I’m Sorry You Guys I Know That I’ve Talked About This Before But I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get

Aaron McBride’s concept art for shot MCB 430 shows a dramatic scene from the duel, where Darth Vader has a significant advantage as Obi-Wan is falling. - The Star Wars Archives. 1999-2005 by Paul Duncan

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.

          The   S T A R   W A R S   Concept Art   of   I A N   M c C A I G                                            t h e    c h a r a c t e r s

young Obi Wan Kenobi  (”Revenge of the Sith”)

Qui Gon  Jinn   (”The Phantom Menace”)

Anakin  Skywalker  (”Revenge of the Sith”)

Padme  Amadala  Naberrie  (”The Phantom Menace,”  “Revenge of the Sith”)

Jedi  Grand  Master  Yoda

10 year old  Han  Solo  and  (above him)  with childhood friends, Lando and Chewbacca the Wookiee   (”Revenge of the Sith” – concept, design, and early script draft appearance only)

Padme in sexy night gown  (”Attack of the Clones”)

Governor Moff Tarkin   (”Revenge of the Sith”)

Jar Jar  Binks   (”The Phantom Menace”)

Jedi Council Master  Ki Adi  Mundi   (Episodes I – I I I)

Sith Lord  Darth  Maul   (”The Phantom Menace”)

Rebel Leader and Princess of Alderaan,  Leia Organa enslaved by Jabba the Hut  (”Return of the Jedi”)

unnamed “Sith Witch”  (designed for “Menace” but replaced at design stage by male hunter-killer Maul;  image elements reused in “The Cones Wars”animated)

Obi Wan Kenobi by Alex Nice

Ralph McQuarrie’s Star Wars concepts

Ralph McQuarrie

Imperial Guard concept art by Ralph McQuarrie - Return of the Jedi (1983)

Remembering legendary concept designer, Ron Cobb.

‪Art by Ron Cobb. First image is from the late 1950s, the second from the mid 70s for Star Wars.‬

Ralph McQuarrie’s Star Wars concepts

Star Wars: The Cone Wars Concept Art