The Trope I'm Exploring With Space Crowd Saturday Existed Before Star Wars, But 'A New Hope' Still Stands

Luke Skywalker’s adventures on Dagobah: Star Wars concept art by the brilliant Ralph McQuarrie.

The ol’ Wookiee Prisoner Ruse. Works every time!

(Star Wars Art by the great Ralph McQuarrie)

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.

☠︎︎ 𝚊𝚜𝚊𝚓𝚓 𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚋𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝. 𝚕𝚎 ☠︎︎

♔ 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚊𝚔 𝚝𝚒 𝚌𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗, 𝚋𝚢 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚔𝚎𝚝𝚝, 𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚌𝚌𝚊𝚒𝚐 ♔

ꕥ 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚒𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚢 𝚋𝚢 𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚑 𝚖𝚌𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎, 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚊𝚛 𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚒𝚕𝚘 𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚜-𝚓𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘 ꕥ

𖨆 𝚓𝚢𝚗 𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚋𝚢 𝚐𝚕𝚢𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚗 𖨆

Star Wars Rebels Concept Art

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith | Mustafar Concept Art

The evolving look of the Millennium Falcon, from concept art by Ralph McQuarrie

C-3PO design sketches by Ralph McQuarrie. For Star Wars (1977), of course.

Concept art for Jedi Master Mirro Lox and his Padawan, Amadeo Azzazzo by Ario Anindito and Nicola Righi.

ART OF THE LAST JEDI:  Luke Skywalker & Rey concept art