Science Museum of Minnesota Announces Blockbuster Summer 2008 Exhibition: Star Wars(TM): Where Science Meets Imagination

Science Museum of Minnesota Announces Blockbuster Summer 2008 Exhibition: Star Wars(TM): Where Science Meets Imagination

Costumes, models and props from the entire Star Wars Saga are on display in one place for the first time

St. Paul is the last stop on a landmark U.S. tour

Visitors strong with the Force can sign up now for priority ticket purchase opportunity

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Science Museum of Minnesota announced today that it will host Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, an exhibit featuring costumes, models and props from all six Star Wars films that invites visitors to defy gravity, manipulate robots, engineer droids, and journey into that galaxy far, far away that has captivated audiences for more than 30 years.

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, which was developed by the Museum of Science, Boston, in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd., will open at the Science Museum of Minnesota on Friday, June 13, 2008. Starting today, visitors may also log on to http://www.smm.org/starwars to join the Science Museum's Star Wars priority email ticket club.

"We are thrilled to be the final stop on this incredible exhibit's tour of the nation," says Mike Day, senior vice president of museum enterprises at the Science Museum. "The Star Wars films are such a beloved part of American pop culture, and we have a perfect opportunity to bring its iconic elements -- and the important lessons of science and technology that they represent -- to Science Museum visitors."

Visitors to Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination will discover how ideas become technologies in real life. They'll delve into the intriguing similarities in the ways that scientists and filmmakers think, investigate the ways in which technology is changing the way we live in the 21st century, and try their hands at building and testing their own high-tech creations, all while reliving the magic of the six Star Wars films through more than 80 costumes, models, and props.

Highlights of the 12,000-square-foot exhibit include:
-- Luke Skywalker's landspeeder from Episode IV and several other models,
including a Naboo starfighter, Darth Vader's Star Destroyer Devastator
and Queen Amidala's Nubian Royal Starship;
-- Authentic costumes and props from the entire Star Wars Saga, such as
Princess Leia's famous white dress, Darth Vader's menacing black
attire, a full-sized R2-D2, a Chewbacca costume, Han Solo's rogue
outfit, a full-size stormtrooper uniform, a Yoda puppet and more;
-- A real-world hovercraft -- much like the Saga's landspeeders -- that
visitors can climb aboard to experience levitation and ponder whether
it could be a realistic mode of transit in the future;
-- A Robot Theater, produced for the Star Wars exhibit by the Science
Museum of Minnesota, where visitors enter a Jawa sandcrawler , meet C-
3PO, and listen as he debates the merits of R2-D2 with real-life
roboticists;
-- A full-size replica of the cockpit from Episode IV's Millennium Falcon,
in which visitors can climb aboard to experience a jump to lightspeed
as a multimedia presentation explores our galaxy in a breathtaking ride
to the edge of the universe. (Additional fee applies and capacity is
limited for this activity.)
-- Engineering labs that invite visitors to build and test landspeeders,
create and program robots, and more;
-- And more than 20 hands-on interactive components that will appeal to
everyone -- from the biggest Star Wars fans to those who don't know a
Wookiee from a droid.

"Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination has been incredibly popular in the other cities it has visited," says Day. "Our colleagues at other museums have reported that some visitors come back to see the exhibit once, twice, even three times -- and some fans have even traveled to other cities to experience the ways different museums stage the exhibit. We expect that it will be received just as enthusiastically by Science Museum visitors."

The Science Museum's staging of the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination continues a several-summer trend of major exhibitions, including Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies in 2006 and A Day in Pompeii in 2007. The fact that the Science Museum has successfully hosted exhibits of this stature and national esteem is a testament to its sound reputation among museums and science centers around the world. The Science Museum is one of only eight museums in the nation to host Star Wars. When the exhibit closes in St. Paul on August 24, 2008, it will embark on a tour of museums overseas.

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination is presented nationally by Bose Corporation. It is presented locally by Medtronic. The exhibit is made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Priority Ticket Information

Tickets will go on sale to the public in April 2008. Visitors may visit http://www.smm.org/starwars now and join the Science Museum's Star Wars priority email ticket club. Those who sign up now will have the opportunity to purchase tickets in March, before they go on sale to the public, and will receive periodic e-updates about the exhibit with behind-the-scenes information and special opportunities. Admission to the Science Museum exhibit galleries and Star Wars is $17 for adults and $14.50 for kids ages 4 to 12 and seniors age 60 and older. Discounts are available for Science Museum members, groups of 15 or more, and individuals with limited incomes. Tickets for Star Wars are timed and dated, so visitors will be asked to choose a date for their visit and a specific entry time for the exhibit.

Visitor Information

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination opens Friday, June 13, 2008, at the Science Museum of Minnesota. More information about Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination will be available at http://www.smm.org/starwars as the opening day approaches.

The Science Museum of Minnesota serves more than one million visitors each year with its hands-on exhibits, breathtaking giant screen films, special events, and unparalleled education programs. It is located at 120 West Kellogg Boulevard in downtown St. Paul. For specific directions, parking information, hours, show times and ticket information, call (651) 221-9444 or visit http://www.smm.org/.

PLEASE NOTE: Images from Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination are available for media use. Please visit http://www.mediasmm.org/ for more information. For access to b-roll, contact Sarah Imholte (651-221-9412, simholte@smm.org).

Lucasfilm, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & (C) Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

About Bose Corporation

Bose Corporation was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose. Today the company is one of the largest and best-known audio technology developers and product manufacturers in the United States and throughout the world. Bose is known for home entertainment systems and speakers, the Wave(R) products, premium automotive music systems, noise reducing headsets for consumers and pilots and sound for public spaces and musicians.

Source: Science Museum of Minnesota

CONTACT: Janine Hanson and Gail Vold Greco, PR Co-Directors,
+1-651-221-9423, or Sarah Imholte, PR Coordinator, +1-651-221-9412, or Peg
Roessler, PR Representative, +1-952-949-6550, all of the Science Museum of
Minnesota

Web site: http://www.smm.org/
http://www.mediasmm.org/

-------
Profile: intent