Happy 89th birthday Ralph McQuarrie

June 13, 2018

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Today would have been the 89th birthday of the late Ralph McQuarrie, the man behind the magic of Star Wars. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow innovators George Lucas, Gary Kurtz and John Williams, McQuarrie was responsible for carving out of his imagination some of the most iconic and zeitgeist-thumping characters, locations and vehicles in movie history.

Earlier on today we posted a tweet celebrating Ralph on this special day.

Happy 89th birthday to the late Ralph McQuarrie. If George is the Maker then Ralph was the Creator. Lucas dreamt it, Ralph gave it form and we all – fellows fans, Lucasfilm, Disney and dreamers everywhere – reap the fruits of their genius. pic.twitter.com/GLPYp02ZKk

— Fantha Tracks: Star Wars News In A Single File (@FanthaTracks) June 13, 2018

Ralph opened a door into an imagination as vivid, exotic, exciting and fertile as the Star Wars galaxy itself, a debt that can never be repaid. Thank you Ralph.

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Ralph McQuarrie

Mark Newbold

Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in '81 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to ILM.com and SkywalkerSound.com, having previously written for Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Starburst Magazine, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia and Model and Collectors Mart. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host (the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015), the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.

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Counting Down To:

April 2026

mon06apr12:01 AM1:01 AMStar Wars: Maul - Shadow LordEvent starts in

May 2026

fri22may12:01 AM11:59 PMThe Mandalorian & GroguEvent ends in

Event Details

The Mandalorian and Grogu, announced as The Mandalorian & Grogu, is a Star Wars movie that started production in 2024. Directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, and Dave Filoni, it takes place between the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Episode VII: The Force Awakens, focuses on the adventures of Din Djarin and Din Grogu, and will be a spinoff to the TV series Star Wars: The Mandalorian. The film was announced on January 9 that year on StarWars.com with a conceptual sketch by veteran illustrator Ryan Church, along with an announcement of a second season of the television series Star Wars: Ahsoka. A fourth season of The Mandalorian is also still in development.

On May 7, 2019, Disney revealed their future movie release schedule, including a set of three untitled new Star Wars films, one of which had a scheduled release date of December 20, 2024. The Star Wars Show also reported on the news on May 15. On July 23, 2020, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was delayed to December 19, 2025. After the start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Disney shifted their theatrical film release slate, with the film being pushed to its current release date of May 22, 2026. A film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy occupied this release slot until The Mandalorian & Grogu was announced.

Star Wars Insider 224 revealed the initial film logo was the same as the one for The Mandalorian Season Three. In August 2024, during D23 2024, it was revealed that the film had entered production, and a new logo was revealed, in addition to a teaser that was shown to the audience. In August 2024, Sigourney Weaver revealed that she had joined the cast of The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Alongside the release of the movie, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will be updated to include a new mission featuring Djarin, Grogu, Tatooine, Endor and Cloud City, which takes place off camera from the film.

Time

May 22, 2026 12:01 AM - 11:59 PM(GMT+01:00)

Calendar GoogleCal

February 2027

fri19feb12:01 AM11:59 PMStar Wars 50th Anniversary releaseEvent starts in

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Earlier on today we posted a tweet celebrating Ralph on this special day.

Happy 89th birthday to the late Ralph McQuarrie. If George is the Maker then Ralph was the Creator. Lucas dreamt it, Ralph gave it form and we all – fellows fans, Lucasfilm, Disney and dreamers everywhere – reap the fruits of their genius. pic.twitter.com/GLPYp02ZKk

— Fantha Tracks: Star Wars News In A Single File (@FanthaTracks) June 13, 2018

Ralph opened a door into an imagination as vivid, exotic, exciting and fertile as the Star Wars galaxy itself, a debt that can never be repaid. Thank you Ralph.