RALPH MCQUARRIE TRIBUTE

In our time of weekend blockbusters and constant diet of CGI, it's probably hard to imagine a time when dazzling special effects and futuristic design were a cool rarity. The original Star Trek series (the only Trek made at the time) established a 1960s Pop vibe for the future, but we children of the 1970s waited most of the decade to discover our Sci-Fi. George Lucas himself came up against opposition when he pitched his space opera. The view from the industry was that Sci-Fi was a thing of serials and 1950s bug-eyed monsters, or perhaps the cerebral experiences of 2001 and Solaris. The execs who turned him down must share a spacial place in hell as the guy who told The Beatles "guitars bands are on the way out". One of the unique qualities Star Wars established was the idea of the lived-in universe. These were not mere props and costumes fresh from the production rooms, but rich elements of the narrative that made us feel we were dropped into a real world already in progress and with a rich history of character and conflict. It's a quality that I'm pleased to see back on screen in this year's Force Awakens! When Lucas was developing his story, he turned to artist Ralph McQuarrie to create visuals to bring his ideas to life. McQuarrie's images focussed especially on characters, and his rendition of the light saber duel between Skywalker and Vader is legendary (see below)! He created such dynamic scenes, using depth staging and diagonal movement. A number of figures have been produced based on McQuarrie's designs, but a two-piece statue by Kotobukiya is the one to hunt down. There were many interesting little variations in the character designs and costumes, which we might look at later, but today I want to share a series of video clips about McQuarrie the artist. Many of McQuarrie's friends and colleagues got together after his passing in 2012 to make a tribute film and talk about his special talent and imagination. Long-time SW Fans will spot Doug Chiang, Steve Sansweet, Lorne Peterson, Dennis Muren, and Marc Gabanna among the guests. You guys can find some cool McQuarrie art books and prints here. Enjoy!