Kosh
AVClub Fanatic
Βack to February 14-15, 1975, when Ralph completed his second painting for the film. Simply titled “Laser Duel” in his calendar, it would go on to become one of his most famous Star Wars paintings.
It features LORD DARTH VADER, BLACK KNIGHT OF THE SITH (as described in the 2nd draft screenplay) pitted against Deak Starkiller.
While commonly referred to as the “Luke versus Vader” painting (even by George Lucas), there was never a moment in the original screenplay where Luke and Vader faced off with lightsabers.
Included here are the original two part tissue (separate layers for the foreground characters and the hallway background) and the finished painting. Ralph chose to simplify things and not include the additional background characters from his original drawing in the painting, resulting in an even more striking image of the Dark Lord.
Kosh
AVClub Fanatic
Lucasfilm just dropped something fans have been asking for forever. A fully mapped galaxy.
In this newly revealed official map, legendary worlds like Tatooine, Coruscant, and Hoth finally have defined locations instead of feeling scattered across space. For the first time, you can actually follow the connections between major storylines and see how everything links together across different eras.
What really stands out is how it puts the scale of the galaxy into perspective. Areas like the Outer Rim, Core Worlds, and Unknown Regions now feel more tangible, almost like looking at a real star chart, just filled with Jedi, smugglers, and Sith.
It also shows just how huge the Star Wars timeline has become, bringing together locations from the films, Disney+ series, and even expanded lore into one cohesive galaxy.
