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Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy
For the first time, Lucasfilm has opened its Archives to present the complete storyboards for the original Star Wars trilogy—the world-changing A New Hope and its operatic sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi—as well as never-before-published art from early conceptual and deleted scenes.
From the opening chase above Tatooine in A New Hope to the Battle of Endor in Jedi, this book presents the visual inspiration behind now-iconic moments. Readers can finally see a full set of storyboards by legendary artist Joe Johnston, as well as early boards for Episode IV by Alex Tavoularis and for Episode V by Ivor Beddoes, rarely seen Episode VI boards by Roy Carnon, and Ralph McQuarrie’s never-before-seen storyboards for Episode V.
From the opening chase above Tatooine in A New Hope to the Battle of Endor in Jedi, this book presents the visual inspiration behind now-iconic moments. Readers can finally see a full set of storyboards by legendary artist Joe Johnston, as well as early boards for Episode IV by Alex Tavoularis and for Episode V by Ivor Beddoes, rarely seen Episode VI boards by Roy Carnon, and Ralph McQuarrie’s never-before-seen storyboards for Episode V.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 2014
About the author
J.W. Rinzler
58 books105 followersJ. W. Rinzler has authored over 20 books including two New York Times bestsellers and a #1 best-selling graphic novel. With more than 600,000 copies in print, his books have been translated into seven languages.
J. W. Rinzler grew up in Manhattan, New York City, and then in Berkeley, California. He fell in love with old monster films, such as Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as Robin Hood and other adventure movies. He was an avid comic-book and novel reader, an intrepid moviegoer, and had his mind blown by The Beatles, Star Trek, Bruce Lee, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Frank Frazetta, Michelangelo, and Mad Magazine.
Rinzler drew his own comic books (badly), then, in his 20s, moved onto figurative oil painting (okay-ly, but self-taught). He lived in France for almost 10 years, where he began writing. Back in the USA, he worked as executive editor at Lucasfilm for fifteen years, chronicling the work of George Lucas and his genial collaborators in a series of books about Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
During this time, Rinzler also directed and wrote an animated short Riddle of the Black Cat, based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, which was accepted into several festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival.
His latest book is an epic historical fiction thriller called ALL UP, an epic about the first Space Age, published in July 2020. The sequel will be out in a year or two...
Meanwhile his book on Howard Kazanjian, producer, is due in May 2021; and on Kubrick's The Shining in fall 2021.
Rinzler is married and has two daughters and one grandson. He lives on the northern California coast.
J. W. Rinzler grew up in Manhattan, New York City, and then in Berkeley, California. He fell in love with old monster films, such as Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as Robin Hood and other adventure movies. He was an avid comic-book and novel reader, an intrepid moviegoer, and had his mind blown by The Beatles, Star Trek, Bruce Lee, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Frank Frazetta, Michelangelo, and Mad Magazine.
Rinzler drew his own comic books (badly), then, in his 20s, moved onto figurative oil painting (okay-ly, but self-taught). He lived in France for almost 10 years, where he began writing. Back in the USA, he worked as executive editor at Lucasfilm for fifteen years, chronicling the work of George Lucas and his genial collaborators in a series of books about Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
During this time, Rinzler also directed and wrote an animated short Riddle of the Black Cat, based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, which was accepted into several festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival.
His latest book is an epic historical fiction thriller called ALL UP, an epic about the first Space Age, published in July 2020. The sequel will be out in a year or two...
Meanwhile his book on Howard Kazanjian, producer, is due in May 2021; and on Kubrick's The Shining in fall 2021.
Rinzler is married and has two daughters and one grandson. He lives on the northern California coast.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 13, 2016
Gorgeous artwork, and fun notes (though sparse). Nice coffee-table-esque type books for fans of either Star Wars or storyboard art. The space scenes were exceptionally beautiful.
