Frequently asked questions about Colin Cantwell

Who was Colin Cantwell?

Born on April 3, 1932, in San Francisco, Colin James Cantwell was raised in an artistic family. He was a voracious reader as a child and quickly became interested in space. During the 1960s, he worked for NASA (he fed Walter Cronkite data during the 1969 moon landing!), and in 1975, George Lucas hired Colin to design spaceships for Star Wars. He later worked on other movies and tackled a wide variety of projects outside Hollywood. Learn more about Colin’s life and career.

What did Colin Cantwell design?

Colin created the first iterations of the TIE Fighter, X-Wing fighter, Star Destroyer, and other now-iconic ships. He designed the first version of the Death Star, too! Learn why you can’t tell the Star Wars origin story without Colin Cantwell.

Which of Colin’s ships did Ralph McQuarrie use in his paintings?

Concept artist and matte painter Ralph McQuarrie, who worked on all three movies in the original Star Wars trilogy, used several of Colin’s designs in his early paintings, including the Y-Wing Fighter, the Death Star, and the first version of the Millennium Falcon.

Briggs says: “It wasn’t until later Ralph McQuarrie paintings emerged, depicting slick-yet-accurate versions of Colin’s nascent Y-Wings and Death Star, that we’d an inkling Mr. Cantwell’s work was more seminal to our obsessions than we even knew.”¹

What was the first version of the Millennium Falcon?

During Star Wars‘ early stages of development, the so-called “pirate ship” looked more like Princess Leia’s Blockade Runner from the opening scene of the movie. However, its resemblance to the Eagle Lander from Space: 1999 prompted Lucas to ask for a redesign, and Colin’s ship became the Blockade Runner. Read all about it in our blog post about the first version of the Falcon.

Did any of Colin’s designs get reused later?

Yes! Colin’s Star Destroyer concept image on the left was pulled out of the Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) archives and repurposed as the Cantwell-class Arrestor Cruiser. That ship made a brief appearance in the movie Solo and was featured prominently in a scene in the Disney Plus series Andor. Read “How one of Colin’s Star Destroyer designs became part of Star Wars canon” on our blog to learn more about that.

What did George Lucas say about Colin Cantwell?

When Colin Cantwell died on May 21, 2022, George Lucas had this to say about his former creative partner: “Colin’s imagination and creativity were apparent from the get-go. He was there at the very beginning and the first one to design spaceships and prototypes for A New Hope. His artistry helped me build out the visual foundation for so many ships that are instantly recognizable today. His talent was and remains evident for all to see.”²

Colin’s passing was recognized by media around the world, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and many other publications. Check out our News page to see many of the articles that were published about him.

What did other people say about Colin Cantwell?

“In the pre-internet, Google-it, copy-and-paste-bits-and-pieces days, Cantwell’s designs came by way of sketching on paper with only his ideas for a guide. His designs clearly say ‘Cantwell’ and no one else. I never met Colin Cantwell when I was hired to do Empire and Jedi, but then again, I didn’t have to. The trail he left behind on Star Wars made it easy for anyone to follow his footsteps. Thank you, Colin.”¹ — Nilo Rodis-Jamero, designer

“Colin deserves a lot of credit for the initial vision of what Star Wars looked like, at least in the form of its hardware. 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.”¹ — Joe Johnston, designer and director

“Colin Cantwell’s influence was always there since we were 70s kids, poring over every available photographic cranny of ILM, his models lurking enticingly in the background. There were published pictures of his glued-plastic whimsies, built straight off the page of George Lucas’ own yellow legal pad scribbles, and played with by a young Joe Johnston in ways we envied.”¹ — Peter Briggs, co-writer, Hellboy (2004)

Check out our News page to see what else has been said about him.

Where can I see Colin talk about his work?

Sierra Dall, Colin’s long-term partner of 24 years, recorded a series of Q&A sessions with Colin about his work on Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and WarGames. In addition, they discussed his participation in the 1969 moon landing (which tied into his job at NASA), his work for the famous designer Charles Eames, his admission into famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture school, and more.

He even offered up some advice for anyone who might be interested in following in his footsteps. (And we bet there are many of you!)

You can see those videos and ask Sierra questions about Colin at one of the several upcoming events we will be hosting with a variety of partners. We hope you’ll join us for Star Wars inside stories as told by its first ship designer, Colin Cantwell!

See Events

What is TSJ Foundation?

TSJ (Theresa Sondra Jacobs) Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the legacy of a woman who devoted over 30 years of her life to education. Eric Jacobs, her son, is TSJ Foundation’s founder and CEO, and he’s also a Star Wars fan who incorporated that galaxy far, far away into its mission of bringing STEAM-based education to kids. Learn more about TSJ Foundation.

What is STEAM?

STEAM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. It’s a holistic, interdisciplinary approach that exemplifies what the famous artist Leonardo da Vinci once said: “To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art; study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” Colin’s life embodied STEAM long before the acronym even existed, which makes all of his work perfect for TSJ Foundation’s mission. Learn more about STEAM and why it’s important.