Photos And Story By: Ken HulseyOn Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" exhibit at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, Ca. For those of you unfamiliar with this traveling exhibit that has been moving from city to city across America for the better part of a decade it is a rather amazing collection of props, models and costumes from all six "Star Wars" films.
As expected I ran around the exhibit taking all kinds of photographs and spent an absurd amount of time starring glossy-eyed at the collection of items I have seen on screen over a godzillion times. I was amazed by both the amount of work and detail that went into some items and the sheer simplicity of others.
I will get more into some of that in a follow-up article.
Today I have opted not to get into discussing the numerous number of vehicle and spaceship models, which were my favorite part of the exhibit, but to instead focus on the character costumes ... and okay a couple of miniatures.
Over the decades since the "Star Wars" film series began way back in 1977 volumes and volumes of information has been published in books and on websites about the origins and history of these props and costumes so I think going into depth on each one would be overkill to the umpteenth degree.
In other words you know the details already just enjoy the damn photographs!
Okay, now that's out of the way.
What I have chosen to do is combine a photograph piece with a movie quote piece in hopes of creating something that will be enjoyable for you ....
(for the photo above)
"Sir, my first job was programming binary loadlifters – very similar to your vaporators in most respects."
―C-3PO (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope)
"Hey, steady girl. What's the matter? You smell something?"- Luke Skywalker (Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back)
"That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that"- Han Solo (Star Wars: Episode IV - a New Hope)
"Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless. "- Yoda (Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back)
"Echo station three-t-eight. We've spotted imperial walkers."- Sergeant Major Trey Callum (Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back)
"A droid of some kind. I didn't hit it that hard. It must've had a self-destruct."
- Han Solo (Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back)
"Echo 3 to Echo 7, Han old buddy, do you read me?"
- Luke Skywalker (Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back)
"Stop that ship, blast'em"
- Stormtroopers (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope)
"Commander, tear this ship apart until you find those plans! And bring me all passengers, I want them ALIVE!"
- Darth Vader (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope)
"Sandpeople always ride single file to hide their numbers."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope)
"Excuse me, sir but that R2 unit is in prime condition, a real bargain."
- C-3PO (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope)
As I mentioned above the exhibit itself was amazing though the admission price was a bit steep, $25 per person - that's $15 to get into the Science Center then another $10 to get into the SW exhibit (double dipping are we?), which overall was worth it to get a chance to see these items up close.
The Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit will run through April 15th 2012 at the Discovery Science Center (That big-ass cube off the 5 freeway) in Santa Ana, Ca - Website