July 9, 2014
Superb insight into some early creative development by some very talented people. It is great to see the contrast between what could have been and was became Star Wars as we know it. Along with some of the original concepts that gave Star Wars the look and feel we have come to know and love. I was surprised by some of the graphic detail that was conceptualized but never made it to the big screen. I would have liked some more notes and text based on how the artists came to these visual concepts (the inner workings of their thought process and workings with the Lucas team) but then again it was so long ago, who really knows, right? It was a good fast read for anyone who wants that nice warm childish feeling that Star Wars gives us, much like when we saw the movie for the 1st time!
August 22, 2014
Very nice reading. The only problem I see is that it should come joint with the script, and more comments should be added about the changes made, the reasons for them, etc.
April 4, 2022
"A visually appealing and fun read that took you along for the ride that was the creation of "Star Wars." Offered glimpses of storyboards from famous scenes like the Death Star trench run, the Battle of Hoth and the destruction of the second Death Star, this brought the original trilogy to life in a way that was new and exciting."
Pros: Visually some of the storyboards were incredible. To think that the artists had to draw these on the fly, at the whim of the writers and directors, is astonishing/It was interesting to see the artists different styles, some storyboards almost lifelike while some were more cartoonish.
Cons: A literally very heavy book, it was hard to hold and read/The commentary that accompanied some of the storyboards were interesting little tidbits of what went on behind the scenes but for the most part, they felt a little extraneous.
Full Review:
If you love drawings, sketches and creating a story and if you're a big fan of "Star Wars" then this book is for you. It's storyboards that have been taken from the archives and put together in order, depicting each movie in chronological order. With the storyboards, you have some commentary from the artists about what was going on at that point in time etc. Intermingled with the storyboards were a few wider shots that focused on what specific detail and it included camera movements etc.
Visually, it was a fun and interesting book. You got to see the creation of "Star Wars" and the artists commentary on the actual drawing of the storyboards, how they'd play music in the background and just draw, it really brought you into the atmosphere, it wasn't hard to imagine the artists drawing, drawing, drawing, while music blared in the background.
It was a fun and unique read and though I've had this book for years, I hadn't gotten around to reading it until now. I'm glad I finally did, I really enjoyed it. I've always wanted to be able to draw, thinking it would be fun to build something visually, let others see what I see inside my head and with this book, that's what you get. You got to see the growth and evolutions of the "Star Wars" plot and it was really rather fun.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves "Star Wars", for anyone who loves art and for someone who's looking for an interesting look behind the scenes of how a movie is created and the steps that are taken to finally make the finished product.
Pros: Visually some of the storyboards were incredible. To think that the artists had to draw these on the fly, at the whim of the writers and directors, is astonishing/It was interesting to see the artists different styles, some storyboards almost lifelike while some were more cartoonish.
Cons: A literally very heavy book, it was hard to hold and read/The commentary that accompanied some of the storyboards were interesting little tidbits of what went on behind the scenes but for the most part, they felt a little extraneous.
Full Review:
If you love drawings, sketches and creating a story and if you're a big fan of "Star Wars" then this book is for you. It's storyboards that have been taken from the archives and put together in order, depicting each movie in chronological order. With the storyboards, you have some commentary from the artists about what was going on at that point in time etc. Intermingled with the storyboards were a few wider shots that focused on what specific detail and it included camera movements etc.
Visually, it was a fun and interesting book. You got to see the creation of "Star Wars" and the artists commentary on the actual drawing of the storyboards, how they'd play music in the background and just draw, it really brought you into the atmosphere, it wasn't hard to imagine the artists drawing, drawing, drawing, while music blared in the background.
It was a fun and unique read and though I've had this book for years, I hadn't gotten around to reading it until now. I'm glad I finally did, I really enjoyed it. I've always wanted to be able to draw, thinking it would be fun to build something visually, let others see what I see inside my head and with this book, that's what you get. You got to see the growth and evolutions of the "Star Wars" plot and it was really rather fun.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves "Star Wars", for anyone who loves art and for someone who's looking for an interesting look behind the scenes of how a movie is created and the steps that are taken to finally make the finished product.
November 2, 2020
As a big Star Wars fan I really enjoyed this. The storyboards themselves offer insight into how well planned and finished the effect sequence shots were even in storyboard format. Most of the creative choices looked laid out at this point. I love seeing the specific artists credited wherever possible and this book does a good job of pointing those out. There are a few personal anecdotes scattered throughout but this is mostly covering the effect heavy sequences.
