Ralph McQuarrie; Return Of The Jedi

Ralph McQuarrie’s Star Wars concepts

Jedi Master Lightsaber Initial Concepts by Adam Burn

Concept art of some of the different Jedi Master Lightsabers in The Acolyte.

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.

Logo and poster designs for Star Wars (1977). By Ralph McQuarrie.

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

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.

Concept Art of Darth Maul for Solo: A Star Wars Story by Jake Lunt Davies

Star Wars ➞ Recycled Concept Art

Satine Kryze, Rig Nema, Queen Apailana, Tiplar, Mother Talzin

Concept art for Padme’s funeral on Naboo from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith by Iain McCaig