The Concept Art
The significance of Ralph McQuarrie in the production of Star Wars is frequently forgotten. After being intrigued by some of McQuarrie’s early work, George Lucas sought him out as an artist. Lucas asked him to sketch a couple of scenes from the script to bolster his pitch to the company. Lucas used McQuarrie’s sketches to help him create the vision that would become the epic story. “I just did my best to depict what I thought the film should look like, I really liked the idea. I didn’t think the film would ever get made,” McQuarrie revealed. “My impression was it was too expensive. There wouldn’t be enough of an audience. It’s just too complicated. But George knew a lot of things that I didn’t know.”
The Concept Art
An Unlikely Friendship
The cast of Star Wars has developed some strong bonds over the years. After working together for so long, it’s only natural that people gravitate towards each other. R2-D2’s creator Kenny Baker struck developed an odd friendship with Chewbacca’s Peter Mayhew. Mayhew eulogized Baker when he died in 2016 by saying, “Although people liked to contrast the difference in our heights, we found we shared many of the same struggles, from finding clothes, driving cars, and fitting in airplane seats to health issues and the ever constant stares of strangers; we understood each other on a level that few others can.”
An Unlikely Friendship