I was hoping for a bit more coverage of the art team and perhaps some more insight into technique and timelines that they had. There was some coverage on the extreme ends in terms of doing up to 40 boards in a day but less about what the average output or number of images produced overall. If you're visually focused I think this will hit all the marks but I was hoping for a couple of pages of text per movie covering timeline/team/work/challenges/budget if possible. But maybe I'm being greedy! It was a great read.
I was hoping for a bit more coverage of the art team and perhaps some more insight into technique and timelines that they had. There was some coverage on the extreme ends in terms of doing up to 40 boards in a day but less about what the average output or number of images produced overall. If you're visually focused I think this will hit all the marks but I was hoping for a couple of pages of text per movie covering timeline/team/work/challenges/budget if possible. But maybe I'm being greedy! It was a great read.
December 27, 2019
An unlooked-for Christmas gift from my sister's family.
On my own, I wouldn't have picked up something like this but it is interesting from several points of view:
1. Seeing the role storyboarding has in creating a film
2. Seeing what made it in and what didn't to the original trilogy
3. Seeing some of the earliest concepts for now iconic images (like Episode IV's opening shot)
4. Reading the commentary from the artists (though, as several reviews have noted, it would be nice to have more)
Definitely recommended for serious Star Wars fans but, otherwise, the audience is limited (IMO).
For me, it's in the same category as The Star Wars: An interesting look at what might have been (and, in many cases, a sigh of relief that it didn't).
On my own, I wouldn't have picked up something like this but it is interesting from several points of view:
1. Seeing the role storyboarding has in creating a film
2. Seeing what made it in and what didn't to the original trilogy
3. Seeing some of the earliest concepts for now iconic images (like Episode IV's opening shot)
4. Reading the commentary from the artists (though, as several reviews have noted, it would be nice to have more)
Definitely recommended for serious Star Wars fans but, otherwise, the audience is limited (IMO).
For me, it's in the same category as The Star Wars: An interesting look at what might have been (and, in many cases, a sigh of relief that it didn't).
December 30, 2023
Okay, I have a problem. I love coffee table books, especially Star Wars coffee table books, but I rarely read them. So, I am going to make a concerted effort to go through some of my coffee table books starting now!
This one appealed to me, because I am interested in the film-making process, and I always wondered how Storyboards helped to shape a movie. Also, I am the least artistic person I know, but have always been fascinated by good drawings.
My one gripe with this book is that it didn't give much detail about the process. I guess, that's not what this was ever supposed to be about, but that's kind of what I was hoping for. Still, it's the kind of book that you can look at over and over again. Some of the depictions are pretty much exactly how you remember from the films, and some these boards were left on the cutting room floor.
My rating: 4 Stars
This one appealed to me, because I am interested in the film-making process, and I always wondered how Storyboards helped to shape a movie. Also, I am the least artistic person I know, but have always been fascinated by good drawings.
My one gripe with this book is that it didn't give much detail about the process. I guess, that's not what this was ever supposed to be about, but that's kind of what I was hoping for. Still, it's the kind of book that you can look at over and over again. Some of the depictions are pretty much exactly how you remember from the films, and some these boards were left on the cutting room floor.
My rating: 4 Stars
June 4, 2023
I really appreciate that LFL, Joe Johnston & his team released these for us to see! I particularly loved when you could see certain scenes that came to be exactly as they were storyboarded.
My minor gripe would be that we see a ton on some scenes (ROTJ - speeder bike chase) but then whole other stories aren’t shown (ESB - everyone but Luke’s experience on Cloud City; ROTJ - most everything about Leia’s story; we don’t see her reunite with Han, kill Jabba, befriend the works, find our Luke is her brother, etc. Same goes for Lando, who’s shown rarely…)
I guess this could be because they only had some that survived and/or they didn’t storyboard all scenes, but that miffed me some.
