“Set to open March 29, the Star Wars Gallery will include 3-foot-tall Lego models of a dozen characters from the epic film saga, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2D2, Yoda and Darth Vader.”

Check out all the details on the LATimes.com website.

Good afternoon!
You often hear from me when we plan Star Wars events together, or when I ask you for information for Bantha Tracks, or we make plans for Star Wars Celebrations.

These past months, however, I’ve been working on something different: Red Tails. Most of you probably know that it’s Lucasfilm’s new movie about the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII, a story that has been a passion project for George Lucas for years. The Airmen were African-American fighter pilots, who not only broke down barriers in the military, but helped break down racial barriers here in the States. They were exceptional pilots and support crew, with heroic records of service.

I’ve traveled to a number of different places, working on events to promote the movie, as different as Memphis and Eugene and New York City. I just returned from working at a three-day festival celebrating the movie release, and the Airmen, at Tuskegee University in Alabama, the place where the Airmen were first trained. Each time I watch the movie I am impressed with what it means to the audience, and I’m inspired by the story. The determination and talent of the Airmen can encourage us all.

This is an important movie based on real heroes and true events. And…bonus…the ILM-driven dogfights totally kick butt. I like the characters and story, I’m excited about the release, and proud to be involved in the events that have helped support it.

I very much hope you can see Red Tails this weekend, and bring your friends. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is important, and many of us were not aware of it before this movie. Hopefully this weekend many thousands more will learn their story, appreciate it, and want to share.

It’s important, but it’s also a lot of fun at the same time!

After you see it, drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Mary

Mary Franklin
Sr. Events Lead
Lucasfilm, Ltd.

Read on to see the Star Tours Visual Effects Crew photo…

While Star Tours isn’t heavily featured, you will find the VFX Crew Photo featuring a rather large Yoda projection.  Of course to satisfy the force, the book takes a closer look at The Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and many more.

This is a great coffee table resource for fans of film and effects, now available at bookstores everywhere, retailing for $50.

Today we have a Press Release from the Discovery Science Center and several photos from the recent Star Wars exhibit courtesy of Randy Jennings from TheArnoldfans.com.

Press Release:

DISCOVERY SCIENCE CENTER HOSTS 6TH ANNUAL SCIENCE OF GINGERBREAD EXHIBIT AND COMPETITION – NOVEMBER 25 TO JANUARY 1, 2012

SANTA ANA, CA – Inside the kitchen, much more is going on than pouring and mixing – it’s science at work. Discovery Science Center’s (DSC) holiday festival has tons of festive activities designed to bring families together this holiday season. Daily activities include hands-on kitchen science fun, recipe science, and the award-winning Gingerbread Competition entries. On the weekends, take your photo with Santa, decorate holiday cookies, or create a cookie car and compete in our Gingerbread Derby.

What’s that smell wafting gingerly through the air? It can only be one thing – delightfully decorated Gingerbread creations! From November 25 through January 1, 2012, over one hundred artisan Gingerbread creations will be on display at DSC for the Science of Gingerbread competition.
Categories for this year’s Gingerbread competition include:

•     Best Star Wars™ Theme

•     Most Festive

•     Best by an Organization

•     Best Youth under 5

•     Best Youth Group

•     Best by a Classroom

•     Best by a DSC Member

Gingerbread Competition entries are due by Monday, December 5, 2012. Prizes will be awarded to the winning creation in each category on December 7th.

Along with the Gingerbread Competition, special holiday activities will be taking place on December 3-4th, 10-11th, and December 17 – January 1, 2012.* Schedule is as follows:

•     Visit Santa and take your photo with him – 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

•     Decorate holiday cookies and eat them too! – 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

•     Create a cookie car and compete in our Gingerbread Derby – 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

•     Matter of Taste Stage Show – 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

*Activities, times and dates subject to change without notice.

ABOUT DISCOVERY SCIENCE CENTER
Imaginations run wild at Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana through more than 100 hands-on exhibits in themed areas throughout the Center. Race your family at sorting recyclables in Eco Challenge, stand under a real rocket engine in Boeing Rocket Lab and try your best slap shot against the Anaheim Duck’s goalie in Science of Hockey! Traveling exhibits and annual events such as Bug Invasion and Bubblefest ensure that there is always something new to do. Discovery Science Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating young minds, assisting teachers and increasing public understanding of science, math and technology through interactive exhibits and programs.

