The science
of imagination

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

Stormtroopers will descend upon the steps of the Franklin Institute while light-saber battles wage inside the museum to kick off the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibition at 10 a.m. on Feb. 9.
Through May 4, visitors and self-described Star Wars geeks will be able to take in the 10,000-square-foot exhibit featuring more than 100 Star Wars and real-world artifacts, as well as 21 interactive exhibits exploring the science-fiction technology used in the epic series.
They include Luke Skywalker’s original landspeeder from Episode IV alongside scale models of X- and Y-wing starfighters and TIE fighters. An original Yoda puppet from the original trilogy and Darth Vader’s actual helmet from Episode III — and don’t forget R2-D2 and C-3PO — make for a real blast from the not-too-distant past.
For an extra $5, you can experience a simulated jump into hyperspace and be transported to the edges of the universe in a full-size cockpit replica of Han Solo’s spaceship — the Millennium Falcon. Surrounded by beeping cockpit instruments, the roar of passing spaceships and comets, visitors will see a multimedia presentation featuring imagery from the Hubble space telescope, with three-dimensional sound by Bose.
The exhibit was developed by Boston’s Museum of Science in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd. and transported to Philadelphia in 13 trucks. It’s the first exhibition to combine costumes and props from all six films with real-world technologies. The tour also features audio, video, American Sign Language interpretation and closed-captioning.
Organized around the themes of transportation and robotics, the force will be with visitors as they take a ride in an air-cushion vehicle and feel what it’s like to ride in a floating vehicle or take a spin on a magnetically levitated platform — possibly the mass transit of the future.
"This is great in a number of ways," said Steve Snyder, Franklin Institute’s vice president of exhibit and program development and devoted Obi-Wan Kenobi follower.
"It takes the excitement and imagination of the whole phenomena [and] brings you back to being a kid seeing the first film (1977)," Snyder said. "There’s stuff for the really hearty Star Wars geek — with the model of the Millennium Falcon, you can argue what vent goes to which hyperdrive — all the way down to the folks who like Chewbacca (the 200-year-old Wookie that is Han Solo’s furry co-pilot)."
Another aspect is all the science and technology involved with the robotics.
Visitors will see footage of scientists and see how these films inspired them to apply this knowledge to the real world, Snyder said.
One such device is the Brain Gate Neural Interface System. According to the Brain Gate’s Web site, it is designed to restore functionality for a limited, immobile group of severely motor-impaired individuals.
A personal computer serves as a gateway for the control of objects such as a telephone, a television and lights. The system is currently the subject of a pilot clinical trial being conducted under an Investigation Device Exemption (IDE) from the FDA.
Fans of Benjamin Franklin might be interested to note that Boston, Ben’s birthplace, passed on an exhibit honoring his 300th birthday in 2006, and offered Star Wars to Beantown instead.
According to its Web site, the Franklin Institute is dedicated to creating a passion for science by offering new and exciting access to science and technology in ways that would dazzle and delight its namesake. By all accounts, Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination should fit the bill. ••
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com

May the force be with you . . .

Tickets are timed and dated, with admission beginning at 9 a.m. daily. Pricing includes admission to Star Wars and a Sci-Pass to the Franklin Institute.
The cost: Adults: $20.50; seniors: $16.50; children ages 4 to 11: $15.50; and Franklin Institute members: $3.
For more information or to reserve tickets, call 215-448-1200 or visit www.fi.edu