Hundreds of Edmontonians lined up for their chance to escape to a galaxy far, far away – at the Star Wars Identities exhibit which opened at the TELUS World of the Science on Saturday.
More than 20,000 tickets were already pre-sold in Edmonton prior to the opening of the exhibit.
Many in line on Saturday pre-ordered their tickets when it was first announced Star Wars Identities would be coming to Edmonton, waiting nearly a year for their chance to witness firsthand more than 200 artifacts that were used in the original Star Wars films.
“I really, really wanted to see this exhibit for a long, long time,” said Star Wars fan Catherine Van Delden.
“Empire Strikes Back was one of my favourite movies growing up and it was influential throughout my life,” said Roy Paulino.
The interactive exhibit uses the iconic films and their characters to allow visitors to explore what shapes them as humans.
Visitors are given a special wristband and earpiece at the start of the exhibit before going on an intergalactic through 10 interactive stations that in the end will determine their identity and what influences led to that identity.
“You are asked to create your Star Wars hero so you learn about genetics, gender, mentorship and a lot of things that help you become who you are,” said Jacques Andrew Dupont with X3 Productions, the Montreal-based company behind the exhibit.
“It’s not just a bunch of Star Wars artifacts and clips from films, this is a real, true interactive learning opportunity,” said George Smith, president of TELUS World of Science.
X3 Productions - along with 24 other companies around the world – pitched the idea for a Star Wars exhibition to Lucas Films.
In the end, X3 was selected because Lucas Films liked their idea of using Star Wars characters to teach the science of identity.
“We wanted to find a different idea, something that would be new to the fans,” Dupont said.
Fans who attended the opening day had rave reviews.
“It was like going back in time,” Joe Allan said. “I think guys of my generation grew up with this so it was like turning seven-years-old again.”
“I thought it was a lot of fun, all the interactive stuff you could do with it,” said Mitchell Fontaine.
Edmonton is one of just two cities in North America to host the exhibit.
Star Wars Identities runs until April.
With files from Graham Neil
