Ralph McQuarrie, the artist who helped George Lucas bring Stars Wars to the big screen, has died aged 82. The conceptual designer created the look of characters including Darth Vader, Chewbacca and R2-D2 and C-3PO. He also worked on the original Battlestar Galactica TV series and Steven Spielberg films E.T. and Cocoon, for which he won an Oscar. “We’ll miss you Ralph. You will forever be the brightest star in our galaxy.” Born in Gary, Indiana, McQuarrie began his career as a technical illustrator for aeroplane manufacturer Boeing and designing film posters. He also animated US TV network CBS’s coverage of Nasa’s Apollo space programme. In 1975, he was hired by Lucas to design some of the characters and scenes for his “space opera” Star Wars. As well as designing some of the sets including the desert planet Tatooine, McQuarrie also did the conceptual drawings for many characters.
Star Wars artist Ralph McQuarrie dies aged 82
