Michael Heilemann26FebFebruary262013

A Tale of Two Pods

Kubrick's long shadow looms large over especially the opening of Lucas's space epic.

Michael Heilemann26FebFebruary262013

Michael Heilemann25FebFebruary252013

The Son of Suns

A returning motif in Lucas's films, found throughout his student films as well as in THX 1138 and Star Wars, is that of the sun.

Michael Heilemann25FebFebruary252013

Michael Heilemann25FebFebruary252013

Air Force (1943) & The Destruction of Alderaan

Michael Heilemann25FebFebruary252013

Michael Heilemann22FebFebruary222013

Grumpy Old Wizards

The influence of one particular story about a ring on Star Wars often receives more attention than it is worth. Though that isn't to say that there isn't smoke.

Michael Heilemann22FebFebruary222013

Michael Heilemann20FebFebruary202013

The Power Meter

Michael Heilemann20FebFebruary202013

Michael Heilemann19FebFebruary192013

Music

Crucifixion

The Imperial Attack / Blockade Runner track from the Star Wars score has a certain resemblance to the Crucifixion track from Franz Waxman's 1935 Bride of Frankenstein score. A track which was reused, as it happens, as the intro music for the Flash Gordon serial (and more on that later).

Michael Heilemann19FebFebruary192013

Music

Michael Heilemann18FebFebruary182013

Princess Hair

What possessed the production of Star Wars to equip Leia with her now icon haircut? Did it stem from mexican freedom fighters? Indians? Or was it something closer to the pulp and WWII-based sources that Star Wars generally draws from?

Michael Heilemann18FebFebruary182013

Michael Heilemann18FebFebruary182013

Artists

Chris Foss & The Triangular Totalitarianism

Uniquely identifiable from his use of color and patterns, Chris Foss has been a tremendous influence in science fiction for decades. In the 70s he created a book cover which had on it a strangely familiar, yet quite alien design. A triangular star ship.

Michael Heilemann18FebFebruary182013

Artists

Chris Foss & The Triangular Totalitarianism

Michael Heilemann17FebFebruary172013

Khyber Rifles

Luke's long rifle, never used and glimpsed only for a short segment on-screen, might very well have been inspired by, of all things, a John Ford adventure film.

Michael Heilemann17FebFebruary172013

Michael Heilemann16FebFebruary162013

Artists

Ron Cobb & The Giant Lizards

Riders astride giant lizards might not have been an entirely novel concept by the mid 70s, but Ron Cobb's take on it had an air of the fantastic, while being grounded in reality. Cobb would go on to work on creatures for Star Wars , and this early design probably inspired the Dewback.

Michael Heilemann16FebFebruary162013

Artists

Michael Heilemann15FebFebruary152013

Artists

John Berkey & The Mechanical Planet

He provided the empire with the ultimate weapon, though he couldn't have known it at the time. His style is uniquely elegant, yet mechanical, and though he would do some work for Star Wars , he never actually saw the films themselves.

Michael Heilemann15FebFebruary152013

Artists

Michael Heilemann13FebFebruary132013

The Jawa Sandcrawler

An outlandish design even in a film filled with otherwise outlandish designs, the Jawa Sandscrawler has an interesting story to it, owing its features to both NASA, as well as another science fiction film.

Michael Heilemann13FebFebruary132013