Ralph McQuarrie died yesterday at the age of 82. His pre-production paintings shaped the Star Wars films …and the Star Wars films shaped me.
His work adorned my bedroom wall when I was growing up—I remember this Return Of The Jedi poster in particular.
His sweeping vistas populated with small figures dwarfed by their otherworldly surroundings helped to establish the Star Wars universe as something that existed beyond the confines of the films. George Lucas made the movies …but Ralph McQuarrie shaped the mythology.
His passing is being marked elsewhere on the web: