Noriyoshi Ohrai’s STAR WARS poster from 1978 was so striking that it eventually caught the attention of George Lucas himself. Originally created for a Japanese sci-fi magazine, the fold-out artwork reimagined the galaxy far, far away through Ohrai’s richly detailed, painterly style. When Lucas saw it in 1980, he was so impressed that he commissioned Ohrai to create the international poster artwork for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. That 1980 illustration, featuring Darth Vader looming over Luke Skywalker and the battle unfolding across the galaxy, became one of the most iconic pieces of STAR WARS poster art ever produced. Ohrai later created artwork for RETURN OF THE JEDI and became renowned for his legendary GODZILLA posters. One piece of Japanese STAR WARS artwork helped launch an international collaboration that would define the look of the saga for an entire generation.