebration IV Exclusive)
Ralph McQuarrie was commissioned by George Lucas to create several
paintings. This scene depicts R2-D2 and C-3PO in a desert landscape.
Even in this early rendering, Threepio already has a somewhat
startled look, and Artoo reveals traces of his spunky nature. There
is a special Celebration IV insert added into the clamshell that is
not included with the Luke Skywalker figure. On one side it has a
full painting of the movie poster, and on the other side it has text
of
Celebration IV.
Luke
Skywalker (Celebration IV Exclusive)
In the painting by Ralph McQuarrie, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader
duel. Wearing an oxygen tank and breathing mask, Luke looks eerily
like his father. Although crouched before Vader, his stance vibrates
with intensity.
Obi-Wan & Yoda (SDCC
2007 Exclusive)
In his sketches, concept artist Ralph McQuarrie evokes the graceful
power of a ninja master or samurai warrior in his drawing of
Obi-Wan. The diminutive Yoda appears leaner and more whimsical than
he will ultimately appear in the films, yet he still exudes mystical
strength.
Darth Vader
Darth Vader was not originally supposed to wear a facemask. Ralph
McQuarrie's concept drawing of Vader boarding the Tantive IV was
based on the idea that Vader would fly through space to reach the
ship, requiring him to wear a breathing apparatus. The facemask
remained and has become a modern-day icon of chilling doom.
Starkiller
Hero
A concept painting done by Ralph McQuarrie depicts an early version
of the Luke Skywalker character as a young woman. The initial
character envisioned for the epic was explored in various ways
including whether "Starkiller" would be male or female. This image
in this painting captures the heroic idealism of the character that
was to ultimately become Luke Skywalker.
Han Solo
McQuarrie's concept painting of central characters in A New Hope
depicts Han Solo as a fierce Jedi Knight rather than a rougish
smuggler. Wearing close-fitting battle gear, he is ready for combat
with his lightsaber blazing and his face set with stern
determination.
Snowtrooper
The stormtrooper's uniform was modified for different environments,
yet retains the featureless uniformity captured by McQuarrie in his
art. Snowtroopers have additional head, chest, and leg coverings to
insulate them against the cold and help them to blend into snowy
surroundings.
Rebel Trooper
Ralph McQuarrie’s sketches of Rebel troopers show the distinct
headgear and simple uniforms that articulate the lean, focused
intensity of the Rebel Alliance forces. In his drawings, McQuarrie
has captured the Rebels’ unity of purpose and determined
independence that characterize the Alliance’s proud fighters.
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