Introducing Rey: The Concept Art That Connects the Past, Present and Future of the Star Wars Universe
With Rey’s introduction to Star Wars, the sequel trilogy comes to life. Concept artist Andrée Wallin returns to the remnants of an old war and the lonely scavenger waiting for her call to adventure.
John William’s gentle, playful score. Dan Mindel’s gorgeous camera work. And Daisy Ridley’s yearning eyes looking up for a ship that never arrives. Rey’s introduction is one of the most breathtaking moments in Star Wars history and the key to the first chapter of the sequel trilogy, the J.J. Abrams directed The Force Awakens in 2015.
Before she will become the new hero of the Skywalker saga, Rey finds shelter in a destroyed AT-AT, a relic from a time she’s only heard legends of. The mighty walker first appeared over forty years ago in freezing landscapes when the Empire attacked the Rebel base on Hoth. Now, it has fallen – in yet another desert – and is long forgotten.
Rey is the flower rising up from a wasteland of the past. How did this combination of the old and the new come about? Concept artist Andrée Wallin, who worked on Joseph Kosinski’s stylish science fiction adventure Oblivion before his first trip to the galaxy far, far away, shows us an early version of Rey’s introduction that still remains true to the spirit of the movie.
You capture Rey’s loneliness beautifully. What did you know about her when you started this piece?
Andrée Wallin: Thank you! I was actually quite unaware of who Rey was at this point, I had only gotten a very brief explanation of her story. The main task with this particular frame was to explore Jordan/Wadi Rum as a possible shooting location. J.J. Abrams ended up disliking the mountainous setting and ultimately ended up in Abu Dhabi instead.
The reveal of the fallen AT-AT was a stunning moment in the theater. Who came up with that idea?
I can't remember who came up with the idea. I was asked to try it via our production designer Darren Gilford, but I'm not sure if it was J.J.'s own idea or not. It was a really fun idea to explore visually.
Was Rey’s home always going to be an AT-AT that has been destroyed in the old war? Or were there other ships/transporters/walkers you considered? Or even a “real” home in a settlement or town?
This was actually one of the few design tasks that J.J. locked down immediately if I remember correctly. Perhaps one of the San Francisco guys explored other ideas beforehand, but at Pinewood I can only remember playing around with this idea from the very start.
Drawing an AT-AT: What was the experience like for you to work with such an iconic shape from the original trilogy?
Believe it or not, when I started working on Episode VII in July 2013 I had never seen Star Wars! I was certainly aware of the universe and its characters and iconic designs, but I didn't grow up on it like the rest of the team. I was terrified of making myself look like a fool so I binge-watched all the movies the first weekend when I arrived in London and did my best to prepare myself. Ultimately, for me, it made the process very enjoyable as I got to work with these amazing designs without being scared or limited by my own nostalgic bias/fandom. That being said I never tried to alter anything, you can't really improve on the original designs. My task was more about working “around” the old designs and finding new ways of portraying them, which is what I enjoy doing the most. I can't design stuff in the way Ryan Church and the rest of the guys do to save my life!
What stuck most with you after your session with the first six films?
It was a sensory overload watching them all in a row, but the thing that stuck with me the most was no doubt the design language. That's 100 percent where my head was at given the challenge I had in front of me and as iconic as the story is – particularly in Episodes IV to VI. Seeing all the iconic designs in their proper context was incredibly inspiring.
There are remnants of an X-wing and also a TIE fighter buried in the sand. Did you create a little backstory for the drawing?
That's a good question! I believe I was told about the context of the story and the planet, so I just chucked a bunch of different stuff in there that felt appropriate for the location.
Upon closer inspection you can spot a quadjumper parked in the belly of the AT-AT. How did this ship fit with the idea of Rey being stranded on Jakku?
At that point in the production I think the idea was that the quadjumper was Rey's own ship, but as it's been almost 10 years now I can't remember specifically how it ended up there.
One thing that’s missing is Rey’s staff which is an object we associate with her since her first appearance on screen. Did you ever talk about a weapon or even a lightsaber for her at this point of production?
No! That must've come later on, but at this point – this keyframe was done in October 2013 – there was never any talk of a weapon for Rey.
There is a photorealistic vibe to this image. Can you talk about the techniques you used to bring this idea to life?
I work a lot with a technique referred to as "photo-bashing", which is a mixture of using photos, 3D-renders and painting by hand. So how it usually works is that production gives me photos of a possible shooting location, various 3D models etc. and then I'll use them as the foundation for my paintings, and use bits and pieces of the 3D renders, and then make it all "come together" by painting on top of it all. This is simply due to the fact that turnarounds in film productions can be as quick as a couple of hours, so you need to be able to work quickly. The more time I have the more I'll do by hand and vice versa.
You did another beautiful version of this moment that’s closer to the movie. Can you walk me through some of the changes? The colors are stronger and I especially love the contrast between the red rags and the sand.
The second one was an extension of a piece that Dermot Power had done originally. He did the AT-AT from that angle and I was asked to embed it into the sand and give it the same surface treatment as the original piece I did.
When you finally saw the fully realized scene on the big screen, how did that feel to you?
Very surreal. Anytime you see your work on the big screen it's an amazing feeling and by far the best part of this job. I grew up loving movies, escaping into some alternate and magical reality and feeling SO inspired. It's an amazing privilege to now be part of that process and the creation of films like Star Wars that inspire and bring enjoyment to people around the world!
You can follow Andrée’s work on Twitter, Instagram and his website.
Image credit: Lucasfilm/Andrée Wallin
Nice content! Andree is one of my favorite concept artists