Most concept art from movies never sees the light of day. Most people don't care that much about it. With Star Wars, the concept art is almost as famous as the movie itself. The iconic art of Ralph McQuarrie (and others) helped guide and shape what would become of the most visually captivating motion pictures of all time.
The unique visual iconography of Star Wars was an evolutionary process that was part planned and part kismet. All of it was wonderful. Here are ten pieces of Star Wars: A New Hope (that's the first movie, but fourth in chronological order) that you need to see.
10 Family Portrait
This early painting by McQuarrie showcasing the core heroes shows how much things changed. While C-3Po and R2-D2 are in the general neighborhood of where their screen versions will end up, the other characters are dramatically different. Luke Skywalker isn't Luke but a female hero. Chewbacca is a bug-eyed green-ish alien who will later inspire the design of Zeb from Star Wars: Rebels (nothing goes unused in Star Wars). And most curious, the character who is Han Solo looks a lot like George Lucas.
9 Hunk of Junk
The Millennium Falcon is one of the most recognizable spaceships in all of science fiction. It wasn't always that way. The ship started out in concept art looking a lot like what would eventually become the Tantive IV Rebel Blockade Runner, actually the first ship ever seen on screen in Star Wars. It wasn't until George Lucas ate a fortuitous hamburger, took a bite out of it, and looked at the strange shape that the legendary smuggling ship would get its distinctive design.
8 In Space, No One Can Hear You Breathe
Darth Vader is perhaps the greatest villain in movie history. A big part of that is his unique design. It almost didn't happen. In early drafts, Darth Vader was more or less a normal person. When Ralph McQuarrie began sketching the character, he imagined Darth Vader would need a breathing mask and helmet of some sort because he would be passing between the Star Destroyer and Rebel Blockade Runner (thinking he would do it in the vacuum of space). With that brilliant bit of intuition, an iconic design was born.
7 Twin Suns
One of the signature visual elements of the entire Star Wars saga are the twin suns of Tatooine, thanks to their key appearances in both the Prequel Trilogy and The Rise of Skywalker. In this early concept painting, Ralph McQuarrie depicts a scene that will later be realized on screen almost exactly as is.
This vantage point of Mos Eisley spaceport occurs when Obi-Wan Kenobi informs Luke Skywalker of its reputation as a 'hive of scum and villainy.' Obi-Wan is the only element missing from this painting, which establishes several core design elements of Tatooine.
6 Sandcrawler Stroll
The Jawa Sandcrawler is the first land vehicle in Star Wars, and it's one of the most unique designs in the saga. In a galaxy far, far away, speeders, fighters, and other floaty-flying things seem to be the norm but the junk trading Jawas preferred to stroll around the Tatooine wastes on tank treads. The Sandcrawler maintained its overall design through the concept art stage, though this early version is more elongated and appears a bit closer to the version seen in The Mandalorian.
5 On Your Six
One of the most thrilling aspects of Star Wars is the dogfights between starfighters. George Lucas was heavily influenced by World War II films and actual footage when it came to the battle between Rebel and Imperial forces above the Death Star, and that's reflected in this amazing painting by McQuarrie. Here, McQuarrie uses a perspective that wasn't really seen in the film. The 'camera' as it were is behind the TIE Fighter pilot as he zeroes in on an approaching Y-Wing Fighter.
4 Tusken Moot
Ralph McQuarrie joined the design team for Star Wars with the intent of creating a few pieces of art to help sell the pitch to studio executives who might have had a hard time visualizing the movie. He ended up creating a vast trove of art that often looked off into unseen corners of the universe, like this piece of the Tusken Raiders. Here, the Tatooine natives gather at night for a mysterious summit in the desert. These slice-of-life like paintings really helped develop the world of Star Wars.
3 World War II Influence
World War II was a huge influence on the look and feel of Star Wars. The Y-Wing bomber features perhaps the most visual influence of WWII era designs with its bubble-like gun turret. The turret ultimately fell out of the final design, though it would reappear for the Clone Wars-era version.
George Lucas wanted pretty much all of the designs in the original Star Wars from the costumes to the spaceships to be as simple as possible. To that end, he imagined letter shapes for the fighters, like the Y-Wing. Eventually, all the Rebel fighters would feature letter classifications.
2 Stormtroopers With Lightsabers
When Ralph McQuarrie started creating concept art for Star Wars in 1975, a lot of the story was still in flux. That is most apparent in this unusual but nonetheless iconic painting where Stormtroopers are wielding lightsabers. At the time, the lightsaber was a general weapon and not associated solely with the Jedi (who weren't exactly the Jedi yet). The Stormtroopers also have large shields, presumably to defend against blaster fire, which really would have been cool in the final movie.
1 Darth Vader Vs. Luke Starkiller
Ralph McQuarrie gave Darth Vader his iconic mask as a result of the practical needs of the first scene in the movie. Similarly, he gave Luke Starkiller a mask — and a lightsaber — when imagining the hero and villain squaring off in the corridor of the Rebel Blockade Runner. This moment never happened on screen, but the painting provides a captivating glimpse into the evolution of the film. While Darth Vader is close to his final form here, Luke still has a ways to go.