A new website preserving the legacy of Star Wars designer Colin Cantwell, who died on May 21st, 2022, has been launched by Brad Cook and Sierra Dall, Colin long-term partner, and will feature a blog looking back at some of Colin’s most prolific work.
Colin Cantwell, the designer of the X-wing, TIE Fighter, Star Destroyer, Blockade Runner (his original design for the Millennium Falcon) and Death Star has passed away.
Brad Cook and Sierra Dall, Colin Cantwell’s long-term partner, are proud to announce the launch of a revamped website dedicated to preserving the legacy of the legendary first designer of many Star Wars ships, including the X-Wing Fighter, TIE Fighter, Death Star, Star Destroyer, and others.
The new website features a blog that will dive deep into various aspects of Colin’s life over the coming months, starting with his work on Star Wars. The first two blog posts introduce his Star Wars work and discuss Colin’s creation of the first version of the Millennium Falcon.
A future blog post will explain how one of Colin’s Star Destroyer concept paintings became the basis for the Cantwell-class Arrestor Cruiser. That ship appeared briefly in the movie Solo (and was meant to be featured in a scene that was deleted but is available as a bonus feature on the film’s home video editions) and played a prominent role in episode 11, “Daughter of Ferrix,” in season one of the Disney Plus series Andor.
Another future blog post will detail Colin’s extraordinary involvement in the moon landing on July 20, 1969. He worked for NASA in the 1960s and functioned as the “HAL 9000,” as he described his role, for Walter Cronkite during the CBS News broadcast, giving the news anchor updates as the lunar lander approached the surface.
On a related note, Colin also worked with Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey, which will, of course, get a blog entry too.
In addition, the new website features the first official online shop dedicated to selling autographed and non-autographed prints of Colin’s work on Star Wars, including pre-production paintings and photos of the models he built. The autographed prints are the last ones available, given Colin’s passing on May 21, 2022.
Other future plans include a partnership with TSJ Foundation, a non-profit organization whose goal is to inspire minds, uplift spirits, and create lasting memories with their unique approach of promoting the learning of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) using immersive and interactive themed experiences.
Many of TSJ Foundation’s immersive experiences feature a Star Wars theme, and the non-profit created Galactic Visions: The Colin Cantwell Legacy, an exhibit for the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) Museum in Columbus, Ohio.
Sierra Dall, who was Colin Cantwell’s partner for the last 24 years of his life, said: “It pleases me to turn Colin’s legacy over to Brad Cook, who is doing a wonderful job of redesigning and managing the new website, as well as Eric Jacobs of TSJ Foundation, who is bringing Colin’s work to life at live events.”
Visit the new website at the link below.
Image: Getty Images
