Battlestrar Galactica - 1st concept sketch

[Carson Dyle]

I picked up the wonderful new McQuarrie book over the weekend, and was amazed to find this early pre-production sketch of the Galactica. Forgive me if this is old news, but I'd never seen this drawing before, and was immediately struck by how closely the design resembles that of the Galactica's shuttle. Clearly this is where the latter originated.

The Art of Ralph McQuarrie is full of previously unpublished material, and serves as a fantastic tribute to the man who brought so many of our favorite sci-fi/ fantasy designs to life. If you're a McQuarrie fan, it's a must have.

 

[phase pistol]

Actually that sketch reminds me of one of Galactica's landing bays.

- k

 

[Carson Dyle]

Actually that sketch reminds me of one of Galactica's landing bays.

Yup, that too.

Those landing bays first appeared in a pre-production illustration of an unnamed Colonial shuttle (i.e. the Rising Star), and it's clear the overall shape can also be seen here.

fascinating how this stuff tends to blend together and overlap during the creative process.

 

[phase pistol]

So can that McQuarrie book be gotten anywhere other than the mcquarrie.com site?

I didn't want the superexpensive deluxe collectors editions, but it does seem like a cool book.

- k

 

[Carson Dyle]

So can that McQuarrie book be gotten anywhere other than the mcquarrie.com site?

I honestly don't know.

There are two versions: the expensive version, and the very expensive version. I opted for the former, and it set me back about $125.00.

I should be noted that this is a huge, full color, 400 page volume, and worth every penny of what I paid.

 

[SSR]

Does the book have any work from his "real space" days; I believe he did some illustrations for a NASA contractor or CBS.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Yes, the book contains a bountiful sampling of McQuarrie's NASA stuff, along with a large selection of other real space-related renderings. The stuff he did for Boeing is particularly cool IMO... beautifully executed sketches and paintings of the aviation giant's aborted SST project.

 

[mikk]

To answer the questions about the McQuarrie book, it is an independent publication & can only be purchased through the Dreams & Vision Press web site.

The book contains pics from throughout Ralph's career including early stuff at Boeing & his NASA stuff.

I posted some random pics in the "Art of" thread. They can be seen here.

Hope this helps.