Star Wars creator George Lucas joined Darth Vader, storm troopers and Wookiees at the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination Gala in Boston on Oct. 22 to help unveil a new museum exhibit that opens this week at the Museum of Science. Also in attendance was Anthony Daniels, the actor inside C-3PO, who hosted a live auction for the fundraising event.

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination is the first museum exhibit to mix Star Wars movie paraphernalia with real-world technologies and video interviews with scientists and the filmmakers. The interactive, hands-on science and technology exhibits help visitors explore the parallels between fantasy and real technologies. Co-sponsored by Lucasfilm and Boston's Museum of Science, it cost $5 million to create the 10,000 square foot exhibit.

Im happy that Star Wars can help educate people about technology in an entertaining way, said Lucas. Technological innovation and filmmaking have a lot in common; they both begin with imagination and creativity.

Ioannis Miaoulis, the president and director of the Museum of Science, hopes that the exhibit can inspire future scientists and engineers. Science centers nationwide need to find a way to get people excited about exploring technology and engineering he said.

On exhibit for the first time is Luke Skywalkers landspeeder from Episode IV. Other costumes, models and props at the exhibit include C-3PO and R2-D2, Princess Leia's white dress and Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi robes. In addition, there are two immersive displays: is a full-size replica of the Millennium Falcon's cockpit from Episode IV, in which visitors can simulate a jump to lightspeed and take a four-and-a-half minute trip to the edge of the universe; and a large-scale model of the sandcrawler from Episode IV, in which visitors are greeted by C-3PO.

According to Ed Rodley, exhibit planner for the museum, video kiosks throughout the exhibit will feature filmmakers, scientists, engineers and technologists giving insight into the important role their imagination played before making their visions a reality.

The exhibit is organized into thematic areas, such as Getting Around, where visitors can learn about real-world speeders and even develop their own mag-lev vehicle, and Robots and People, where visitors learn bout robot mobility, perception and cognition.

An Audio Antenna Multimedia Tour, combining audio, video and still images, as well as a bookmarking feature that allows visitors to highlight specific content and e-mail it to themselves, is available for additional cost (free to those with hearing and/or visual impairments).

In addition to the exhibit, the Museum of Science will feature a special Star Wars themed planetarium show. "Far, Far Away: The Worlds of Star Wars" compares the fantasy planets of the Star Wars movies to Earth and to the planets and moons in our Solar System and is approximately 40 minutes long.

There is also a companion lecture series, the first of which is scheduled for Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. Puppet to Pixels: The Digital Transformation of Yoda features Rob Coleman, Animation & Development Director of Lucasfilm Animation Ltd., discussing why digital doubles are used, and what their implications are for actors, writers, and directors. For an updated calendar of speakers and topics, visit www.mos.org/faces.

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination is supported in part by funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It will be on exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston from Oct. 27, 2005, through April 30, 2006, when it will move on to its next venue.

Admission will be by timed ticket only. Advance ticket reservations are recommended. For more information on the exhibition or to reserve tickets, visit starwars.mos.org or call (617) 723-2500, (617) 589-0417 (TTY). Members of the Museum of Science receive a special rate.

After closing at the Museum of Science in Boston, the exhibit will travel to these U.S. museums. International venues are also being planned.

• COSI, Columbus, Ohio - June through Aug. 2006

• Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, Portland, Ore. - Dec. 2006

• California Science Center, Los Angeles, Calif. - Feb. through April 2007

• The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Penn. - June through Aug. 2007

• Fort Worth Museum of Science, Fort Worth, Texas - Feb. through April 2008

• Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. - June through Oct. 2008