Roger Christian's innovative work created the 'used universe' look for George Lucas's original Star Wars film, winning an Oscar for Set Decoration presented at the Academy Awards. Christian also brought this aged yet futuristic look to Ridley Scott's film Alien, winning a BAFTA nomination. Christian created the iconic lightsaber prop and helped realize the famous little robot R2-D2. His signature work created an entirely new look for science fiction film.
George Lucas commissioned Christian's directing debut, the haunting medieval myth Black Angel. When the short film was rediscovered and restored, it went viral and reached almost a million hits on YouTube. The new feature-length documentary Galaxy Built on Hope is based on Christian's autobiography Cinema Alchemist, detailing his work creating the 'used universe' for the first Star Wars film, now called Episode IV: A New Hope.