Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - "Planet Eater" sketches (2017)

In the very early development of J.J. Abrams' take on Star Wars episode 9, the "Big Bad" was going to be a massive starship that would land on a planet and "terraform" it into a Death Star-like industrial surface, chewing through the existing natural resources (and existing civilization) as it inexorably circumnavigated the globe. This was the first thing that I worked after starting on the project, and I envisioned it as a massive anvil of a ship that opened up into a chevron-shaped planet vacuum that worked its way Roomba-like across the globe, levelling mountains as it went.

Sequence showing how the ship would open up on entering orbit and landing.

Sequence showing how the ship would open up on entering orbit and landing.

An earlier design, showing what it might feel like on the surface as it churned up the ground.

An earlier design, showing what it might feel like on the surface as it churned up the ground.

Same image with the new design swapped in.

Same image with the new design swapped in.

Aerial view to show a sense of scale as it levels mountains.

Aerial view to show a sense of scale as it levels mountains.

Another aerial view for scale.

Another aerial view for scale.