Seattle exhibit lets the science of 'Star Wars' be with you

At the "Star Wars"-themed exhibit at Pacific Science Center, you can climb into the cockpit of Han Solo's ship the Millennium Falcon and, as it rumbles to life, it actually feels like you're jetting through space.

Stars and galaxies zip by, and although the ship never leaves ground, there's a distinct feeling you're not on Earth anymore.

"Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" touches down Saturday in Seattle, docking here through May 8.

Developed by scientists and engineers at Boston's Museum of Science, in collaboration with George Lucas' production company Lucasfilm, the exhibit has more than 100 original artifacts from the sci-fi franchise.

There are costumes galore, including vintage clothing from Han Solo and Princess Leia, as well as the Yoda puppet, droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, a slew of weapons, and models of intergalactic vessels.

Exhibit-operations manager Lisa Marchisio says the exhibit gives viewers insight into the filmmakers' process, especially with the earlier trilogy, when they didn't have the luxury of CGI, or computer-generated imagery. One example: Luke Skywalker's beat-up landspeeder.

"They made it look like it was floating, when they didn't have computers to edit out the tires," Marchisio said. "There's a lot of ingenuity behind it."

Yet the show is more than a backstage peek at the moviemaking process. It's designed to explore the technologies that inspired the films and what their counterparts look like today.

"You come in expecting an exhibit about 'Star Wars,' but in the process, you learn a lot about science and technology," said Danielle Bias, center marketing manager for special projects.

So while seeing the menacing Darth Vader shell and giant, furry Chewbacca up close is a thrill, the exhibit hinges on the links between the "Star Wars" universe and our own reality.

Next to R2-D2 and C-3PO is a case filled with modern-day bots: a Segway soccer robot, a robotic weight-loss coach and a Roomba, the robotic vacuum cleaner. And the icy, remote world of Hoth, represented here by a hulking Wampa and imperial snowtrooper, is juxtaposed with Antarctic cold-weather gear.

Even Darth Vader is accompanied by an explanation of how he was kept alive artificially, and which medical advancements in today's society help people live longer and better: replacement hearts, insulin pumps, cochlear implants.

The exhibit is dotted with interactive elements. There's a build-your-own-robot station, and a hovercraft that visitors can take for a spin. For $3 extra, the Millennium Falcon Experience, a virtual four-and-a-half-minute tour to the outer limits of space narrated by Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), is not to be missed.

Loyal Lucas fans will fawn over the minutiae, like Luke's prosthetic hand and the tiny model of the Falcon, created for a sole scene in "The Empire Strikes Back" in which the spaceship hitches a ride on the back of an unsuspecting star destroyer.

But Bias says that because "Star Wars" is so much a part of pop culture, even people who've never seen the films know Darth Vader is the bad guy and Yoda talks funny.

"What I like about it is, it relates back to real life," Marchisio said. "It's not just about the movies. It's not just about light sabers and who would beat who in a Death Star battle. It's about the inspiration behind it."

The ending date for "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" was corrected, as were the Pacific Science Center hours.