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Opening
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Article and Photography by Jeffrey A. Gouse (SithLord0498)
Costumes, Weaponry, and Other Miscellaneous Items
With the three major themes of the exhibit explored to varying degrees, the showroom still housed a multitude of other pieces from the Lucasfilm archives.
Among the most intimidating and impressive were the two full size Wookiee costumes and their accompanying weapons. Positioned early on in the exhibit, the towering suits of Captain Tarfful and the Wookiee Warrior Salperin towered over visitors like monoliths from inside their glass cage. Of the two, Tarfful was more impressive for two reasons: 1) he was one of the central Wookiee characters (although a total screen time of a minute or less is hardly central to the film) and 2) the overall design (coloration, armor detail, etc.) were much more intricate. The only element of the suits that looked “off” was that both were not filled out very well. One glimpse could tell you that the underlying mannequins were a standard size and lacked the sheer mass that the Wookiee performers had in Episode III. Still, they were a sight to behold.
(Please click the thumbnails below for the full size view)
The last remaining aspect of the Wookiee display (the Kachirho miniature model having been discussed earlier) was the small armory. While there were only two weapons on display, both were sterling examples of fine craftsmanship and design, and words fall short of truly describing them. The pictures speak for themselves.
(Please click the thumbnails below for the full size view)
Next were three robes and a puppet—the central Jedi of the saga. It should come as little surprise that the Revenge of the Sith costumes for Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were kept together. Anakin’s costume was displayed with the hood raised over the mannequin’s head, presenting visitors with a more Vader-esque appearance. The third Jedi uniform in the exhibit was that of Mace Windu, and it was on display back toward the beginning of the showroom. To be perfectly frank, the Jedi outfits were not overly exciting to look at. But that is a purely personal opinion because there were some visitors who got chills just standing near Anakin’s costume—a similar feeling to what I felt near the Landspeeder.
But the Jedi display had one significant high point for me, and that was the inclusion of the Episode V Yoda puppet. Encased along with the Jedi Training Remote and Mace Windu’s costume, Yoda proved to be a popular attraction among the museum visitors—especially with the young children. In fact, so many people were consistently crowding around it that I had to be exceptionally quick and steady to grab just a single picture of the face without anyone else crowding the frame.
(Please click the thumbnails below for the full size view)
The fairer sex was represented in the exhibit as well with the inclusion of Princess Leia’s iconic white robes from the opening scenes of Episode IV and Padme Amidala’s Tatooine handmaiden disguise. Truth be told, I spent very little time at these cases as there was so much else to see and photograph, but I did notice that the Padme costume was extremely textured and had an overall burlap look to it. In person, it truly looked like a peasant’s garb.
(Please click the thumbnails below for the full size view)
No respectable Star Wars exhibit would be complete without the rugged roguish duo of Han Solo and Chewbacca. As mentioned earlier, their suits were displayed side by side against the far back of the exhibit along with the Millennium Falcon model and the curtain-shrouded Falcon cockpit simulator. Considering the 30+ years that have passed, both costumes were in exceptional condition, a testament to how well items have been preserved in the Lucasfilm Archives.
(Please click the thumbnails below for the full size view)
Rounding out the major troopers on display were a Clonetrooper maquette and a full suit of Stormtrooper armor. The Scout Trooper armor, however, was conspicuously absent. I was genuinely surprised since Biker Scouts were the last of the three primary troopers in the Original Trilogy, so their inclusion seemed be a shoe-in. Alas, they were nowhere to be seen.
The last prominent component of the Star Wars exhibit was a single case relegated all the way next to the exit—the armory display. It was, unfortunately, a mere sampling rather than a comprehensive collection of the weapons in the Star Wars universe. However, there were some iconic signature weapons to be seen including Boba Fett’s rifle, Darth Maul’s lightsaber, and Boushh’s thermal detonator. A small assortment, but seeing them in person was quite impressive.
(Please click the thumbnails below for the full size view)
At this point, it should be mentioned that there were many other items on display of which, for one reason or another, I was unable to get pictures. Some didn’t come out clear. Some were too crowded to get decent shots. And there were, quite frankly, some that I flat out missed. The most notable among these missing pictures are the classic C-3PO and R2-D2 suits. Other items include the AT-ST model, a Jawa costume, and a full-size Droideka. Fortunately, many of the items were also on display during the exhibit’s tour in Fort Worth, Texas, and Yodasnews was there as well.
