'Star Wars' Concept Artist Ralph McQuarrie Has Died

According to Eric Geller from TheForce.net, there were three people who were largely responsible for the success of the original Star Wars trilogy: creator George Lucas, composer John Williams, and concept artist Ralph McQuarrie. McQuarrie, who passed away on Saturday at age 82, might not have been as well-known as Lucas and Williams. But if it werent for him, Star Wars might never have made it to the big screen. It was his artwork that helped convince 20th Century Fox to green-light the first film back in 1975. In a statement on StarWars.com, Lucas wrote: "Ralph McQuarrie was the first person I hired to help me envision Star Wars. His genial contribution, in the form of unequaled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original Star Wars trilogy. When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph's fabulous illustrations and say, 'Do it like this.' During his career, McQuarrie developed designs for films outside the Star Wars universe, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. In 1986 he won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, for Cocoon. But he will likely be remembered -- and revered -- most for his Star Wars creations. If you look at those original drawings, I think its really a testament to how important he was that theres such a connection between a lot of those iconic images and the movie scenes, says Geller. The way that he illustrated them was an influence on those characters, how they acted. For instance, in the renderings of R2-D2 and C-3PO, Geller says, you can almost see their camaraderie in some of these pictures. Take a look at several of McQuarries Star Wars illustrations, as well as George Lucass entire statement, here. In The Comlink, "Star Wars" fan and MTV News producer Tami Katzoff explores the glory days of a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Whether you're Team Jedi or Team Sith, friend of Wookiees or wanted by bounty hunters, any and all "Star Wars" fans are welcome along for the ride.