Ralph Angus McQuarrie ( June 13 , 1929 -- March 3 , 2012 ) was an American conceptual designer and illustrator . His career included work on the original `` Star Wars trilogy '' , the original `` Battlestar Galactica '' TV series , `` E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial '' and `` Cocoon '' , for which he won an Academy Award .
Ralph Angus McQuarrie ( June 13 , 1929 -- March 3 , 2012 ) was an American costume designer and illustrator who designed the original `` Star Wars '' trilogy , the original `` Battlestar Galactica '' TV series , `` E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial '' and `` Cocoon '' , for which he won an Academy Award .