(Click here for those images -> “Yodasnews Invades the Star Wars Museum Coverage”)
Sadly, the vast majority of our group was also forced to skip the Millennium Falcon cockpit portion of the exhibit, making this far from being a comprehensive article on the exhibit (as I mentioned in the beginning). In a nutshell, groups of seven people stood or sat in a full size replica of the Falcon’s cockpit and watched a four to five minute presentation on our galaxy using imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope which was projected outside the “windows” of the ship. The accompanying audio was provided via a Bose speaker system, a major sponsor of the exhibit. Unfortunately, the wait time was upward of two hours long, and many of us decided to move on.
With that disappointing decision, our journey through the main exhibit came to end, but the day was far from over.
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm: “Where Checkbooks Meet Merchandising”
Earlier, I mentioned how the entrance to the exhibit was positioned right next to the Sci-Store, which was teeming with Star Wars merchandise. If that was a subversive attempt at manipulating visitors into parting with even more of their hard-earned cash, the second memorabilia store came off more like a hard, open-palmed slap in the face. That is because the short passageway leading from the exhibit floor to the hallways of the Franklin Institute was split in two by store shelves and the chamber was filled with solely Star Wars merchandise.
It was unavoidable. To get out, you had to get through the store, which was bottlenecked by shoppers browsing the shelves and people crowding at the two registers near the exit. The delay was just long enough that you could only keep yourself entertained either by group discussions or looking at the merchandise yourself. Adding to this shrewd marketing approach were two other effective factors. First, this store, unlike the Sci-Store downstairs (as we would soon discover), was primarily novelty items such as coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets, and children’s costumes. That’s right. After wandering through an entire exhibit with costumes, they were now for sale immediately afterward. And we all know how an excited child can get in such situations. Without being able to easily shepherd them out, many parents gave in and pulled out the plastic, buying what their kids pointed out.
The second factor that worked in this whole merchandising phase of the exhibit was one shared by both stores. The prices were actually reasonable!! Coffee mugs were $10. T-shirts sold for $20. The Sci-Store even sold a countertop gumball machine adorned with Prequel Yoda on top for a mere $26. With the exception of inflated prices on the Hasbro merchandise, these “souvenirs” were particularly attractive because they were affordable. There was something for everyone. Even potential high-rollers had the option to purchase an $800 Rubies Yoda maquette.
It was quite difficult to resist the call to spend. We left Wilkes-Barre with $70 and returned home having spent close to double that amount because, of course, credit cards were more than welcome.
But Michele and I certainly didn’t feel as though we were taken advantage of by the merchandising machine here. We truly enjoyed every item we bought, and it made the experience a little bit richer for us.
(Please click the thumbnails below for the full size view)
3:30 pm – 8:30 pm: “Fun Time Had By All”
It is usually said that time flies when you’re having fun, but those two and a half hours felt like an eternity…and not in a bad way. The journey through Where Science Meets Imagination was a Star Wars fan’s dream come true, the closest many will likely get to touching and experiencing that galaxy far, far, away. And time seemed to slow to a crawl for us—if not stand still for a while.
The air was electric and buzzing with the fervor of very satisfied collectors and fans on both the car ride back to Willow Grove and at the gathering which followed our return. Memorabilia was shown. Pictures were compared. Highlights of the day were shared. It was a rare kind of fellowship, one that could only have come after such an amazing experience.
By the time Michele and I descended the fog-shrouded mountains and saw the lights of Wilkes-Barre once more, an entire twelve hours had elapsed, and the day was now a phantom in the past. But the experience we shared with each other and with our friends was something that would never fade away. For many people, opportunities such as this come around only a few times in their lives, and Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination was worth every single moment. I can only hope that other fans out there will have a chance to experience this event for themselves.
Event Information:
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination
The Franklin Institute Science Museum
222 North 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Event Dates: February 9, 2008 through May 4, 2008
Ticket Prices: $20.50 (adults) and $15.50 (children 4-11); includes admission to general museum
Millennium Falcon Experience: $5.00 per person
For more information on organizations mentioned in this article:
Official Site for Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination at the Franklin Institute
www2.fi.edu/exhibits/traveling/starwars/
The Franklin Institute Science Museum
Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society
Additional Sources for This Article:
Cotta Vaz, Mark and Shinji Hata. From Star Wars to Indiana Jones: The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives. Chronicle Books, 1994.
Reynolds, David West, James Luceno, and Ryder Windham. Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary. Lucasbooks, 2007.
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. Edited by Ed Rodley. National Geographic, Boston Museum of Science, and Lucasbooks, 2005.
