Has Anyone Read Rising Storm Yet?

Every now and then (I fall apart) I like to briefly spotlight a Star Wars background character. Garindan—Long-Snoot—the Imperial spy—was played by stunt woman Sadie Eden and, judging by John Mollo’s sketch, originally designed to be much shorter (image 3, top row, second character from left). (In Alan Dean Foster’s novelization the character is described as a small creature, like a scurrying rat.) The costume is so, well, cheap really, so makeshift: so wonderfully vintage Star Wars.

The art, from the Mos Eisley Cantina Pop-up Book, is by Ralph McQuarrie.

“Light of the Jedi” by Charles Soule, the first book in the High Republic Series is out!

Concept art for Yoda, from the upcoming Star Wars: High Republic.

Art by Ralph McQuarrie for the second Death Star. RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983).

Originally, the Rebel attack that’s the climax of the film was going to be on Had Abbadon, capital of the Empire. Hence those McQuarrie paintings of Coruscant I posted yesterday. If you read the story conferences for ROTJ, you can see it was a close call actually—the plan to use Had Abbadon comes back almost as often as it’s discarded—but eventually, to the others’ dismay, Lucas chose to go with a second Death Star. One of those What Ifs.

ROTJ was the first Star Wars film I saw, so for me it wasn’t a second Death Star: it was a rather eerie zombie construction that looked like the ghost of a dead moon. I thought it was a fascinating sight anyway.

Ralph McQuarrie cover art for “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye” by Alan Dean Foster, 1978, via @humanoidhistory

Geonosis. Art by Doug Chiang (1, 2, 3) and Ryan Church for ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2002).

Ryan Church - The Book Of Boba Fett (2021)

A “winterized lizard”. Tauntaun art by Ralph McQuarrie.

Darth Vader Concept Art for Rebels | illustrated by Chris Voy

Asajj Ventress Concept Art (originally Sith Villain from Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones)

The amazing concept art of Ralph McQuarrie for Star Wars

Artbook: Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie