Iain McCaig's awesome Nightlander sketches revealed
How a mistake, a notebook idea and a collaboration with Star Wars royalty created a new cosmic terror
One of the greatest privileges I had working on Star Wars: The High Republic was collaborating with Iain McCaig, the incredible artist and filmmaker who designed so much of the galaxy far, far away, including Darth Maul and Queen Amidala.
The man is a legend and also one of the nicest dudes around, so I was over the moon when I found out he'd been brought in to design the Nightlander, the main villain of my 2025 Halloween mini-series Star Wars: Tales from the Nightlands – now collected in Galactic Tales of Terror, on sale today!
The Nightlander's origins come from a mistake. In Star Wars: The High Republic – Tempest Runner, I had Twi'lek Lourna Dee snap, "Damn him to the Nightlands."
Whoops!
You see, in the classic expanded universe, the Twi'lek's homeworld was tidally locked, meaning one side always faced their sun while the other was in constant darkness. This dark side, to coin a phrase, was known as the Nightlands.
What I'd forgotten was that, in modern Star Wars continuity, that simply wasn't the case any more. As revealed in The Clone Wars, Ryloth now rotated like any other planet, meaning there were no Nightlands.
So what the heckity-heck was Lourna talking about?
Fast forward to 2023 and I'm trying to come up with ideas for the next year's Star Wars Halloween special. So far, we'd visited Vader's Castle on Mustafar, Jabba's palace on Tatooine and both Death Stars. Where was there left to use as a base for spooky stories?
My mind drifted back to something I'd jotted down in our first High Republic planning session, a pearl of wisdom Story Group's Matt Martin had dropped early in.
If in doubt, make something new.
What if I did exactly that? What if I created a 'land of the dead' in the Star Wars universe, a hinterland where spirits roam and, for one night a year, are able to slip into the wider galaxy?
The answer suddenly clicked: What if that was the Nightlands? What if that was what Lourna had been invoking?
And every land of the dead needs a bogeyman... a queen of the dead, if you will.
The Nightlander was born, and with it the news that Michael Siglain of Lucasfilm had invited Iain to design our lekku-headed demon.
A few weeks later, I was on a call with Iain, sharing my inspirations for the Nightlander: Judge Death's smoke-like body, multiple lekku writhing like Medusa's snakes...
A smile broke out on Iain's face at that last point. He said he'd been trying to introduce a Medusa-like creature to Star Wars since the prequels.
One of the best things about working with Iain is that he brings so many ideas to the conversation, questioning every concept in the most intuitive way. He'd recently been looking at photos of insects under the microscope, especially ants, and wanted to bring some of that to the design – which led to the Nightlander's skull mask. He'd also picked up on my idea that the version we see of the Nightlander is only a lure, like the light on an anglerfish. I'd suggested that her real body was an enormous, bloated cosmic horror in the Nightlands.
What, Iain asked, if the reason it was bloated was that Hitanaga was pregnant? I'd already suggested swarms of flying creatures. What if they were her children?
I came away from the conversation with so many ideas buzzing around my head, some of which made it into the book, others which we joked would be for the sequel...
And yes, the idea for that sequel is still languishing in one of my notebooks!
Not long after, Iain's sketches poured into my inbox. One after another after another. Sketches of the Nightlander in her various forms, including her true body. Sketches of her brood. Sketches of the Nightlands itself, a realm I'd described as melting. Rotting.
Here's just a small selection so you can see their twisted glory for yourselves...
Looking back, I'm glad I made a mistake. If I'd remembered the continuity correctly, the Nightlands wouldn't exist. The Nightlander wouldn't exist. The conversations with Iain wouldn't have happened.
Sometimes a mistake is actually a door you've accidentally left open.
Star Wars: Galactic Tales of Terror is available now. If you'd like to be in with a chance to win a signed copy for yourself, then make sure you subscribe to the Cavletter below. Details of an exciting prize draw will be in my next edition!
Until next time, look after yourself and each other,
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Cavan Scott
Cavan Scott
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WHAT I'M WORKING ON
Thanks to pesky NDAs, I can’t reveal many details about what I’m writing at the moment, so I’ve come up with a sneaky list of project names. Keep an eye on future editions. I'll update everything as the work progresses!
Project: Avarice
- A novelisation for a fantasy franchise, currently in copy edits.
Project: Passer
- A graphic novel adaptation of a top romantasy novel. Currently scripting.
Project: Soldier
- A newly commissioned fantasy novel, currently awaiting editorial feedback on the outline.
Konflikt ‘47
- Working with Warlord Games on the lore and creative direction for the weird World War II tabletop game.
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COMING SOON
Star Wars: Scoundrels and Smugglers - Race for Jabba’s Bounty
An all-age graphic novel starring Han Solo, Chewbacca, Jaxxon and a host of scum and villainy. On sale 17th October.
Godfather of Hell
My new creator-owned graphic novel for mature readers. Think Goodfellas meets The Exorcist. On sale 27th October.
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE GENESIS #4
The beginning of a new arc featuring Man-At-Arms unravelling a dark mystery with his friend, Prince Randor. On sale 16th December,