Ralph McQuarrie

Check out the first art from the new Star Wars TV series, Rebels

Feast your eyes on the first art from Star Wars Rebels, Lucasfilm’s followup to Clone Wars – including the show’s logo! The images were released yesterday at Star Wars Celebration Europe, where executive producer Dave Filoni discussed the enduring influence of original SW concept artist Ralph McQuarrie on the show’s aesthetic. Filoni said the series,…

Television Robbie Gonzalez Jul 28

Disney reveals its new Star Wars cartoon, Rebels

It isn’t a first look, exactly, but Disney has announced its new Star Wars cartoon, which will be called Rebels. Here’s everything we (now) know: • It will be set between Episodes III and IV • It will be based on the concept art of Ralph McQuarrie • Dave Filoni is executive producing it, and…

io9 Rob Bricken May 20

Boba Fett meets Deadpool, and other crazy Star Wars comics that needed to happen

In honor of Star Wars concept artist Ralph McQuarrie’s recent passing, a group of artists at Comic Book Resources’ The Line It Is Drawn illustration competition imagined a world where just about anybody could enter the Galaxy Far, Far Away. There’s no Jaxxon/Bucky O’Hare crossover, but the results are otherwise delightful. Let’s start with Drew…

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar Mar 16

R.I.P. Ralph McQuarrie, the man who designed Darth Vader

It’s a sad day for the concept art world. Ralph McQuarrie, the artist who created concept designs for the first Star Wars trilogy, the original Battlestar Galactica television show, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., and other science fiction classics, has passed away at age 82. He set our minds on fire and made…

io9 Lauren Davis Mar 3

This Dune cover art just sold for $26,000

The beautiful 11 x 15 inch watercolor painting by John Schoenherr, used for the ACE paperback first edition of Dune, just sold for a little over $26,000 at Heritage Auction Galleries, shattering the $10,000 to $15,000 pre-auction estimate. Internet bidders pushed the price to just over $19,000 prior to the live segment of the auction,…

io9 Keith Veronese Sep 12

10 Places to Buy Amazing Science Fiction and Fantasy Art

Summer is coming to a close, and for many of us that means new beginnings. With school right around the corner, hordes of us will be moving into new apartments and houses for the year, and with new digs comes the opportunity to update (or start) your collection of science fiction and fantasy artwork! And…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Aug 8

Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art for a Star Trek movie in 1976-1977

Around the same time Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art was helping make Star Wars a reality, he was designing a new Enterprise for a Star Trek movie that didn’t get off the ground. Check out his radically different, Imperial Destroyer-esque starship. Reading through the articles at Memory Alpha and Forgotten Trek, it sounds like Star Trek:…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Dec 31

Did George R.R. Martin create Wookiees?

The answer to the question is, “No, of course not, that would be too random for words.” However, it does transpire that he did inspire the visual look of Chewbacca in the original Star Wars movie through an interesting chain of events. How it works is thusly: in July 1975, Martin’s short story ‘And Seven…

io9 Adam Whitehead Sep 22

100+ amazing pieces of Star Wars concept art

You can’t celebrate the awesomeness of concept art without paying special tribute to Star Wars. Ralph McQuarrie’s paintings for the original trilogy inspired every concept artist today, and the prequels and video games’ art was eye-popping. Here are our favorites. The original trilogy Almost every concept artist we’ve interviewed this week for io9’s concept art…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jun 20

Stormtroopers Have Lightsabers And C-3PO Has Breasts In Ralph McQuarrie’s Star Wars Art

If it hadn’t been for this gorgeous concept art by Ralph McQuarrie, Fox may not have embraced George Lucas’ pitch for A New Hope. McQuarrie’s illustrations didn’t just define the Star Wars aesthetic – they made Star Wars happen. For the most part, A New Hope stayed faithful to McQuarrie’s original designs, but it’s intriguing…

Movies Cyriaque Lamar Apr 17

Spaceship Vs. Pirate Galleons, For The Ultimate Booty

Here’s a knock-down dogfight between a high-tech spaceship and a whole swarm of pirate galleons, from the mind of artist Nicholas Ferrand aka V.I.A.G. Or maybe the spaceship is teaming up with the more low-fi pirates? My new favorite blog is Concept Ships, which posts nothing but concept art of spaceships, including famous people like…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jul 3

Original Battlestar Concept Paintings for Cylons, Ships, and Bug People

In the original Battlestar Galactica series, the cylons were created by lizard people, creatures who died off before they could hit the “shut down” buttons on their solider creations. Now you can see those old lizard-made cylons, plus some half-robo, half-bug creatures that the humans fight, in these amazing concept paintings by Ralph McQuarrie (also…

Television Annalee Newitz Jun 16

Star Wars 30th Anniversary Merch Strikes Back

If you’re reading this, you’re probably not one of those lucky bastards who got in to Star Wars Celebration IV. Well, to make you even more green with envy, I just found the catalog of stuff you can only buy if you’re there. The magnets shown above are pretty sweet, part of a series of…

Gadgets Wilson Rothman May 25

Check out the first art from the new Star Wars TV series, Rebels

Disney reveals its new Star Wars cartoon, Rebels

Boba Fett meets Deadpool, and other crazy Star Wars comics that needed to happen

R.I.P. Ralph McQuarrie, the man who designed Darth Vader

This Dune cover art just sold for $26,000

10 Places to Buy Amazing Science Fiction and Fantasy Art

Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art for a Star Trek movie in 1976-1977

Did George R.R. Martin create Wookiees?

100+ amazing pieces of Star Wars concept art

Stormtroopers Have Lightsabers And C-3PO Has Breasts In Ralph McQuarrie’s Star Wars Art

Spaceship Vs. Pirate Galleons, For The Ultimate Booty

Original Battlestar Concept Paintings for Cylons, Ships, and Bug People

Star Wars 30th Anniversary Merch Strikes Back

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