Colin James Cantwell (born on April 3, 1932; died on May 21, 2022) was a conceptual designer responsible for the spacecraft designs featured in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
George Lucas enlisted Cantwell early on to contribute to the project initially known as "The Star Wars." Hal Barwood, who was involved in American Graffiti, facilitated the introduction. After Cantwell showcased his Steampunk-inspired "Superiority Machines" at his residence, Lucas became convinced of his suitability for the undertaking. Lucas also held Cantwell's contributions to 2001: A Space Odyssey in high regard.
Lucas presented him with a copy of "Adventures of the Starkiller, Episode I: The Star Wars," and Cantwell commenced his work. Cantwell's responsibilities included the design of various vehicles and spacecraft, such as the X-Wing, Y-Wing, TIE/LN Fighter, Star destroyer, Imperial Cruiser, Death Star, Landspeeder, Sandcrawler, Millennium Falcon, and T-16 Skyhopper. Cantwell began by producing preliminary sketches derived from brief discussions with George. Subsequently, he developed concept art in pencil, which was presented to studio executives alongside the artwork of Ralph McQuarrie. Cantwell's colored-pencil illustrations were intended to boost George's morale and excitement for the project following rejections from multiple studios.
Using a technique referred to as "kitbashing," he also constructed several prototype models based on his sketches. This involved incorporating components from various model kits to enhance the details of a new model. Cantwell understood that when designing his models and artwork, he needed to create ships that would allow viewers to easily distinguish between the vehicles of the heroes and villains. He is also credited with creating the names X-Wing and Y-Wing.
Cantwell drew inspiration from a throwing dart and a dragster in the design of the X-Wing. He conceived the S-foils to resemble a cowboy drawing his weapons. Like other Rebel spaceships, the X-Wing initially featured wheels on its landing gear. This was because George Lucas had initially envisioned hiring the Spanish Air Force, modifying their F-104 fighter jets to resemble Rebel fighters, and filming them taxiing and taking off from a runway. This concept was abandoned due to its perceived high cost, and Cantwell replaced the wheels with landing pads.
The engine thrusters in his concept art were diamond-shaped, but they were changed to circular when the model was made. Also, in his concept art, the fighter had seating for two people instead of just one.
Two designs were created for the Y-Wing. One design became the Y-Wing that is now known, and the other was a more triangular design that became the Skyhopper. The final Y-wing design remained largely faithful to Cantwell's original model. The cockpit, which was redesigned by fellow model maker Joe Johnston, was the only significant change.
The Skyhopper was originally intended to be the vehicle used by Luke Skywalker and C-3PO to locate R2-D2, but it was scrapped due to budget constraints. The ship did appear as a background prop and as a toy model that Luke plays with. It also appeared in the Special Edition of Return of the Jedi. Its design served as the foundation for the Imperial Shuttles.
Cantwell's TIE designs were intended to be instantly recognizable to viewers, making it easy to distinguish between the heroes and villains. Lucas instructed him to incorporate solar cells to power their ion engines. Cantwell realized he had forgotten to include a way for the pilot to get into the craft after the design was finished. He then proposed that they be suspended from the ceiling and entered in this manner.
Cantwell inquired with Lucas about the station's proximity to planets before beginning work on the Death Star. Cantwell decided to make the entire station silver after Lucas confirmed that it would be. This would make it easily visible from any angle in space. Cantwell hand-etched and inscribed all of the station's details so that they would be visible when light was cast on it.
The polystyrene used to construct the Death Star prototype tended to shrink around the edge of the casting, resulting in a slight dip. Cantwell came up with the idea of creating a trench at the equator, between the north and south hemispheres, to get around this problem.
Cantwell suggested that the exhaust port be placed inside this trench and that the Rebels fly along inside it to persuade Lucas. Lucas approved of the idea and gave him the go-ahead. Cantwell was able to save a lot of time by doing this.
In the early Star Wars scripts, Stardestroyers (spelled as one word) and Imperial Cruisers were distinct spacecraft. A Stardestroyer was a triangular, two-person fighter. Imperial Cruisers were large, aircraft carrier-like vessels. The Cruisers launched the Stardestroyers. Cantwell created concept art for both ships.
The two ships were combined into one in later drafts. Cantwell created a hybrid of his two previous designs when the model was created, resulting in the now-iconic appearance of the Imperial Star Destroyer.
The production crew referred to the ship as a "Pirate Ship" before it was known as the Millennium Falcon. The story involved a captured pirate ship that the heroes stole from the Imperials and used to flee to Yavin. They engage in a brief skirmish with Imperial fighters in space, repelling several of them in the ship's turrets before evacuating in escape pods. Cantwell kept this in mind as he created the concept model.
Cantwell's design was going to be the Millennium Falcon until the actual production. Joe Johnston even created a model for filming. However, after seeing a similar ship in the series Space: 1999, George Lucas decided not to use the design. Lucas then decided on the now-familiar "Eaten Hamburger" design.
References to Cantwell's design, specifically the jettisoned escape pods, were included in the final script. The Falcon's cockpit design by Cantwell was also kept for the new design. Johnston's model was later repurposed as the Tantive IV.
Cantwell primarily designed the Landspeeder to discourage Lucas from copying a design from a Buck Rogers comic strip. It was created to encourage Lucas to look for other designs and was not taken seriously by Cantwell as a genuine vehicle submission.
Cantwell was also unenthusiastic about the Sandcrawler design. It was designed to resemble a monster devouring the two droids in the desert.
Lucas approached Cantwell about starting his own special-effects studio after Universal Studios rejected him. He extended an offer for a leadership role at Industrial Light & Magic. Cantwell declined, stating that he did not want to be restricted to doing the same thing repeatedly. He also mentioned Lucas's decision to sign with 20th Century Fox, a competitor of Universal, a studio to which Cantwell felt obligated.
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