Porsche and Lucasfilm to Collaborate on New Star Wars Starship
New ship will draw inspiration from the X-Wing, Y-Wing, and U-Wing, along with the Porsche Taycan.
This December, Lucasfilm and Porsche will debut two highly anticipated products. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concludes the trilogy that brought the franchise into a bold new era. And with the Taycan, Porsche hopes to do the same. The hype train is prepped and ready to depart from the station. And it seems like space fantasy and Porsche fans have a lot to look forward to towards the very the end of the year.
To make matters even more interesting, artists and designers from each company have been tasked with creating a new starship for the movie’s premiere. Taken at face value, the partnership may not seem especially congruent. But it doesn’t take much effort to see that the German automaker’s iconic designs have clearly had an effect on the people at Lucasfilm.
A New Hope for a New Ship
For decades, vehicles like the X-Wing and Porsche 911 have wowed even the most casual fans. Can the team do the same with the new ship? Absolutely. There are a lot of talented individuals working on the combined Lucasfilm/Porsche team. Leading the group are Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche at Porsche AG and Doug Chiang, Vice President and Creative Director of Lucasfilm. The team will have multiple chances to collaborate in person with each other, as they are scheduled to meet at each company’s headquarters in Stuttgart and San Francisco in the months leading up to December.
Fortunately, it seems like they’re up for the design exercise. “Developing a spacecraft with clear Porsche design DNA is exciting and challenging,”says Mauer. “Even though they do not seem to share many elements at first glance, both worlds have a similar design philosophy. The close collaboration with the Star Wars design team inspires and fascinates us – I’m sure that both sides can draw major benefits from this exchange.” The new ship will draw inspiration from the X-Wing, Y-Wing, and U-Wing, along with the Porsche Taycan.
In addition to the team leaders, there are a number of artists and designers from both companies working on the new ship. One person in particular stands out. That would be Amy Beth Christenson. She’s a Lucasfilm veteran, having been with the company for almost twenty years. Currently she’s the Art Director for Star Wars Resistance, a 3D animated show currently airing its second season on the Disney Channel. The show takes place during the same time period as the current trilogy. A substantial portion of the show is dedicated to the “ace” pilots, all of whom own ships primarily tuned for racing.
One of these ships is the Blue Ace. Look familiar? Christenson and her team clearly based the fighter off the Porsche 917. Beyond the overall shape, the Gulf livery is a dead giveaway. Both racers share a similar history too. Here’s the description of the ship from StarWars.com:
“No cost has been spared to build Torra Doza a state-of-the-art ship, a bright blue-hued custom creation. Regarded for its aerodynamic design and artistic elements that match her personality and racing style, her #5 racer was built for speed.”
A dedicated racing vehicle, developed at significant cost, and made famous by one racing professional. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
“The worldwide appeal of the Star Wars and Porsche brands is shaped decisively by their iconic designs,” says Doug Chiang, Vice President and Executive Creative Director of Lucasfilm and responsible for overseeing all designs for the Star Wars franchise. “We are bringing together two worlds with this project: the exotic film design of a galaxy far, far away and the precision work that goes into developing emotive Porsche sports cars. This collaboration promises to produce an innovative design that will blend the best of both brands to create an exciting new starship worthy of Porsche and Star Wars.”
It’s pretty obvious at this point that Lucasfilm and Porsche are more closely related than most people would think. What’s also apparent is why both companies decided to work together. With the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga reaching theaters in December and deliveries of the Taycan taking place around the same time, both companies have something extremely important to promote. The ship itself will be revealed at the premiere for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” where the Taycan will also make an appearance. We here at Rennlist are excited for all the upcoming products from both companies, and we certainly hope the Force is with the team as they work on the new ship.
Photos: Lucasfilm; Porsche; StarWars.com