Luke Skywalker's landspeeder from "Star Wars" on display at the Anchorage Museum.I was born in November 1968.

"Star Wars" was born in May 1977 (at least to the public; it existed in George Lucas' mind long before then).

As an 8-year-old kid, "Star Wars" was everything that was right with the world ... even if that world was a galaxy far, far away.

Tuesday morning I was transported back to that time and place. I had the opportunity to walk through the "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" exhibit at the Anchorage Museum before it opened to the public.

It was awesome!

Darth Vader
If you're a "Star Wars" fan, you know you'll want to see the exhibit. Even if you're not a fan, you'll want to see the exhibit.

It would be impossible to give a true report of awe of seeing the props and the models or standing face to face with a Stormtrooper or C-3PO or Chewbacca or Darth Vader (OK, for those last two it was more like standing face to chest ... geesh they are tall).

There are more than 80 props taken from the six "Star Wars" films on display, there are videos, interactive displays, a life-size replica of the Millennium Falcon's cockpit.

Yoda

I was at the museum for more than an hour and barely scratched the surface. Museum officials said the average visit time is 90 minutes and some people would take up to 3 hours to see the exhibit. I think my starting time will be 3 hours and we'll see how much longer it goes.

When you go, expect lines. Some interactive exhibits allow just a few people to view them at a time.

One highlight of the exhibit is Luke Skywalker's landspeeder, which is on display in a museum for the first time. A continuously running video explains the "science" behind the hovering speeder.

R2-D2

The exhibit opens today and is on view through April 25. Tickets are $22 general admission, $18 student/senior/military, $10 for musuem members, $8 ages 3 to 12.

If you're in Anchorage for any reason the next two months, which includes Fur Rondy and the Iditarod start, you must put the museum on your to-do list. This is the largest-ever exhibit at the Anchorge Museum and for someone who was 8 when the movie first appeared, it is the best too.

-- Steve

X-Wing fighter

A model from "The Empire Strikes Back" from the ice planet Hoth.