My minor gripe would be that we see a ton on some scenes (ROTJ - speeder bike chase) but then whole other stories aren’t shown (ESB - everyone but Luke’s experience on Cloud City; ROTJ - most everything about Leia’s story; we don’t see her reunite with Han, kill Jabba, befriend the works, find our Luke is her brother, etc. Same goes for Lando, who’s shown rarely…)
I guess this could be because they only had some that survived and/or they didn’t storyboard all scenes, but that miffed me some.
August 26, 2017
Rick McCallum’s contributions as a concept artist to the visual look of Star Wars aren’t overstated, but perhaps they diminish the work of storyboard artists that established some of the most iconic shots in the films.
April 11, 2026
The book was amazing. Such great commentary and numerous scenes shown that never made it into the films.
Reading the insight that went into the storyboard process makes me appreciate the craft that went into these films that I love so much.
Reading the insight that went into the storyboard process makes me appreciate the craft that went into these films that I love so much.
Read
January 11, 2021Nice resource! Wish it had more detailed artist interviews/bios and photos of the work space/layout to get a better idea of the process.
October 3, 2021
Instructive.
November 14, 2022
Beautiful work
June 24, 2026
Makes me want to make my dream come to and be apart of flim
January 15, 2015
Seeing that there's already Star Wars Storyboards: The Prequel Trilogy, it's probably not surprising to expect a second book to complete the set.
Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy is as thick as the earlier book at 352 pages. It's hardcover and the paper quality is nice. The storyboards featured are split between Episodes IV, V and VI, with 82, 112 and 142 pages devoted to each respectively. These storyboards are of course way older than those from the Prequel Trilogy book. Some of the storyboard artists include Joe Johnston, Ralph McQuarrie, Nilo Rodis-Jamero, Roy Carnon and more. There are 15 artists total. You can see different drawing styles, and medium such as in pencil, ink, markers and even watercolours.
Not every sequence in the film are included of course. In this book are mostly those that require visual effects, or action scenes, or the more complex sequences. It's cool to study the composition and story flow, and the handling of space and perspective is impressive.The art is fantastic. Many of the storyboards are drawn quite detailed. You can actually make out the designs for the mask that rebels and stormtroopers are wearing. Same goes for the many spaceships and robots.
It's interesting looking at the storyboards for these three old films. Even though the technology supposedly outdated by today's film or sci-fi standards, it doesn't feel that way because of the suggestive nature of art.The text only comes in the form of short captions describing the scenes on each page.
This is a great artbook that goes well together with the Prequel Trilogy book.
Highly recommended to those who love Star Wars and storyboards.
Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy is as thick as the earlier book at 352 pages. It's hardcover and the paper quality is nice. The storyboards featured are split between Episodes IV, V and VI, with 82, 112 and 142 pages devoted to each respectively. These storyboards are of course way older than those from the Prequel Trilogy book. Some of the storyboard artists include Joe Johnston, Ralph McQuarrie, Nilo Rodis-Jamero, Roy Carnon and more. There are 15 artists total. You can see different drawing styles, and medium such as in pencil, ink, markers and even watercolours.
Not every sequence in the film are included of course. In this book are mostly those that require visual effects, or action scenes, or the more complex sequences. It's cool to study the composition and story flow, and the handling of space and perspective is impressive.The art is fantastic. Many of the storyboards are drawn quite detailed. You can actually make out the designs for the mask that rebels and stormtroopers are wearing. Same goes for the many spaceships and robots.
It's interesting looking at the storyboards for these three old films. Even though the technology supposedly outdated by today's film or sci-fi standards, it doesn't feel that way because of the suggestive nature of art.The text only comes in the form of short captions describing the scenes on each page.
This is a great artbook that goes well together with the Prequel Trilogy book.
Highly recommended to those who love Star Wars and storyboards.
October 20, 2021
This needed far more notes and insight to get 5 stars from me, but it was still a very interesting book. Most of the artwork aligns almost exactly with the movies, but I found the ones that didn't align to be the most interesting. I've previously read quite a bit of Star Wars history, so that was pretty helpful in getting as much as possible out of a book like this. The boards that were created for ANH were the best because a lot of things weren't nailed down so the artists had a lot more leeway and room to create. The violence was a lot more graphic in these boards than in the movies or in the storyboards of the next two movies.
