It happen this week – Ralph McQuarrie, the artist and designer who worked with George Lucas died at 82. McQuarrie is the artist who conceptualized Vader and many other beloved childhood characters and concepts from Star Wars, to Raiders, to E.T. Working with Lucas, who brought many of his imaginations to the big screen, together they had an huge impact on many people.
In a statement, George Lucas said, “Ralph McQuarrie was the first person 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.’” Full Article
So I wanted to take a quick momnet just to say thanks. Thanks for changing my life. I’m a fan and like to embrace my odd side from time to time. Even taking the suggestion of a friend and using the DJ handle of Darth Fader. Even if you are not a huge fan you can appreicate the skill and forsight that goes into creating an iconic image.
I remenber distintcly the first time I saw Darth Vader in person. My grandfather took us to see the original Star Wars in the theater, and it was a big deal. In front of the theater, as we walked up to get our tickets, there was this dark figure, dressed in all black, he turned and looked down at me. I was not scared as a little kid but enamored, I stared and studied his mask. I remember trying to look hard through the black eyes to see what was on the other side but could not.
Even though it was probably some zit faced teen behind the mask wearing a umpire pad on his chest, he seemed to be 9 feet tall. He looked down at me for a moment then grew tired of me staring at him and lifted his head to move on to imtimidate other movie goers. As he turned to walk away, I saw it. The flesh of the neck showed underneath his mask. The illusion was not gone but I realized that underneath the mask was a man. This weekend we lost that man( of sorts). Cheers to the Man Underneath the Mask – So go home and hug your Ewok and thank the force for all that you have.