Discovery Science Center opens daily at 10am. For further information, call us at (714) 542-CUBE or visit us online www.discoverycube.org. Get involved by finding DSC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/discoverycube and following DSC on Twitter at hashtag: @discoverycube.

###***###

Our friend Randy Jennings from TheArnoldFans.com recently visited the Discovery Science Center and was kind enough to send us some photos.

Image © Disney/Lucasfilm

Before previewing the new exhibit, guests met and took pictures with members of the 501st  Legion. Kids got to meet Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers. Bounty hunters were everywhere. Fortunately there were plenty of rebel pilots and Jedi on hand for the event as well. Obi-Shawn Kenobi and Yoda were there teaching young padawans lightsaber moves in from of the gift shop. Imperial guards were guarding the entrance to the two new galleries.

Once we were let in, we were greeted by a four foot model of the Millennium Falcon. It’s amazing how much detail there is to the ship. Other ships like the rebel blockade runner, a Y-Wing and Luke’s X-Wing were on display. NASA also had some of its models of future spacecraft on display too.

There were many costumes on display. I saw the Han Solo and Chewbacca costume as well as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi robes. They also had two wookiee costumes from Revenge of the Sith. It’s amazing how tall those costumes were! Stormtrooper, Snowtrooper and a full size Wampa costumes were on display as well. They even had a Destroyer Droid and the original Yoda puppet from The Empire Strikes Back!

R2-D2 and C-3PO had a display where I could learn the many ways robots of today can match wits – or at least mobility – with their cinematic cousins.  Darth Vader’s high-tech suit & helmet and Luke and Anakin’s robot hands were there next to an exhibit about the very real worlds of prosthetic limbs and supersensitive ears. A computer activity put these enhancements to the test.

Luke Skywalker’s Land Speeder was on display. I looked underneath and saw the tires the speeder rolled on. Next to it was an exhibit about future transportation and a hover car that kids could sit in and drive around. They had an exhibit were kids could experiment with magnetic levitation, imagining, creating and testing their own floating Maglev land speeders. Kids could send it down a magnetic track by turning on and off magnets on the track.

There were a lot of other things to see but the big thing was in the parking lot of the Discovery Science Center. They had a full size cockpit of the Millennium Falcon with all the buttons and knobs of the real thing. C-3PO took us on a three minute journey to explore the Universe. We traveled thru our solar system and then hyper spaced outside of our galaxy. Then finally we reached the outer most part of the Universe before R2 brought us home again.

The Discovery Science Center is an amazing place! It is geared toward teaching children about science through fun and exciting experiments. This place makes science fun and I had blast! I can’t wait to bring my kids to the Discovery Science Center. The exhibit is open from November 18 to April 15.

2500 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92705 | Main 714.542.2823 | www.discoverycube.org

November 9, 2011
DISCOVERY SCIENCE CENTER HOSTS BLOCKBUSTER EXHIBIT
Star Wars™: Where Science Meets Imagination Lands in Orange County
SANTA ANA, CA – Imagine a world with humanoid robots translating languages, landspeeders whizzing down the highway, and X-Wing Fighters protecting the skies. Could these technologies, limited only to the fantasy worlds of Star Wars, actually become a reality? Beginning Friday, November 18, Discovery Science Center will host an out-of-this-world exhibit, Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. Developed by the Museum of Science in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd., the exhibit explores the fantasy technologies depicted in the Star Wars films, the real science behind them, and the current research that may someday lead to remarkable real-life versions of the technologies seen in the film series.

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), presented by Bose Corporation and locally sponsored by Microsemi Corporation, Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination is the first exhibition to display costumes and props from all six Star Wars films with real-world technologies. The exhibit includes extensive video interviews with filmmakers, scientists and engineers; and hands-on components, including two large Engineering Design Labs, where visitors can build and test their own speeders and robots.

“Now days, technology seems to be changing minute by minute,” says Joe Adams, President of Discovery Science Center. “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination will give visitors an opportunity to experience some of these amazing technological innovations created for a fantasy world, with real life applications.”

