It’s hard to express the impact that the early Star Wars films had on my life. They inspired my imagination and contributed to countless hours spent in the backyard fighting the evil of Darth Vader and the Empire.

Sadly we lost one of the it’s creative visionaries this weekend with the passing of Ralph McQuarrie . He was responsible for much of the look and feel of the worlds, costumes, and sets that became the films. It was in fact some of his paintings that convinced the studio to finance the orignal film. I question whether any other illustrator or matte painter has ever had such a measurable impact on a film and culture. He will be missed.