# STERN SHOW RE-ARTED STAR WARS

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2019-10-07  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2019/10/07/stern-show-re-arted-star-wars

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball announced a new Comic Art edition of their 2017 Star Wars pinball machine, featuring all-new artwork by veteran comic artist Randy Martinez instead of the original movie-based designs. The Comic Art version is available in Pro ($5,999) and Premium ($7,599) models only, with no Limited Edition variant, identical playfield layout and LCD content to the original, but completely redesigned cabinet, translite, backbox, and playfield artwork.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] The original Star Wars game artwork creation process with Lucasfilm was 'rather fraught' — _Article states: 'Creating a design which was acceptable to the licensor was a rather fraught process'_
- [HIGH] Randy Martinez has 30 years of experience as an artist, 20 of those creating designs for Lucasfilm — _Article and official announcement both confirm this credential_
- [HIGH] Original Star Wars Limited Edition was restricted to 800 machines — _Article states: 'The original Limited Edition version was restricted to 800 machines'_
- [HIGH] No Limited Edition version is being produced for the Comic Art Star Wars release — _Article states: 'Stern have opted not to produce a second LE model this time'_
- [MEDIUM] Playfield layout and LCD animations/graphics remain unchanged from the original Star Wars release — _Article states: 'The playfield layout is also unchanged from the earlier Star Wars release. It is believed the animations and graphics on the LCD displays have also not changed'_
- [HIGH] Pro and Premium models have identical playfield artwork but differ in cabinet, translite, and backbox design — _Article and images confirm separate cabinet designs for Pro and Premium with shared playfield_

### Notable Quotes

> "Creating a design which was acceptable to the licensor was a rather fraught process, so it's a little surprising that Stern have sought to revisit the game using a whole new art package."
> — **Pinball News article author**
> _Indicates the original Star Wars art development faced significant licensing/approval challenges with Lucasfilm_

> "Fans of both pinball and Star Wars will be impressed by this hand-drawn comic artwork. It is stunning and captures everything a true Star Wars fan could ever want in their pinball machine."
> — **Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball**, October 4, 2019 announcement
> _Official positioning of the Comic Art edition as a superior aesthetic experience for the fanbase_

> "Randy has been illustrating for over 30 years receiving countless accolades of his work. Through a broad spectrum of his skills, Randy has been creating cartoons, caricatures, illustrations, paintings, and 3D art for Lucasfilm since 1999."
> — **Official Stern Pinball announcement**, October 4, 2019
> _Establishes artist credentials and long-term relationship with Lucasfilm for legitimacy_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer releasing Comic Art Star Wars retheme |
| Randy Martinez | person | Comic book artist with 30 years experience, 20 years with Lucasfilm, creator of Comic Art Star Wars artwork |
| Gary Stern | person | Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, quoted endorsing the Comic Art edition |
| Lucasfilm | company | IP licensor for Star Wars pinball; had approval authority over original artwork design |
| Star Wars | game | 2017 Stern Pinball release receiving Comic Art retheme in 2019 |
| Star Wars Comic Art Pro | product | Base model of rethemed Star Wars at $5,999 MSRP |
| Star Wars Comic Art Premium | product | Premium tier of rethemed Star Wars at $7,599 MSRP |
| SPIKE electronics | product | Stern's hardware platform used in Comic Art Star Wars machines |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Artwork retheme and aesthetic redesign, Licensor approval and artist collaboration, Product tier strategy (Pro/Premium without LE)
- **Secondary:** Pricing consistency across rethemed release, Comic book vs. movie aesthetic in pinball design

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Article and announcement present Comic Art edition favorably, emphasizing artist credentials and aesthetic improvements. No criticism or controversy evident. Tone is celebratory about the retheme opportunity.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Stern pivoting Star Wars aesthetic from photorealistic movie imagery to hand-drawn comic book style, suggesting deliberate strategy to offer alternate visual identity for same mechanical platform (confidence: high) — New Comic Art edition completely replaces original artwork approach while maintaining playfield layout and code
- **[licensing_signal]** Lucasfilm approval process for Star Wars pinball artwork described as 'fraught,' indicating strict IP control and vendor negotiation complexity for licensed pinball art (confidence: high) — Article explicitly states original design process was 'fraught' with licensor; Stern sought out artist with 20-year Lucasfilm relationship for new version
- **[market_signal]** Comic Art edition priced identically to original designs ($5,999 Pro / $7,599 Premium), indicating no perceived premium for new artwork despite significant redesign investment (confidence: high) — Article states: 'The prices of the two new Star Wars models are the same as the original designs'
- **[product_strategy]** Strategic decision to omit Limited Edition tier from Comic Art release, departing from standard Stern three-tier (Pro/Premium/LE) model (confidence: high) — Article: 'Stern have opted not to produce a second LE model this time' despite original having LE variant

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## Transcript

Stern Pinball have revealed a new version of their 2017 release, Star Wars.

The original Star Wars game featured artwork created by a number of different artists in collaboration with Lucasfilm. Creating a design which was acceptable to the licensor was a rather fraught process, so it’s a little surprising that Stern have sought to revisit the game using a whole new art package.

Rather than the movie-based designs of the first models, artist Randy Martinez has drawn a new look based on the popular Star Wars comic universe.

Randy is a well-respected comic book artist with thirty years’ experience, twenty of those creating designs for Lucasfilms.