ENGINEERING DESIGN LABS—IMAGINE, BUILD, AND TEST
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination has two main theme areas. “Getting Around” focuses on transportation in the films as well as new and future modes of travel. The “Robots and People” section looks at the relationship between robots and humans on screen and in the real world.

Within each of the two main theme areas of the exhibition, there are Engineering Design Labs (EDL) where visitors are presented with engineering challenges. For example, in the “Getting Around” theme area, where Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder from Episode IV is on exhibit, visitors are asked How would you build a maglev car like Luke’s Landspeeder? Videos of real-world speeders and maglev trains in use around the world, coupled with accounts from the engineers who design them, help visitors explore the facets of each technology involved in creating a floating vehicle. Visitors can climb into a real world hovercraft and levitate for a few moments to feel what the next mode of mass transit might be like. Next, visitors can begin to develop a levitating vehicle using magnets and LEGOs supplied in the Design Lab. The EDL process gives exhibit-goers an opportunity to imagine, create, and evaluate real-world technologies. In the case of creating a maglev car like the Landspeeder, visitors build a floating speeder then test the vehicles they created by propelling them along a magnetic track.

At the “Robots and People” section, visitors will see displays of Star Wars robots like C-3PO and R2-D2. Robot-enthusiasts can try to make a robot walk, test a robot that balances on two wheels, and even design facial expressions for an emotional robot. They can also explore the link between robotics and medicine. Medical researchers are adapting roboticists’ designs to modern prosthetics. They are seeking new ways to integrate technology into the human body—replacing lost or damaged functions through complex implant systems, tapping signals directly from the brain to control a computer, and melding metal, tissue, and bone in the newest prosthetics. Modern prosthetics look much like the interesting medical technologies seen in Star Wars. Alongside Luke and Anakin’s prosthetic hands and a Darth Vader costume, will be real-world robotic legs, and neural and muscular implants that may allow people increased mobility.

Once visitors have had a chance to explore fantasy and real-world robots, they can try building a droid. At the “Robots and People” EDL, the challenge is How would you design a robot like R2-D2? Activities focus on robot mobility, perception, and cognition. Visitors can choose from a variety of wheels and sensors, and by following simple instructions, program their robot to navigate through the droid factory.

Graphics, artifacts, and interactive video components will bring visitors up to date on the latest research efforts related to specific technological challenges outlined in each EDL. For each challenge, the components will be designed and grouped to engage visitors to inquire what, how, and why—essential questions to build technological literacy.

TATOOINE, KASHYYYK, CORUSCANT, HOTH— THE WORLDS OF STAR WARS
From harsh deserts to underwater cities and the forest world, visitors can explore some of the unique environments seen in the Star Wars films at freestanding displays integrated throughout the exhibit. Costumes from each of the Star Wars worlds will demonstrate how the environment shaped the look of the Star Wars characters. It will also show visitors how people on Earth, similar to those on screen, adapt according to their surroundings. Some of the colorful costumes on display include Wookiees from Kashyyyk, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin and Yoda from Coruscant, a snowtrooper from Hoth, and a Jawa, from Tatooine.

EXPERIENCE HYPERSPACE
A full-size replica of the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon from Episode IV provides a “jump to
lightspeed” experience for small groups of visitors at a time. In a four-and-a-half-minute trip to the edge of the Universe, the multimedia presentation explores what it would take to exceed the speed of light and what we’ve learned about our own galaxy. Featuring a proprietary sound system from Bose Corporation, the recreated cockpit presents the technologies of 3Space™ audio systems, providing visitors with a realistic three-dimensional audio experience.

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination is the largest traveling exhibit in the history of Discovery Science Center and is over three times the size of a normal DSC display. “We have had to expand our own universe here at DSC,” explains Adams. “Two brand new, never before seen viewing galleries have been created to house the incredible experience.”

ADMISSIONS
Tickets are now on sale for Discovery Science Center members and general admission guests. Tickets are $8 online and $10 at the door, in addition to general admission to the Science Center. Advance ticket reservations are recommended. For more information about the exhibit, special events, online ticket sales and more, visit www.discoverycube.org/starwars.

