It turns out going to see original costumes from Star Wars fills me with feelings.
The Discovery Museum recently opened its exhibition of Star Wars costumes “Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume: The Exhibition,” on November 14, and Laughing Place was lucky enough to score a sneak peak at the exhibition. Don’t let all of the colons fool you, this showcase is a must-see for Star Wars fans of all ages.
The exhibit is pulled from The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art as a partnership between the Discovery Museum and the Smithsonian. Much has been done to curate the presentation and give a compelling context to this rich collection. But the truth of the matter is they could have put the exhibit in a poorly lit gymnasium with an oompah band playing Prince covers and it wouldn’t matter: it’s thrilling to see the actual Han Solo outfit in person no matter how you shake it.
The exhibit begins with a fun film celebrating the creativity and craft of the costumes from a galaxy far far away. The film sets the stage with an emphasis on the importance of tying character to costume, and when the Millennium Falcon-style door slides open and you see Obi Wan’s New Hope robe in person, the feelings come at you like stars streaking by as you hit hyper-speed.
What follows is nothing short of wonderful. Throughout the exhibition all of the costumes (and a small but compelling smattering of props) are accompanied by a thorough array of concept drawings and contextual videos, much of which can be explored on iPads or through the age old art of reading placards. But again, nothing compares to simply seeing the costumes themselves.
The show has been broken up and themed conceptually. Each of the themed areas does a good job of celebrating a focused aspect of the art of these wonderful costumes while often playing the fan service of highlighting one or two truly iconic looks from the original trilogy.
The show opens with a look at “Jedi vs. Sith.” Here, Sith and Jedi robes are the focus, and while Mace Windu and young Obi Wan are fun to see, the high points are the iconic images from the original trilogy. Luke’s Return of the Jedi Jedi robes and the Emperor’s Return of the Jedi Sith robes make you feel ready for a bad pre-CGI back-flip.
The next section, “Concept and Design for Royalty and Beyond” focuses intently on the many beautifully crafted gowns from the series, particularly those of Amidala and her hand-maidens from The Phantom Menace. While this doesn’t provide quite the same thrill as seeing Luke’s Jedi robes, this section goes a long way to showcase the masterful craft and attention to detail that went into even the most incidental of looks from the films.
“Symbolism and Military Power” highlights military looks and their influences from the films. This room was another highlight, with looks at the X-wing pilot and Imperial officer from Jedi, a TIE fighter pilot from New Hope, and most exciting of all, an Endor Imperial Stormtrooper. Seeing a Storm Trooper that close up is enough to make you consider signing up to fight for the Empire.
The most collectively exciting section is right around the corner with the “Outlaws and Outsiders” section of the exhibition. Pace yourself on this one. I dragged my jaw across the floor taking in the costumes of Han Solo, Boba and Jango Fett, a Tusken Raider, Princess Leai’s Jaba bikini and bounty hunter disguise, and Chewbacca himself. Take me to the cantina.
The next two sections, “All Corners of the Galaxy: The Galactic Senate,” and “After the Throne: Padme’s Journey” have a similar effect as the earlier section highlighting “royalty.” While the iconic looks are fewer and further between, the artistry and attention to detail is everywhere, and the exhibit curators have done an excellent job highlighting how the narrative is reflected in the changing of the costumes themselves.
An exciting corner of the exhibit is left for a few mechanized fan favorites and a new friend to shine, called simply “Droid Design.” Here we see the classic forms of C3-PO (Empire) and R2D2 (all films) joined by the newest droid that everyone is already in love with, BB-8. Needless to say, Droids rule.
One of the final rooms builds towards a truly iconic display of the Darth Vader costume, here pulled from Revenge of the Sith. Seeing Vader in person is straight-up scary. It’s a perfect culmination of the exhibit, as in so many ways it’s one of the most accomplished designs of all. The pure embodiment of the villain, Vader looms.
In the final room of all a few more sneak peeks are given to the upcoming film, “The Force Awakens.” Here we see costumes from the characters Rey, Finn, a First Order Stormtrooper, a First Order Snowtrooper, a Resistance X-Wing Fighter Pilot, and a First Order TIE Fighter Pilot. All of which leaves you wanting more and feeling like the films are in good hands.
“Star Wars and the Power of Costume” delivers on every front. I left longing to re-watch all of the original films and primed for the newest. But more than anything else, I left with a new appreciation for the craft and designs of all these iconic films.
And don’t mistake that tingling sensation for rogue midichloroians. It’s feelings, friends. The Force is strong with this one.
