Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Star Wars

The Critics Corner, Ernie Barnes, 2007, will be on display when the museum opens. 

The Creator of ‘Star Wars’ Loves Art That Tells a Story. Peek at the Collection of George Lucas’ New Museum Before It Opens This Fall

Adventure, comics, childhood, love and everyday life are among the dozens of themes that will guide the curation of the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles

Tatooine is a fictional desert planet with two suns. No such planet had been found when this scene in Star Wars: Episode IV–A New Hope ​​​​​​was created.

Astronomers Discover 27 Potential Planets Each Orbiting Two Stars, Just Like the Fictional Tatooine in ‘Star Wars’

The findings could more than double our current database of worlds that loop around binary star systems. But researchers need to analyze more data before they can officially celebrate a new trove of far, far away exoplanets

The C-3PO head used in The Empire Strikes Back

This C-3PO Head From ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ Just Sold for More Than $1 Million at Auction

The ‘Star Wars’ prop was likely the only C-3PO head from the 1980 film to appear on the collector market. It features working light-up eyes, including one with the original wiring

Spices helps flavor evolve.

When Did Cooks Start Using Spices? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions, we’ve got experts

The half-sheet illustration was revealed weeks before the premiere of Star Wars in 1977. (The movie was later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope.)

This Painting Introduced the World to ‘Star Wars.’ It Just Became the Most Expensive Item Connected to the Franchise Ever Sold at Auction

The artwork by illustrator Tom Jung, which brought in $3.9 million, features Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and other characters in scenes from the 1977 film

European starlings were the best at imitating R2-D2's multphonic sounds because they can control both sides of both sides of the syrinx independently, the researchers say.

Birds Are Beeping and Booping like R2-D2. Their Mimicked Sounds Are Helping Unlock the Secrets of Avian Communication

European starlings were better than parrots at imitating R2-D2’s high-pitched chattering, possibly because of their special control over a vocal organ

The museum is located on an 11-acre campus in Los Angeles' Exposition Park.

George Lucas’ Sprawling Museum Dedicated to the ‘Universal Language’ of Illustrated Storytelling Finally Gets an Opening Date

Located in Los Angeles, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will feature a permanent collection of more than 40,000 illustrations, movie posters, murals, film artifacts and other artworks

The entrance to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

See Electric Aircraft, Rockets and Everyone’s Favorite ‘Star Wars’ Droid at the National Air and Space Museum’s Newly Reopened Galleries

Across five exhibition halls, the museum showcases the past, present and future of aviation and space travel

Darth Vader's lightsaber, used in the final two films of the franchise's original trilogy, will go up for auction in September.

Darth Vader’s Lightsaber From the ‘Star Wars’ Original Trilogy Is Heading to Auction for the First Time Ever

The iconic prop, which is expected to fetch up to $3 million, will be sold in September alongside other pieces of movie memorabilia

James Earl Jones famously lent his deep, sonorous voice to Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise and Mufasa in The Lion King.

Darth Vader Didn’t Come Alive Until James Earl Jones Gave Him a Voice

The prolific American actor, who died on September 9, recorded his dialogue for the first “Star Wars” film in less than three hours

The costume that sold at auction was not the one that made it into the final version of the film, but rather an earlier iteration that Fisher wore on set for screen testing.

Is Princess Leia’s ‘Star Wars’ Bikini the Most Controversial Costume in Sci-Fi History?

A version of the gold outfit worn by Carrie Fisher on the set of “Return of the Jedi” fetched $175,000 at auction

Of these featured individuals, Benjamin Spock, Johnny Weissmuller and Harold Sakata medaled at the Olympics.

The Paris Olympics

Ten Surprising Public Figures Who Dreamed of Olympic Gold

The list includes European royals, Darth Vader’s stunt double and an American World War II general

The rocket-firing Boba Fett action figure was supposed to be a giveaway. But executives at American toy company Kenner later realized the missile was a choking hazard.

This Boba Fett Figure Is Now the Most Valuable Vintage Toy in the World

Created in 1979, the rare missile-firing figurine has become a “mythic icon” among collectors

Two X-wing CAVs flew over the opening ceremony of an attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World Resort in December 2019. 

How Engineers Created a Flying ‘Star Wars’ X-Wing

The starfighter-outfitted drone was the first remotely piloted aircraft of its kind and size approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for public demonstration

Actor Anthony Daniels holds up the helmet he wore on the set of 1983's Return of the Jedi.

Star Wars Fans Can Soon Bid on C-3PO’s Head

Actor Anthony Daniels wore the golden helmet while playing the iconic droid in ‘Return of the Jedi’

Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford starred in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope.

Harrison Ford Forgot This ‘Star Wars’ Script in an Apartment He Rented During Filming

A fourth draft of “Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope” sold at auction for over $13,000

Performers at the 1963 Renaissance Pleasure Faire. Ron Patterson, a co-founder of the event, appears in orange at the far right.

The Surprisingly Radical Roots of the Renaissance Fair

The first of these festivals debuted in the early 1960s, serving as a prime example of the United States’ burgeoning counterculture

This 20-inch X-wing miniature was used in the original Star Wars film's final battle.

Cool Finds

X-Wing Model From Original ‘Star Wars’ Movie Found in a Garage

The 20-inch miniature is going to auction, where bidding starts at $200,000

In its second installment, “AeroEspacial” tells the story of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, which housed the world’s largest radio telescope for over 50 years.

An In-Depth Look at Latino History Among the Stars and Skies

This summer, a podcast series from the National Air and Space Museum discusses Operation Pedro Pan, Latino Futurism and “Star Wars”

A publicity photo of Carrie Fisher wearing Princess Leia's white gown from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was on display when the late actress was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May. 

You Can Now Buy Princess Leia’s White Gown From ‘Star Wars’

Carrie Fisher wore the garment while filming the final scene of “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”

Page 1 of 2