ABOUT DISCOVERY SCIENCE CENTER
Imaginations run wild through more than 100 hands-on exhibits at Discovery Science Center, Orange County’s leading destination for hands-on science fun. Take the Eco Challenge and become a green superhero, feel the power of a real rocket engine “launch”, explore the inner workings of a two-story tall dinosaur and try your best slap shot against the Anaheim Duck’s goalie! Traveling exhibits and annual events such as Bug Invasion and Bubblefest throughout the year ensure that there is always something new to discover. Since 1998, Discovery Science Center has been a non-profit organization dedicated to educating young minds, assisting teachers and increasing public understanding of science, math and technology through interactive exhibits and programs. It is a community-wide resource where families come together to learn and have fun and school districts can use as an educational resource. Discovery Science Center welcomed its one-millionth visitor in 2003 and now hosts over 400,000 guests each year.

Open daily from 10am – 5pm. For further information, call us at (714) 542-CUBE or visit us online www.discoverycube.org.

Star Wars™: Where Science Meets Imagination, presented by Bose Corporation, was developed by the Museum of Science, Boston and Lucasfilm Ltd. Star Wars objects in this exhibition are on loan from the Archives of Lucasfilm Ltd.

The exhibition is made possible through the cooperation of Lucasfilm Ltd. 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 & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

This material is based upon work supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0307875. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

2500 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92705 | Main 714.542.2823 | www.discoverycube.org

Contact: Dan Nasitka
Manager of Public Relations
Discovery Science Center
714-913-5018 | dnasitka@discoverycube.org

**A special Media Preview night is set for November 17, 2011 from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Any interested members of the press should RSVP to Dan Nasitka at dnasitka@discoverycube.org or 714.913.5018.

Images © Lucasfilm and Discovery Science Center

But now we know that RX’s were actually in existence prior to A New Hope, which led me to reconsider an obscure passage from L. Neil Smith’s 1983 novel Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu. And the traits of the 1986 Rex pilot dovetail pretty nicely with the descriptions from the older novel.

The book is set approximately four years prior to the Battle of Yavin, as things are reckoned in the Star Wars chronology; a young and so far clean-shaven Lando has recently won a starship called the Millennium Falcon in a game of sabacc, but he’s still an “abysmally amateurish astrogator and ship-handler”.

Within the first twenty pages, he “hastily” rents a pilot droid while making a fast getaway from an asteroid in the Oseon system. This requires both a substantial deposit at the rental agency and the removal of the right-hand copilot seat, because the droid’s base is bolted straight to the deck.

Unfortunately, the pilot-bot is glitchy, and Lando must do the flying himself, skidding onto the tarmac in the Rafa system. Clad in a mauve outfit, Lando exits the ship and spots mynocks on the thrust-intermix cowling, and rushes back to the cockpit to ask Teguta Lusat Ground Control for advice on dealing with the problem.

This wakes up the robotic pilot, which Smith describes as a ‘glittering and useless Class Five pilot droid, its monitor lights blinking idiotically’ before giving it a single, truncated line of dialogue:

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” the robot smirked, despite the daylight pouring through the vision screens from outside, “and welcome aboard the pleasure yacht Arleen, now in interstellar transit from Antipose IX to—”

Lando snarls and deactivates the “brainless rent-a-bot”. After the mynock situation is dealt with, he glibly asks Ground Control, “Would anyone care to purchase a practically new pilot droid? Over?”

Alas, it’s a sales pitch they’re all too familiar with, and they reply, “That rental outfit in the Oseon may not maintain offices here, but they’ve got treaty rights. You’ll have to send it back fast-freight. Expensive. Over and out.”

Lando craftily realizes that it’s cheaper to rent it for longer and ship it back slower, and vows to do nothing on his first night in the Rafa system but relax, feeling he’s earned it after dealing with “that confounded robot.”

***

So, to sum up, it’s a pilot droid with a non-humanoid design and a large base which precludes a regular chair. It’s notorious for breaking down, it gets shipped around as freight frequently, and it even says the words “Welcome aboard!” in its introductory speech.

If that doesn’t sound like an RX unit, I don’t know what does!

Special thanks to Roy Reeves for the photo of his fabulous scratch-built, scaled-to-the-figures Falcon cockpit!