‪Darth Vader’s Bizarre Visions. Mysterious Ralph McQuarrie Concept Art For The Empire Strikes Back.

v-150 Planet Defenders were large ion cannon emplacements designed for defense against starship assault. The cannons were powerful enough to shut down large vessels, but as they were completely immobile, they were vulnerable to ground assault.

Source: The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (1995)

First Appearance: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Leia Organa designs, art by Robert Rowley, Jock, and Tonči Zonjić.

“I wanted Carrie to look fabulous again. So let’s do dramatic lines. Let’s do gorgeous coats. One of the few specific visual ideas I gave was that big Blade Runner-like coat with the huge collar that blocked the bottom half of her face. I didn’t want her to have to be buttoned-down and practical. I wanted her to look badass.” - Rian Johnson.

Art by Ralph McQuarrie for (what became) Coruscant.

Ralph McQuarrie’s original unused 1981 sketches for Emperor Palpatine’s throne room which is now featured in Star Wars Episode IX.

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 amazing concept art of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order by Gabriel Yeganyan,  Jordan Lamarre-Wan,  Jean-francois Rey and Bruno Werneck

Artbook: Art Of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

From Concept Art to Screen | The Phantom Menace - Naboo

According to early scripts, the original finale of “Return of the Jedi” would have been around the capital of the Empire, then named “Had Abbadon,” a planet that was one colossal city (an idea re-used in the prequels). The original threat was not one, but two death stars under construction in orbit around Had Abbadon, which also had a moon filled with life known as the Green Moon (which later on became Endor in the later drafts). Luke was taken by Vader to the Emperor’s palace and throne room on Had Abbadon, filled with lava. 

This was rewritten to streamline things and make the finale less ambitious, but Ralph McQuarrie did the art for the original concept.

from the star wars costumes book