Front view of Colin’s Star Destroyer model (click to buy)
Colin’s Star Destroyer concept that became the Cantwell-Class Arrestor Cruiser, as seen in Andor (click to buy)
Side view of Colin’s Star Destroyer model (click to buy)
Buy a Signed Star Destroyer Print
Use the code COLIN for 15% off!
It’s true that all his designs were re-designed to a varying degree, but a strong Cantwell influence shows through on most of them.
Joe Johnston, concept artist and visual effects technician for Star Wars and film director (The Rocketeer, Jumanji, Captain America: The First Avenger)
Because Colin was the first, he literally started with a blank canvas. He kicked off the entire aesthetic of Star Wars!
James Clyne, production supervisor, Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Star Wars Star Destroyer
Who created the original Star Destroyer?
Colin Cantwell was the designer of the first version of the Star Destroyer. He was the first Lucasfilm employee hired by George Lucas. During a Q&A with Sierra Dall, Colin’s long-term partner, he explained: “The Imperial Cruiser needed to have a real sense of scale and, that was going to affect the background and what kind of scenes George would play in that. So, I asked him, ‘The Imperial Cruiser, how big is that? Is it bigger than Burbank?’
“And George Lucas said, ‘Yes, that’s the answer: it’s bigger than Burbank. Make it so.'”
Who was in command of the original Star Destroyer?
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, was in command of the first Star Destroyer to appear in a Star Wars movie. The battle cruiser was in pursuit of Princess Leia’s spacecraft, the Blockade Runner known as Tantive IV, and managed to disable the smaller ship and pull it into its docking bay. From there, stormtroopers infiltrated the ship, killing and capturing many Rebel soldiers while Princess Leia put the Death Star plans in R2-D2 and sent him on his mission to find Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Which other Star Wars movies and TV shows feature Star Destroyers?
The Imperial Star Destroyer has been a mainstay in Star Wars movies and TV shows since the beginning. In the sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, we were introduced to Darth Vader’s personal command ship, the Executor, a massive craft that dwarfed its accompanying Star Destroyers. That ship met its end in the next movie, Return of the Jedi, when it was disabled and went into an out-of-control dive into the Death Star II.
Colin’s original Star Destroyer model was very close to the final version of that ship, and his concept drawing of a Star Destroyer was given new life as the Cantwell-Class Arrestor Cruiser, as seen very briefly in the movie Solo and in episode 11 of the first season of the Disney+ streaming series Andor. Learn more about how that ship came about. Production supervisor James Clyne, who pulled Colin’s artwork out of the ILM archives for Solo, told us of its appearance in Andor: “I had a sneaking suspicion that it would end up somewhere in some future space battle! So cool it did!”
Buy a Signed Star Destroyer Print
Use the code COLIN for 15% off!