“Thank the Maker” - C3PO (Star Wars universe) It is hard to describe the loss of Grant Imahara ... an inspiration for young STEM students. USC graduate in Electrical Engineering in 1993 - he was hired by Lucasfilm’s THX division. He moved to the company's visual effects division, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) where he worked (building & wiring physical models) for nine (9) years on memorable film projects: The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Galaxy Quest, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Van Helsing, and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith He partnered with Mouser Electronics to kick off their "Empowering Innovation Together" campaign, where he hosted several webisodes (2013). Mythbusters Tribute == Starting in 2017, he was consulting with Walt Disney Imagineering on a Stickman prototype. That prototype evolved into an innovative, autonomous, self-correcting, acrobatic style of audio-animatronic figure, named Stuntronics, which will be utilized within future Disney theme parks throughout the world. In March 2020, Grant demonstrated his 3 years of Stickman work with An Animatronic version of The Mandalorian “Baby Yoda”.
I didn't realize how much he had done for the motion picture industry. I just knew that he was an engaging and intelligent presenter for several video series. It really shocked me to hear that he had dies, and it brought to mind the lyric from the old song, "...but it seems the good, they die young..." May God bless and comfort his friends and family.
Did you also know that he designed and built Geoff Peterson, the robot on the Late Late show with Craig Fergusen? Grant created it and gave it a personality. A great sidekick that many times upstaged the host. https://toofab.com/2020/07/13/mythbusters-grant-imahara-dead-rip/ "One of his most eclectic -- but certainly memorable -- creations was for late-night television. Back when Craig Ferguson hosted "The Late Late Show," he always noted that he didn't have a co-host or sidekick to banter with the way most late-night hosts did.. Imahara came through, creating for him a robot sidekick in 2010. And Imahara would continue tweaking Geoff Peterson throughout his run on the show. Geoff would stay by Ferguson's side until their final show together in 2014. According to Imahara, the robot skeleton then went home with the late-night host." A man gone long before his time. RIP
I didn't see it mentioned here or I missed it, but Grant also starred in a marvelously well done fan made continuation of the original Star Trek series, called "Star Trek Continues". Many Trek fans believe that this series should be included as Star Trek canon. The link to it is https://www.startrekcontinues.com/ and fittingly there is a tribute to him on the front page. I'm ashamed to say that I did not realize his impact on so many other things and I'm sad to say that it took his untimely death to enlighten me to same. May he rest in peace and may his family and friends find some peace somehow.
GRUNGE did this Video Tribute. I did not know he created Craig Ferguson’s Skeleton sidekick, Geoff Peterson