June 1, 2014
One of the most gorgeous geeky coffee table books you are likely to find. What is especially fascinating is discovering the earliest vision of the "Star Wars" characters -- to say nothing of particular scenes etched in our memory -- and how different they could have been. In particular, the opening storyboards for "A New Hope" are surprising (even disturbingly) graphic in the violence they depict. On the lighter side, some of the artwork (especially facial expressions) can be unintentionally hilarious. My only gripe is that I would have preferred much more text commentary to accompany the visuals, and describe the evolutionary design process in more detail. Sometimes I want to pick the brain of designers and artists a little more, than simply be left to speculate.
May 23, 2014
A look at the original hand drawn storyboards from the original Star Wars trilogy. Some of the artwork is simply superb featuring the likes of Joe Johnston and of course Ralph McQuarrie. From each strip you can clearly see how they brought the visions of George Lucas and the various artists to life on the screen. Alongside the art are notes from the artists detailing the thoughts and processes behind the boards as well as some storyboards of scenes that didn't make it on screen. All you need is John Williams' legendary soundtrack score playing in the background when reading this. If you love Star Wars then I would recommend getting this hardcover book.
January 9, 2016
Don't expect a graphic novel version of the original Star Wars trilogy. It's more an exploration of the ideas (including several that didn't make it into the final drafts). The illustrations cover most of the major action sequences but don't hit every scene. It's gorgeous and full of trivia and little jokes. The blending of lots of different artistic styles (especially in the first film) gives an interesting perspective for those who know the films well. The commentary from the artists sprinkled throughout the book is great, but I wish it had a lot more.
December 26, 2014
An absolute must for Star Wars fans and those interested in movie-making, particularly animation and VFX.
The storyboards show the evolution of now classic sequences with occasional commentary by the board artists, most prominently Joe Johnston. It's fascinating to see how ambitious the first movie in particular was, especially considering how limited VFX technology was. And some of the glimpses into sequences that didn't make the final cut are brilliant on their own.
The storyboards show the evolution of now classic sequences with occasional commentary by the board artists, most prominently Joe Johnston. It's fascinating to see how ambitious the first movie in particular was, especially considering how limited VFX technology was. And some of the glimpses into sequences that didn't make the final cut are brilliant on their own.
February 6, 2015
This book is a follow up to the one which covered the Prequel Trilogy. It has the same format, storyboards from each film with commentary by the artists. I found this one even better than the previous one, because storyboards were used much more readily for the original trilogy. There is a lot of great stuff in here. Storyboards from original script, as well as things that didn't make it into the films.
February 4, 2015
As a huge Star Wars fan, I loved reading about and seeing how they storyboarded the original trilogy. The artwork is amazing and the commentary makes you feel like you were there for the development of the movies.
February 3, 2016
It's very interesting seeing the early concept art from Episode IV, how everything was envisioned and what things didn't come to pass. The artwork is fantastic as was the short descriptions from the artists. Definite quick grab for a Star Wars or film enthusiast!
May 3, 2016
An interesting look at the process of film production and design. Mainly pictures, few texts at the beginning and captions throughout. It was fun to see some earlier versions of scenes, especially in episode IV, which scenario underwent a lot of changes.
July 6, 2016
Not only is it a great book for drawing ideas, in the footnotes you can learn a great deal about the process of the drawings that made up the films. Granted, this is mostly a picture book, but if you're interested in Star Wars AND art, this is a great book.
October 5, 2016
A cool look at the story board art that went into making the original Star Wars trilogy. Not every scene in the three movies is here, but all the important action is covered. Even better is the graphical peak at some of the ideas which didn't make it into the final films.
September 29, 2014
it has really pictures of the outlines they used. its really exciting to see how there storyboards went onto the big screen in the end.
May 26, 2016
Amazing, High Art !
October 30, 2016
Fascinating insight into the development of the original trilogy through the storyboards.
May 30, 2014
Very nice.... a joy to look at....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews