Things We Saw Today: RIP ‘Star Wars’ Concept Artist Colin Cantwell

You may not recognize his name, but Colin Cantwell had a profound effect on nerd culture as we know it. Cantwell was the concept artist responsible for designing Star Wars‘ iconic spacecraft, including the X-wing Starfighter, TIE fighter and Death Star. He not only designed but constructed the prototypes for Star Wars, which influenced generations of science fiction creators, designers, and fans. Cantwell passed away this weekend at 90 years old, leaving behind an extraordinary life and legacy.

But Star Wars wasn’t the only iconic science fiction saga Cantwell was a part of. He did visual effects for films like 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), as well as technical dialogue for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). He also helped design the computer graphics for WarGames (1983). 

A childhood survivor of tuberculosis, Cantwell worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA, where he directed and produced special effects for early educational programs on space travel, including Voyage to the Outer Planets (1973). During the height of the space race, Cantwell assisted Walter Cronkite during the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, transferring communications from NASA to the news anchor in real time. In addition to his work in technology and film, Cantwell authored two science fiction novels, CoreFires 1 and CoreFires 2. You can learn more about Cantwell from his terrific Reddit AMA from 2016.

Many took to social media to remember Cantwell and his influence on the industry:

(via The Hollywood Reporter, image: screencap/Talks by Google)

• Fans are wondering why ‘She-Hulk’ isn’t as buff in the Disney+ series. (via Jezebel)
• ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ inches closer to $1 billion worldwide. (via Deadline)
• 343’s Kiki Wolfkill explains ‘Halo’s season one ending. (via IGN)
• Kate McKinnon bids ‘SNL’ farewell as alien abductee Colleen Rafferty.

• The fountain of youth is really in…sea squirts? (via Syfy Wire)
• KiKi Layne talks ‘Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers’. (via Shadow and Act)
• Check out this retro Pokémon fan project. (via Polygon)
• Amazon teases its upcoming ‘The Boys’ spinoff:

Happy Sunday, Mary Suevians! We made it through another week!

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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