From the opening seconds of the movie, as the huge Star Destroyer passes overhead, seemingly forever, everyone knew that they were watching history in the making.

For those who are from younger generations and have been spoiled with the special effects and computer generated images of modern films, it’s hard to explain the impact that Star Wars had at the time. 1977 was before the personal computer, before the internet, before computers had enough graphics power to do a convincing 3D wire frame starship. If you’ve ever seen the original Star Trek series you have an idea of what Science Fiction special effects were like before Star Wars.

Perhaps the most direct comparison is to the special effects in Jurassic Park. The line between reality and special effects had been blurred to the point of being invisible. Even today Star Wars has not aged, the effects are comparable to modern films and many would argue that the models used in the original Star Wars films are more realistic than the computer generated versions we see in films today.

It is the artistry of the model makers at Industrial Light and Magic who brought a galaxy far, far away to life, and in particular Lorne Peterson who built the Imperial Star Destroyer models, that inspired me to build the Imperator.

Those opening seconds are imprinted on my psyche forever. This is my tribute.