Fan Spotlight: Three of the people bringing Colin’s Star Wars spaceship designs to life
In Internet terms, a nearly 20-year run posting videos on YouTube is like a lifetime pretty much anywhere else. That’s how long EC Henry has been maintaining his YouTube channel, where he dives deep into all kinds of minutiae concerning many now-iconic Star Wars space ships. And, of course, Colin Cantwell’s work has been a major part of his focus during that time; he has brought many of Colin’s designs to life in various ways and even incorporated Colin’s X-Wing into footage from Return of the Jedi.
One of his recent videos takes a look at Colin’s original 1975 design for what was first known as “the pirate ship,” before it earned the Millennium Falcon moniker via a complete redesign. (We talked about George Lucas’s reason for making the change in an earlier blog post.) Check it out in EC Henry’s video below, which focuses on Colin’s pirate ship model and imagines its place in the Star Wars story universe.
EC Henry does a wonderful job retrofitting Star Wars history to imagine how and when this spacecraft, dubbed the CC-32, might be used. He sees its utility as everything from diplomatic cruisers (a nod to Princess Leia’s Blockade Runner, which was an evolution of Colin’s pirate ship design) to long-haul freighters. The video places the ship in a variety of scenarios.
Angelos Karderinis, who created the renders used in EC Henry’s video, told me: “I was tasked with creating several key artworks to really show off the ship’s design. EC gave me the 3D model, and I placed it in different scenarios. One of my favorite shots was a chase scene with the Incursor-class cruiser.”
He adds: “One of my main goals was to recreate that iconic landed shot that Ralph McQuarrie originally conceptualized, using Colin Cantwell’s early physical model. This artwork, to me, played a big role in shaping the Star Wars we know and love today, and I felt it was important to honor both Colin and Ralph’s work by reimagining it.”
Angelos also says that he “wanted to highlight Colin Cantwell’s contributions in a cinematic and artistic way, staying true to the spirit of the original Star Wars. My aim was to capture that sense of adventure and nostalgia while paying tribute to all the artists involved in this project.”
Preserving Colin’s Star Wars legacy
Eric Guedes, who has also collaborated with EC Henry, says of Colin’s contributions to Star Wars: “He was without a doubt one the most important people in charge of bringing this new fictional universe to life; he was part of the foundation for establishing the visual language regarding the look and feel of the ships. His personal sense of aesthetic was incredibly important to create memorable shapes that would be eventually used as the foundation for future designs.
“He would also add distinct characteristics to every one of his ships and vehicles that he created, making sure each would feel unique and with a sense of purpose. He would do that by thinking of reasons for all the little greebles that were added or thinking of some sort of a backstory for the vehicle, which would bring a level of believability to the overall design and feel grounded to reality. His designs are very inspiring to me because of their uniqueness and they remain a powerful beginning of a universe to this day.”
“What I find especially inspiring is how Colin’s work sparked the imaginations of so many other artists, shaping the direction of sci-fi design for years to come.” — 3D render artist Angelos Karderinis
Asked the same question, Angelos replies: “Colin Cantwell’s designs really laid the foundation for so many of the iconic ships in Star Wars. His original concepts, combined with Ralph McQuarrie’s visual interpretations, created an aesthetic that became synonymous with the franchise. Getting to work on projects that pay homage to Colin’s work has been an incredible honor, and it’s deepened my respect for the creative minds that helped shape such an influential part of cinema history.
“What I find especially inspiring is how Colin’s work sparked the imaginations of so many other artists, shaping the direction of sci-fi design for years to come. I hope that by paying tribute to his legacy through my own work, I’m continuing that cycle of inspiration, just like Colin did for so many of us.”