Despite the pandemic affecting the activities of fans and collectors globally, the situation Rancho Obi-Wan found itself in was somewhat unique. Long recognised as the worlds largest privately owned Star Wars collection, Rancho had to come up with new ways to keep its 1000 strong subscriber base occupied while still giving fans a peek behind the curtain at Rancho and the wider Star Wars galaxy it honours.
The San Francisco Chronicle crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and steered 50 miles north, up the 101 to picturesque Petaluma, the home of Rancho Obi-Wan to catch up with Steve Sansweet and see why Rancho is such a world-renowned location for Star Wars collectors.
All of those items would make just about any collector reach for their Ackbar pills, but ask Sansweet what piece really touches him and he doesn’t hesitate, pointing to a hand-painted blue-and-black banner with a triangular piece of T-shirt fabric cut out in the middle showing a man holding a lightsaber aloft.
“This is one of my treasures,” he said smiling. Taken from the original concept art by artist Ralph McQuarrie, it depicts Starkiller, an amalgamation of Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan and Han Solo who appeared in early drafts of Lucas’ scripts.
Sansweet said Charlie Lippincott, the head of advertising, marketing and merchandise in the late ’70s when the first movie came out, had the banner made and displayed it at comic book conventions across the country to connect with soon-to-be devotees.
“It ties me to the very beginning of fan relations at Lucasfilm,” Sansweet said.
Visitors then advance to the Treasure Room, where visitors can see original storyboards and concept art along with rare action figures, handmade bejeweled character figurines and a replica Princess Leia necklace.
The dazzling collection allows Sansweet to slip a remote control off the wall and click it to part a red velvet curtain. Behind it is, of course, a foyer crafted to look like the interior of the rebel blockade runner, the Tantive IV, where the very first “Star Wars” scene took place.
- Hardcover Book
- Johnston, E.K. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 288 Pages - 04/05/2022 (Publication Date) - Random House/Star Wars (Publisher)
