When you see Star Wars, do you think of Boeing? Human Space flight is a considerable part of Boeing’s heritage. But Boeing and Star Wars have even more in common. Enter Ralph McQuarrie. The late Ralph McQuarrie was a visionary conceptual designer and illustrator whose work remains influential and legendary within the entertainment industry. As an Artist and Preliminary Design Illustrator at the Boeing Company in the 1950’s and 1960’s, McQuarrie drew diagrams for a manual on constructing the 747 Jumbo Jet, and later worked as an illustrator animating sequences of the Apollo space missions for NASA and CBS News.
Fascinated with flight and outer space exploration, McQuarrie was later commissioned by filmmaker, George Lucas, to illustrate several scenes and characters from the script of the original film, Star Wars. McQuarrie designed many of the film’s characters, including Darth Vader, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO, along with many of the dramatic concepts for the film’s set. His career included work on the original Star Wars trilogy, the original Battle star Galactica TV series, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Cocoon, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and more. McQuarrie has been an inspiration to generations of artists and movie makers, and his concept work continues to inspire and entertain movie-goers around the world today.
Preview Star Wars merchandise at the Boeing Store today and take home with you a piece of Ralph McQuarrie’s legendary concepts. Find the Star Wars Millennium Falcon Heli, Star Wars Force Awakens Tie Fighter, and the Star Wars R2D2 Metal Earth, just to name a few, at the Boeing Stores. With many, many more new Star Wars items coming soon – it’s a force you will not be able to resist! Boeing also partnered with ANA earlier this year to paint a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a special R2-D2™ livery. You can watch the video here. This Dreamliner has drawn the attention of millions from around the world!
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