The new Comic Art Star Wars games come as Pro and Premium models, each with their own distinctive cabinet, translite and backbox design. The original Limited Edition version was restricted to 800 machines, and Stern have opted not to produce a second LE model this time.

The Pro’s cabinet and translite concentrate more on the lightsaber battles, while the Premium focuses on the battle to destroy the Death Star.

![The left side of the Pro model](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/04-star-wars-comic.jpg)

The left side of the Pro model

![The front view of the Pro model](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/03-star-wars-comic.jpg)

The front view of the Pro model

![The right side of the Pro model](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/06-star-wars-comic.jpg)

The right side of the Pro model

![The left side of the Premium model](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/18-star-wars-comic.jpg)

The left side of the Premium model

![The front view of the Premium](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/17-star-wars-comic.jpg)

The front view of the Premium

![The right side of the Premium model](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/13-star-wars-comic.jpg)

The right side of the Premium model

The playfield artwork is also new and identical on the Pro and Premium models, although the decals on the apron and back panel do differ.

![The Pro playfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/12-star-wars-comic.jpg)

The Pro playfield

![The Premium playfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/05-star-wars-comic.jpg)

The Premium playfield

![Playfield detail from the Premium model](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/14-star-wars-comic.jpg)

Playfield detail from the Premium model

![Playfield detail from the Pro model](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/07-star-wars-comic.jpg)

Playfield detail from the Pro model

![More of the new playfield artwork](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/09-star-wars-comic.jpg)

More of the new playfield artwork

![Drop target decals](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/01-star-wars-comic.jpg)

Drop target decals

![Playfield artwork in the pop bumper area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/10-star-wars-comic.jpg)

Playfield artwork in the pop bumper area

![The new playfield artwork for the game's main characters](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/11-star-wars-comic.jpg)

The new playfield artwork for the game’s main characters

The playfield layout is also unchanged from the earlier Star Wars release. It is believed the animations and graphics on the LCD displays have also not changed, featuring clips from the first three movies rather than any animated comic storylines.

![Playfield art on the Premium](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/star-wars-comic/08-star-wars-comic.jpg)

Playfield art on the Premium

The prices of the two new Star Wars models are the same as the original designs at $5,999 and $7,599 for the Pro and Premium respectively.

Here’s how Stern announced their Comic Art edition of Star Wars.

```
Stern Pinball Announces New Star Wars™ Comic Art Pro and Premium Edition Pinball Machines

CHICAGO, IL – October 4, 2019 – Stern Pinball, Inc., a global lifestyle brand based on the iconic and outrageously fun modern American game of pinball, announced today the availability of a new line of pinball machines celebrating the iconic comic artwork from the Star Wars galaxy. Star Wars themed Comic Art pinball machines will be available in Pro and Premium Edition models.

Star Wars themed Comic Art pinball machines feature the artwork of one of today’s most popular artists, Randy Martinez. Randy has been illustrating for over 30 years receiving countless accolades of his work.

Through a broad spectrum of his skills, Randy has been creating cartoons, caricatures, illustrations, paintings, and 3D art for Lucasfilm since 1999.

Randy’s art first appeared in Star Wars Kids Magazine, before he quickly moved on to create cartoons and caricatures for Star Wars Insider. Randy was chosen to create the official key art for Star Wars Celebration IV, Celebration V and Celebration Europe.

“Fans of both pinball and Star Wars will be impressed by this hand-drawn comic artwork. It is stunning and captures everything a true Star Wars fan could ever want in their pinball machine,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc.

The Star Wars themed Comic Art Pro and Star Wars Comic Art Premium machines made by Stern are packed with features that provide an irresistible game experience. The game includes select dialogue and footage from the original Star Wars trilogy, color-changing LED-lighted inserts, and a sculpted TIE fighter. All models feature two LCD screens. The Premium model also features art representing an exploding Death Star, a sculpted LED-lit Millennium Falcon and an interactive hyperspace loop that encircles the playfield and can accommodate up to 5 pinballs at once.

Complementing the immersive theme and exciting gameplay experience, Stern Pinball’s powerful SPIKE™ electronics hardware system enables high-definition graphics and innovative animations on the video display. SPIKE™ reduces system complexity and energy usage resulting in enhanced reliability and simplified servicing. The state-of-the-art electronic system also powers a high-fidelity 3-channel audio system that is three times more powerful than audio systems of previous generations.

Pricing and Availability:
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price:
MSRP for sales to USA end-users, before any VAT, GST, Sales Tax, Duties, or other taxes.
Pro Model: $US 5,999
Premium Edition Model: $US 7,599

Star Wars themed Comic Art pinball is available through authorized Stern Pinball distributors and dealers around the world.

About Stern Pinball, Inc.
Stern Pinball, Inc. is a global lifestyle brand based on the iconic and outrageously fun modern American game of pinball. Headquartered minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in the heart of North America, the company creates, designs, engineers, manufactures, markets, and distributes a full line of technologically advanced terrestrial and digital pinball games, parts, accessories, and merchandise. Stern Pinball serves digital, consumer, commercial, and corporate markets around the globe.

A broad range of players enjoy Stern Pinball’s games from professional pinball players who compete in high-stakes competitions around the globe to novice players who are discovering the allure of the silver ball for the first time. To join the fun and learn more, please visit www.sternpinball.com.

STAR WARS™ and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.
All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective companies.
```

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: a5c736e8-5a1a-4548-9ced-bae422415f6d*