Putting the Science in Sci-Fi OR Dressing Up to Go on a Spaceship!

I recently took a bit of a trip down to the State Museum. Which state, you ask?

Evidently they get asked that question a lot.

Now this museum has a permanent exhibit that's quite fascinating (more on that in future posts), but we were there for a specific reason.

Because we are geeks.

The traveling Star Wars exhibit is here through Labor Day, so of course we had to go. After all, this guy:

He finds your lack of faith disturbing, by the way.

The exhibit itself features props, models, and costumes from the films, as well as actual science similar to them. There was tons of stuff, so I split it into two posts, sticking to the costumes and ships on this one.

So let's start with the costumes. Because they had a LOT of costumes.

Like the worst body armor in history...

...Or a Make Your Own Vader kit.

  

Remember, the Star Wars collection
has looks for all seasons. Winter...

...And summer!

Ooteenee!

And these stately robes.
Which look a little ridiculous up close.

Wife shown for scale.

 And of course, what costume display would be complete without these guys:

Even the mannequin swaggers.

Truth be told, I never realized how much Han Solo's costume was inspired by ex-cavalry cowboy wear from the old West. Seriously, those cavalry boots, the low slung pistol, the wool pants with gold striping up the side, the vest...

...Also, these little pockets and doodads all over the belt, which are a lot like the pockets for holding ammunition, firing caps, and other things.

It's a little blurry, but there's a battery of some sort in there.
...And what looked like breath mints or something.
He is a ladies' man, after all.

Now that the pretty pictures of cloth are done, let's look at why you really came here today: The ships.

BAM.

Seen here making the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs.

Don't both trying to zoom that picture for a closer look, because I've got you covered.

You can almost hear someone yelling, "Don't get cocky!"

Why does a spaceship have soot on the outside?
It's not like the wind slipstream blows it down...
...Oh yeah: Because it looks cool.

Yes, that IS a tiny captain's chair and random switches that don't do anything.

As you can see, the model makers of yore were serious about the details on their SFX models. Don't believe me? Check out the X-Wing:

Which is Luke's X-wing. How do we know?

Because you can see him and R2-D2.
Yeah. They put THAT kind of detail in.

And remember that awesome shot at the beginning of the first movie where the star destroyer flies over the camera? (And no, I do NOT mean Episode I, you barbarian.)

You know, this star destroyer.
 

I can almost see a rebel pilot crashing into the shield generators...

...Or the Millennium Falcon hiding on the back of the ship.

As you may have guessed, seeing these models brought an insane amount of scenes flashing through my mind. On a related side note, I might have watched those movies a bit too much when I was a kid. Possibly.

I could almost hear Gold Five telling me to stay on target...

Okay, yes. Yes, I did watch the first three Star Wars movies a bit too much.

But you know what? I'm not the only one. And I'm proud of it. This exhibit was packed. In fact, they had to space out entry to make the exhibit at all workable. That was also the same day as the first football game of the season (preseason?) in a heavily football town. And it was STILL packed.

And we all had a great time.

Especially this guy.

Which brings me to the awesome part of the exhibit, or at least, the part that didn't involve Star Wars props.

They put a lot of time and effort (and I mean a LOT) into bridging the gap between science fiction and reality. How, you ask? By showing the science fiction-type inventions in our world today.

For example, they had an exhibit showing Luke's land speeder...

It may be dented and need an engine cover,
but at least it's paid off.

The actual way it got around: Wheels.
(They used a mirror to make it "hover.")

The model used for far-off shots.

And alongside it they had a whole interactive display about maglev trains.

It's hovering, but with MAGNETS!

This included Legos which allowed you to make your own maglev car and scoot it around the tracks.

Okay, ALONG the tracks, but you get the idea...

They also included an exhibit about our cold weather gear, and how similar it is to the Hoth gear.

Tauntaun not included.

And exhibits about some of our recent designs for spacecraft.

By "our" I mean "smart people at NASA."

Seriously, I have several old high school friends who are either
astrophysicists or work at NASA.
Crazy smart.

And, of course, models of weird flying things.

The label for the flying car says it, "Still faces regulatory hurdles" with the FAA.
I don't think any of us are surprised.

But the neat thing was seeing all of the kids (and adults) who went directly from oohing and ahhing at the Star Wars models and costumes to looking closely at the educational exhibits. And, of course, smashing the Lego maglev cars into the end of the track. But you know what? They were learning.

Even if all they were learning was that Lego maglev cars are really durable.

I'm gonna leave you with a teaser taste of next week, when I go over the robots and puppets part of the exhibit. I don't normally do teasers, but...

THIS GUY.

...I hope you understand. I means seriously, this is the actual Yoda puppet, right there in the flesh whatever they make puppets out of.

Insert your favorite Yoda quote here.
...He's just got too many good ones.

See you next week!