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Star Wars: Episode IX Bringing An Iconic Ralph McQuarrie Design To Life


The purported leaked poster for Star Wars: Episode IX has been dissected by fans as one would expect. There are a lot of elements to see, but one noticeable detail a particular fan found reveals a major callback to an original concept by the great Ralph McQuarrie.

For those who don't know, George Lucas tapped the legendary concept designer and illustrator to put his vision of the galaxy far, far away to life. Not all these designs ended up in the final cut, but it did inspire the overall look and feel of Star Wars. Interestingly, the upcoming film appears to be reviving one of his iconic creations.

There is an A-Wing featured in the leaked Star Wars: Episode IX poster that appears to be straight from McQuarrie's designs, as pointed out by an eagle-eyed Reddit user.

The new Resistance A-Wing is basically the McQuarrie one
from
r/StarWarsLeaks

Although we had a low-resolution photo to work with, the main color scheme is simply unmistakable. Thankfully, there is a new high-res version of the leak that can give us a better look. You'll find it above Naomi Ackie's character Jannah, who is standing next to Chewbacca.

Actual High quality version of the poster
from
r/StarWarsLeaks

This is not the first time McQuarrie's Star Wars masterpiece has made it to canon. Star Wars: Rebels also took inspiration from this early A-wing concept as well. It has also been used in the A-wing featured in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, although it wasn't an exact copy like the one in Episode IX, appears to be. It is to be pointed out that the poster is yet to be confirmed as the real deal. Mark Hamill himself believes it is fan-made, so the creator may have simply added it in there for fun.

On the other hand, the upcoming film is the culmination of the Skywalker saga, it is said to feature elements from the prequels and originals. It isn't really a stretch that McQuarrie will get a nod once again in Star Wars: Episode IX too.

Disney has been reviving a lot of the artist's work lately. For Star Wars Celebration Chicago, you can pick up C-3PO and R2-D2 ornaments based on McQuarrie's original designs. It will be interesting to see what Disney has in store.

Star Wars: Episode IX hits the cinemas December 20.

Also Read: Mark Hamill LOLs At The Idea of C-3PO With A Bowcaster in Star Wars: Episode IX

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