Page 39 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2020)

proper archives with different cataloging aware of undocumented McQuarrie rich with materials accumulated from
systems was time consuming and works, please let us know. and by various sources. So we were
often tedious. really well covered. One of the more
All of us authors who worked on the If you could ask Ralph a question, what challenging sections involved the Empire
books are collectors, so when we reached would it be? storyboards Ralph produced while in
out to fellow art collectors in the community, WL: I’ve admired Ralph’s genius since England. Although some artworks were

they were more than helpful in getting us I was a kid, and that childhood enthusiasm easily identified by the R.McQ. signature,
their original McQuarrie pieces to be for his work never diminished. I was others pieces required careful analysis.

scanned for the books. fortunate enough to have met Ralph Suffice to say, it would have been ideal
While we’re confident we found through his agent in 1997. That first to have Ralph at the table to answer

everything that resided in the official meeting led to a fifteen-year friendship. questions regarding specifics on his

archives, I’m sure that over time some During those years I was able to ask Ralph storyboard contributions. a
pieces could surface “in the wild.” I should many questions. I would visit Ralph and he
point out Ralph was a generous man. I heard would share stories of his life, career, the
stories where he would sometimes give phenomenon of Star Wars, and the impact MORE TO SAY
sketches as gifts to various people—such as it had on his life. When preparing these
the UPS driver who was an admirer or a fan books, and to augment my conversations Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie,
who sent him an interesting note in the mail. with Ralph, we conducted interviews with published by Abrams, is available now.
So it’s quite possible there might be some his colleagues, and were allowed access to HAVE YOU?
pieces still out there. If any readers are the Skywalker Ranch Archives—which are

INSIDER 39