pleasure to spend time chatting with. And you feel like the
circle’s complete. If Ralph gives you a thumbs-up, then
you feel like ‘Okay, now I can go do this’. And he’d
entertained diplomats and kings. I was just another
asshole who drew pictures.”
Most artists struggle with some degree of impostor
syndrome—the fear that, no matter what they accomplish
in their chosen creative field, sooner or later they’ll beexposed as frauds. Even if your name is Ralph McQuarrie.
Even if many credit you with envisioning the singular look
of the entire Star Wars universe.
McQuarrie told Gallagher about a stroll he took one
night in 1977. He liked to go for walks in abandoned
spaces—at the docks, in industrial zones, in warehouse
districts. On this particular night, though, McQuarrie
happened to be on Hollywood Boulevard.
“He was walking along, a little bit of a breeze blowing,”
Gallagher says. “Nobody else around. And this paper
packet rolls by him—a little wrapper. He looks down andthe San Francisco Bay Area to spend a day with the Lucas
camp. For the art team—Gallagher, lead animator Steve
Gilmour, and art director Derek Watts—that meant a trip
“across the pond” to Berkeley, where McQuarrie and his
wife lived. There, the BioWare folks were treated like
visiting dignitaries. They got to hold the Oscar that
McQuarrie had won for Best Visual Effects with Cocoon.
McQuarrie showed them his original work, offered advice,
and shared stories about “George and the old days”.
“That was life-changing,” Gallagher says. “I got to sit at
the feet of the master and spend a few hours with him. He
was an extraordinary human being, and just a natural
MCQUARRIE HAD
SOME WORDS OF
WISDOM FOR
THE ARTISTS
it’s a Star Wars wrapper, for the
collectible cards, with a blue-and-
yellow Darth Vader on the front.
Fifteen cents.
It hits him in the shoe, he bends over
and picks it
up. Says, ‘Huh. Guess I’m gonna do
okay at this’.”
For Gallagher, working on Knights
of the Old Republic wasn’t just
another job, it was a chance to
contribute to the galactic sandbox
his hero had helped dream up
decades earlier. There was an
enormous amount of pressure to
get it right. Fortunately McQuarrie
had some words of wisdom for the
artists at BioWare.
“He didn’t really have to tell me
this, but he said, ‘Always push back.(^1)
Concept art for
HK-47, one of
KotOR’s most
beloved characters.
(^2)
A concept
illustration of
Taris, where your
adventure begins.
(^3)
The interior of
your ship recalls
the similarly shabby
Millennium Falcon.
(^4)
This huge
hangar is classic
Star Wars, illustrating
incredible scale.
Knights of the Old Republic
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