Where Science Meets Imagination December 20, 2007
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination
Those that know me are aware that I am a big Star Wars fan. In 2001 the Field Museum in Chicago displayed the Star Wars: The Magic of Myth exhibit which featured models, costumes, and special effects from the Star Wars series. At the time, only Episode I had been released so the exhibit drew from four movies. My friends Devon and Scott joined me for the day and it was definitely one of the best days I've had.

Early this fall I found out that the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago was going to get the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit and was hoping that this new exhibit would be as good as the one six years earlier.

During the first week of November, my friend Mike went to the exhibit and this was his review:
"Skip the star wars exhibit at the MSI. It is very, very kid oriented. It is also quite small and it was overly crowded when we went this past Saturday. The props are cool, but they have been repainted for showing. If you saw the props when the tour came through a couple years ago, it is not worth it. The Millennium Falcon ride is something you can not purchase tickets in advance for. Of course, they were sold out before we got there so we missed it. However, it is not a real life size replica cockpit. It is just a room. I was disappointed."

Star Wars Holiday Special
Despite this review, I still wanted to go to the exhibit. It's similar to the Star Wars Holiday Special; No matter how bad people told me it was and no matter how many times they warned me not to see it - I still had to see it. For those that have not seen the holiday special, I cannot adequately explain just how awful it is to watch a ten-minute conversation between wookies...entirely wookies...no humans.

On November 21, 2007, my friend Brad and I went to the exhibit and this is what I saw.

Landspeeder:
The landspeeder was my first Star Wars toy vehicle as a kid. Sadly, when Luke thinks of this he can only think of the charred remains of his aunt and uncle. God bless you Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. May you finally find the peace and moisture that you so desperately craved on Tatooine. 		Landspeeder X-Wing:
One of the best parts of the Star Wars trilogy was that all of the spaceships were incredibly well done. I don't know a single kid who didn't dream of having his own X-Wing fighter. I don't know where Lucas came up with the S-foils concept so if you know, share the knowledge. 		X-Wing Fighter
Star Destroyer:
Yet another phenomenal creation from the Star Wars universe. My first and lasting impression of Star Destroyers will always be from the opening of the original movie as Vader's ship chased Leia's Corvette. Breathtaking. 		Star Destroyer Millennium Falcon:
"You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?" Those words ring more true today than they did thirty years ago. If I could have any fictional ship in the world, it would be the Millennium Falcon. The detail in the Falcon model was so insane that I went back to look at it two more times. 		Millenium Falcon
Y-Wing:
In Episode I, the rebels had two fighters, the X-Wing and the Y-Wing. By Return of the Jedi, they added the A-Wing and B-Wing fighters to their fleet. I loved the idea of a letter-based fighter named after their wing design (although I still cannot figure out the B-wing). 		Y-Wing Fighter Tantiv IV Corellian Corvette:
For being named a Corvette, it couldn't really outrun the Star Destroyer. Fun Fact: My best friend Hugh and I nicknamed his white 1983 Camaro the Corellian Camaro. 		Tantiv IV
Han Solo & Chewbacca:
One of the greatest duos in cinematic history. The movies never explained how the two became friends or why they remained such loyal friends but it really didn't have to. I am naming my first son Chewbacca. 		Han Solo & Chewbacca Princess Leia, R2-D2, and C-3PO:
I loved the opening of Star Wars when you are thrown into the middle of a combat situation (a trend that stayed through all six films). This display did a great job capturing the moment when 3PO stumbles upon Leia giving R2 the message for Obi-Wan. 		Leia, R2, and 3PO
Wampa:
Luke didn't know what he was going to get into when he stumbled upon Willy Wampa and his Chocolate Factory. This is one of the few additions during the Special Edition release that I really enjoyed. The editing could have been slightly better, but a good addition overall. 		Wampa Taun-Taun:
The mighty Taun-Taun, the doe-eyed horses of the Star Wars universe. If you are lost and your Taun-Taun dies while out on patrol follow these steps: 1) Ignite Lightsaber. 2) Cut open Taun-Taun stomach and release innards. 3) Nestle yourself inside stomach for warmth. 		Taun-Taun
AT-AT Walker:
If Star Wars reinvented the idea of space battles, then The Empire Strikes Back reinvented sci-fi land based warfare. The AT-AT Walker would be the second vehicle I'd want from the Star Wars universe. For those that are keeping track, the Speeder Bike is the 3rd vehicle. 		AT-AT Walker AT-ST Walker:
The AT-ST Walker would never be as formidable as his older brother, but he did have his uses. I've been told that in the years following the Battle of Endor, it's been rumored that AT-AT Walkers would answer, "who?" when asked about their AT-ST siblings. It's so sad that those ewoks tore this family apart. Fun Fact: Despite popular belief, Luke Skywalker is not related to the AT-XT Walker family. 		AT-ST Walker
General Grievous:
Grievous is an interesting character to me because I hated him when I saw Episode II. The coughing was stupid. Wielding four sabers seemed cool but it wasn't effective. I just thought he was a stupid character. It was only after I learned that he was supposed to be an earlier version of Vader (merging organic and inorganic). Even though I liked his character more, Darths Maul and Vader were far deadlier than General Ricola Grievous. 		General Grievous Darth Vader:
If you enlarge the picture you'll notice it is blurred. This was planned because I think it captures how a person would feel if they came face to chest-plate with Darth Vader in the Star Wars universe; They'd be slightly out of it, nervous, unsure, and most of all, they'd be scared shitless. 		Darth Vader
There were many more displays than just the pictures above but we still finished seeing everything in less than two hours The exhibit was much smaller and definitely geared towards science (as the title illustrated) versus props and models. In between the displays there were interactive areas gear towards kids that concentrated on robotics. It is important kids learn about the future rulers of mankind.

We went to the first "showing" to ensure we could get to see the Millennium Falcon exhibit/ride. The ten minute movie is not that great but I think it was geared towards kids and from that perspective it is interesting. Even though I didn't care for the video, it was cool to actually be inside a replica of the Millennium Falcon cockpit.

Right past the exhibit exit was a gift shop with tons of merchandise. I picked up "What is a Wookie" for my friend's new son so he could eventually learn about Wookies. I also spent another $40 on a t-shirt and magnet.

While Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination was much smaller and had a different purpose than Star Wars: The Magic of Myth, I still enjoyed both very much and glad I saw both. The Millennium Falcon model was by far the best display there. I'll leave you with this ~$1000 display of a cutout cross section of the Falcon. I doubt I'd ever buy this, but it was still super cool to see.

Millenium Falcon Cutout
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