X

Wild scenes of Star Wars crashing into our world (pictures)

Stormtroopers vs. U.S. Marines? An Imperial TIE Fighter in London? That's the world imagined by two artists with their feet on Earth...and their heads in a galaxy far, far away.

Michael Franco
Freelancer Michael Franco writes about the serious and silly sides of science and technology for CNET and other pixel and paper pubs. He's kept his fingers on the keyboard while owning a B&B in Amish country, managing an eco-resort in the Caribbean, sweating in Singapore, and rehydrating (with beer, of course) in Prague. E-mail Michael.
Michael Franco
facetoface.jpg
1 of 16 Impale Design (The Artwork of Billy Ludwig)

If 'Star Wars' was our war

What if the Star Wars universe included Earth?

For some artists, that scenario wasn't all that hard to imagine.

Artist Billy Ludwig has created a series of striking images merging World War II-era scenes with characters from a galaxy not so far away.

This image is entitled "Face to Face."

5-star-wars-london.jpg
2 of 16 Nicolas Amiard

TIEd up in London

When most of us saw the second teaser for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," coming this December, we got pretty excited for a little while, then went back to our workaday lives. When Paris-based art director Nicolas Amiard saw the short clip -- especially the opening scene with a Star Destroyer crashed in the sand -- it inspired a whole set of artwork.

That scene, Amiard told CNET's Crave blog, led him to create eight images in which famous ships from the "Star Wars" universe were crashed into various world cities.

Looks like the Rebel Alliance scored a hit and forced this Imperial TIE Fighter aground in London. Good thing there's a phone booth nearby for the pilot to call the nearest Moff and let him know the news.

headswillroll-print.jpg
3 of 16 Impale Design (The Artwork of Billy Ludwig)

Heads Will Roll

In this mash-up, titled "Heads Will Roll," Ludwig gives a World War II soldier a weapon better than any Grease Gun.

3-star-wars-tokyo.jpg
4 of 16 Nicolas Amiard

Big trouble in little Tokyo

From the casual demeanor of the person walking down a Tokyo street in this image, it would seem like the V-wing starfighter that's crashed there has been downed so long, it's just become part of the scenery.

V-wings appeared in "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" as well as in lots of other video games and comics. Though the design was used by the Galactic Republic, elements were later incorporated into the much more popular Imperial TIE Fighters, according to Wookieepedia.

3on3-poster.jpg
5 of 16 Impale Design (The Artwork of Billy Ludwig)

3 on 3

The All Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT walker, is used by Imperial troops both as a way to get around, and as a way to psyche out the enemy.

These poor World War II soldiers look outgunned, doomed to lose against an AT-AT while the Death Star looks on.

7-star-wars-venice.jpg
6 of 16 Nicolas Amiard

Ex-X-Wing

Old-school (a gondola) meets new-school (an X-wing starfighter) in this image. Of course, the gondola is better suited for navigating Venice's small canals than the Rebel ship. What was the pilot thinking?

"The X-wing was originally developed for the Galactic Empire but the entire Incom design team defected with the prototypes to the Rebel Alliance, ending the contract," says Wookieepedia.

obey.jpg
7 of 16 Impale Design (The Artwork of Billy Ludwig)

Obey

The title of this artwork, "Obey," shows Stormtroopers taking over the 1934 Macy's Christmas Parade in New York.

1-star-wars-paris.jpg
8 of 16 Nicolas Amiard

Imperial Paris?

In this image, artist Amiard sets that crashed Destroyer in his hometown of Paris. It certainly eclipses the Eiffel Tower, don't you think?

invasion.jpg
9 of 16 Impale Design (The Artwork of Billy Ludwig)

Invasion

The Death Star looms large as TIE fighters enter a vintage battle.

charge.jpg
10 of 16 Impale Design (The Artwork of Billy Ludwig)

Charge!

Just out of frame: The Millennium Falcon swooping in to save this soldier from doom at the hands of a Stormtrooper. Or maybe that's just our wishful thinking.

8-star-wars-san-francisco.jpg
11 of 16 Nicolas Amiard

San Francisc-oops!

While not a major vessel in the films, this Venator-class Star Destroyer -- which has had the bad luck of crashing into San Francisco -- featured prominently in the "Clone Wars" animated series.

The ship was "1,137 meters long (about 3,730 feet), making it one of the largest capital ships capable of atmospheric operations, landing on planets to load and unload troops and vehicles," says Wookieepedia.

You can see more of Amiard's work -- including a series on "The Walking Dead" -- on his Behance page.

2-star-wars-rio.jpg
12 of 16 Nicolas Amiard

A hulk in Rio

Maybe not the most famous ship in the "Star Wars" universe, this Lucrehulk-class Battleship did appear in every episode of the three-film prequel series -- and now it appears in Rio de Janeiro as well.

The ship belonged to the Trade Federation's Trade Defense Force. The center sphere holds the ship's bridge and "reactor assemblies," says Wookieepedia. "The front void of the craft held two mammoth docking bays on either side, which were lined with forward docking claws."

4-star-wars-moscow.jpg
13 of 16 Nicolas Amiard

Naboo too

Red Square in Moscow looks like it was big enough for this N-1 Naboo starfighter to land instead of crashing.

This ship also made it into all three prequels and hails from the planet of Naboo -- as of course do the key figures of Padmé Amidala, Emperor Palpatine and Jar Jar Binks.

6-star-wars-new-york.jpg
14 of 16 Nicolas Amiard

Millennium Manhattan

It appears that Han and Chewie were able to steer the Millennium Falcon into the water that surrounds Manhattan, saving thousands of lives -- and the new One World Trade Center building in the background.

retreat.jpg
15 of 16 Impale Design (The Artwork of Billy Ludwig)

Retreat!

An Imperial star destroyer bears down on vintage, Earth-bound ground troops.

rise-print.jpg
16 of 16 Impale Design (The Artwork of Billy Ludwig)

Rise

Look familiar? This image is inspired by the classic photo of six U.S. soldiers raising an American flag during the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos