Pharl McQuarrie

Pharl McQuarrie was a captain of the Galactic Republic Navy during the Clone Wars and later a general of the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War. A native of the Core Worlds planet Ralltiir, McQuarrie's Clone Wars military service saw him participate in the Republic defense of the vital agricultural planet Ukio in command of a Consular-class cruiser. Although the Republic repelled the enemy Confederate incursion from Ukio, Separatist interests captured financial control of the planet nonetheless.

In the decades that followed, McQuarrie served as a respected military advisor for many years on his homeworld, until the Imperial subjugation of Ralltiir just weeks before the Battle of Yavin. After fleeing his home planet to seek assistance from the Rebel Alliance, McQuarrie returned to take command of the Ralltiiri Rebel resistance movement, helping to deliver information concerning the existence of a secret Imperial superweapon, the first Death Star battlestation, to Princess Leia Organa. McQuarrie's efforts directly led to the subsequent Rebel capture of the Death Star plans and the destruction of the Death Star shortly thereafter. General Carlist Rieekan later selected McQuarrie to serve as his second-in-command at the Rebellion's new Echo Base on the planet Hoth, where McQuarrie was instrumental in the facility's construction. He went on to serve in the Rebel defeat at the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY.

BiographyEdit

In defense of UkioEdit

Pharl McQuarrie, a Human male, was a native of the planet Ralltiir,^[1] in the Core Worlds.^[3] McQuarrie served in the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, captaining a Consular-class cruiser. In the early years of the war, McQuarrie participated in a Republic mission to prevent the politically-divided agricultural world of Ukio, a major food-producer for the Republic's armies, from falling to the Confederacy.^[2]

Joining a task force consisting of a Venator-class Star Destroyer and another Consular-class cruiser under the overall command of Jedi General Keelyvine Reus and Admiral Dron, McQuarrie helped form an orbital patrol of Ukio in response to intelligence suggesting the Confederacy was targeting the planet. Although Ukio boasted a powerful planetary shield system, preventing any sizable invasion or bombardment from enemy forces, the Separatists nevertheless concocted a plan to breach its defenses. The Republic task force soon detected on the far side of the planet a single Lucrehulk-class battleship that was releasing into the atmosphere a series of seismic tanks, which were in turn dropping a strange dark cloud over Ukio's shields.^[2]

At Dron's prompting, McQuarrie reported to Reus and the admiral that his cruiser had identified the cloud to be an electrostatic soil compound with photoreactive properties from the badlands of the planet Moorja. The compound adhered harmlessly to the shield yet moved in concert with the system's sun, regardless of Ukio's rotation, thus creating an effective means of blocking out any sunlight from reaching the planet's crops. The Confederacy thereby succeeded in using Ukio's shield system against itself—as McQuarrie noted to Reus, the native Ukians would need to lower their shields for the cloud to simply dissipate into the atmosphere and save their crop fields, but by doing so they would open the planetary surface to Confederate attack.^[2]

Reus quickly conceived a plan to save Ukio. The Ukians would create an opening in their shield around the cloud just long enough for the disturbance to dissipate, while McQuarrie and the Republic task force would engage the Confederate Lucrehulk-class battleship to keep it preoccupied and unable to launch any vessels through the shield gap. The Republic attack would have to be carefully coordinated, however, so as to counteract any complications from the Lucrehulk's powerful jamming signal. The attack from McQuarrie and the Republic task force succeeded in destroying the Confederate battleship, while the Ukians lowered their shields to rid themselves of the disruptive cloud. Although the Republic earned a tactical victory by eventually eliminating the enemy presence from Ukio, negative market reports of the turbulence there caused Ukio's stock prices to plummet, nevertheless allowing Confederate elements to purchase a controlling interest in the planet.^[2]

A Ralltiiri RebelEdit

Following his service during the Clone Wars, McQuarrie eventually returned to his homeworld of Ralltiir, where he served as a respected military advisor for many years prior to 0 BBY. Developing galactic circumstances, however, soon forced the former^[1] Republic officer^[2] once more into combat.^[1] McQuarrie watched as,^[4] several weeks prior to the Battle of Yavin, the Galactic Empire—the Republic's oppressive successor state—enacted a brutal subjugation of the Ralltiir system to clamp down on the increasing numbers of Ralltiiri Rebel sympathizers.^[5] In response to the Empire's occupation, McQuarrie fled his home planet to seek aid from the Rebel Alliance.^[1]

Coincidentally, the Alliance had just learned that a local Ralltiiri Rebel cell had come into possession of information concerning the existence of the Empire's new secret superweapon, the first Death Star battlestation. Working in tandem with his close friend^[1] and fellow Ralltiiri^[6] Jeroen Webb,^[1] McQuarrie sneaked past the Imperial blockade of the planet, back onto Ralltiir, where he took command of the local resistance. McQuarrie helped stage a diversionary raid that allowed the Death Star information to reach Rebel leader Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan.^[1]

The success of the Ralltiir mission directly led to the subsequent capture of the Death Star plans at the Battle of Toprawa as part of the Rebellion's Operation Skyhook. Thanks in part to McQuarrie's contributions,^[1] the Rebel Alliance proceeded to utilize the Death Star schematics to formulate an assault that ultimately destroyed the battlestation at the Battle of Yavin.^[7]

Later, General Carlist Rieekan personally selected McQuarrie to serve as a general and his second-in-command at the Rebellion's secret headquarters, Echo Base, on the Outer Rim Territories ice planet Hoth,^[1] where he would once more serve alongside Webb.^[6] McQuarrie was instrumental in the construction of the ice facility,^[8] which was finished in 2 ABY.^[9] Just prior to the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY, Echo Base deck officer Commander Tamizander Rey suggested to McQuarrie that no ship be allowed to leave Hoth until the base's shield generator was activated, a plan ultimately approved by Rieekan. McQuarrie went on to participate in the staggering Rebel defeat in the face of Imperial invasion at the Battle of Hoth.^[1]

Personality and traitsEdit

Pharl McQuarrie was a talented military tactician,^[1] serving with the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars^[2] and later as a respected advisor to Ralltiir's military forces for years until the Imperial occupation of his homeworld. He employed his tactical prowess against the Empire by taking over Ralltiir's Rebel underground in order to help pass along details of the first Death Star to the Alliance leadership. His abilities earned him assignment at Echo Base as second-in-command to General Carlist Rieekan.^[1]

McQuarrie had brown hair,^[2] which grayed with age;^[1] blue eyes;^[2] and light skin.^[1]

EquipmentEdit

As a Republic Naval captain serving in the Clone Wars, McQuarrie wore the standard Republic officer's uniform, sans cover, during the battle of Ukio.^[2] Later, during his time on Hoth, McQuarrie wore the insulated Rebel uniform jacket^[10][4] and command gauntlets, both reserved for Echo Base's command staff, including General Carlist Rieekan and Major Bren Derlin,^[10] In addition, he donned other articles of the Rebels' standard-issue cold-weather armor, including the set's headgear, anti-glare goggles, scarf,^[4] belt, leggings,^[10] and boots.^[4]

McQuarrie armed himself at Echo Base with a DH-17 blaster pistol, which he wore holstered at his right hip. He also preferred a blaster rifle as his weapon of choice.^[4]

Behind the scenesEdit

The character of Pharl McQuarrie first appeared in the film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, portrayed by none other than Star Wars conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie. Indeed, the name "Pharl" is an anagram of "Ralph."^[1] McQuarrie appears in the film fleetingly as an Echo Base extra, barely visible as he moves from right to left across camera^[10] with his sketch clipboard in hand.^[11] Appropriately enough, McQuarrie passes in front of a large, self-created matte painting of several GR-75 medium transports.^[10] All of the extras appearing in McQuarrie's scene are, in fact, fellow Star Wars matte artists, including Joe Johnston, Harrison Ellenshaw, and Michael Pangrazio.^[12]

The character was first introduced by last name and rank, and provided a brief backstory in the November 1998 Special Edition Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game.^[8] McQuarrie's backstory was again expounded on in the 2004 Star Wars Insider 74 article Who's Who in Echo Base, written by Josh Radke, which identified his first name. Although the article claims that Ralph McQuarrie is not seen in the film and that Decipher, the creators of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game, created a card for the artist as a nod to him,^[1] McQuarrie himself confirmed his appearance in the film in an interview on his website.^[12] Lucasfilm did not officially confirm McQuarrie's appearance in the film until the 2007 Star Wars Insider 94 article The Empire Strikes Fact!^[13] The McQuarrie character was again featured in a minor role in the StarWars.com webcomic The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct, published serially from September 2009 through May 2010, which established the character's role as a one-time Republic naval officer during the Clone Wars.^[2]

The Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collection toy line featured an action figure of the Pharl McQuarrie character as part of its 2007 The Empire Strikes Back series, the toy line's sixth wave.^[4]

AppearancesEdit

• The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct
• Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back (First appearance)

SourcesEdit

•  Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Special Edition Limited (Card: General McQuarrie) (First identified as McQuarrie)
• "Who's Who in Echo Base"—Star Wars Insider 74 (First identified as Pharl)
• "The Empire Strikes Fact!"—Star Wars Insider 94 (Picture only)
•  Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collection (Pack: General McQuarrie)
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• "Ralph McQuarrie: Dreamer & Visionary"—Star Wars Insider 134
• Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection
• "The Art of Harrison Ellenshaw"—Star Wars Insider 140 (Picture only)

Notes and referencesEdit

External linksEdit

• The Art by Ralph McQuarrie - Interview