Not so long ago, in a galaxy that’s right in our backyard, someone had the idea to bring an iconic movie franchise and a slice of history together.
The result is a brand new exhibition packed with Star Wars memorabilia that’s being prepared for its opening Friday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.
"The concept of this exhibition is to draw our community in, by being intrigued and in love with the Star Wars phenomenon, " said Melissa Giller, who is the Chief Marketing Officer at the Library.
"But, our real purpose was was to inform and teach the community about Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, which was one day after he announced it negatively dubbed Star Wars" in the media.
The exhibition is called “Star Wars and SDI: Defending America and the Galaxy”.
Giller explains the connection between the movies and a 1980’s era military defense program proposed by President Ronald Reagan.
"On March 23rd of 1983, Ronald Reagan was giving a speech," said Giller. "He announced this program to research how to stop nuclear war." One of the ideas was to use technology to create space-based lasers to shoot down incoming missiles, with the concept it would eliminate the need for nuclear missile arsenals.
Many people thought the plan was something you’d see in a Hollywood movie, one set in a galaxy far, far away. The media quickly dubbed it a Star Wars initiative.
"People thought it was ludicrous," said Giller. "The day after he announced the program, Senator Ted Kennedy called it 'Star Wars," and it just stuck. The Reagan Administration couldn't stand it...but Star Wars had stuck, and they couldn't rename it."
Also unhappy with the name for the defense initiative was the creator of the Star Wars franchise, George Lucas. He unsuccessfully sued, with a judge ruling the name wasn't being used for commercial gain, and he had no say over it.
The staff at the Reagan Library thought they’d use that name association as the theme of the new exhibition, which features one part that’s dedicated to Star Wars movie memorabilia, and one area which explores Reagan’s SDI proposal.
Giller walks us into one of the main exhibition areas, where crews are busy putting finishing touches on the displays.
"We are literally standing next to the dress than Carrie Fisher wore as Princess Leia in 'A New Hope.' We are standing next to the landspeeder that was used for 'A New Hope' that Mark Hamill, as Luke Skywalker drove."
Giller said they have some Star Wars memorabilia you won’t see anywhere else. There's an original script from the first movie signed by the actor who played Darth Vader, as well as the helmet he wore.
There are dozens of other items, ranging from one of the cameras used to shoot the original movie to helmets worn by storm troopers.
The museum staff had to do some digging to find, and borrow the items which are on display.
"We scoured a lot of people who were about the right age, and had things in their basements," said Randy Swan, who is the Presidential Library's Supervisory Curator.
"I'd like to say that we went to one source, but we just kind of sent out feelers," said Swan. "People would say I've got a friend who know this person."
The exhibition includes an area filled with Strategic Defense Initiative artifacts, with a 1980’s era missile, and a missile launch command console.
The debate continues to this day about the SDI effort. President Reagan contended it would make nuclear weapons obsolete, but some disagreed. Did it inflame disarmament efforts, or did it pave the way for the 1987 INF treaty, which led to the removal of more than 2600 U.S. and Soviet nuclear missiles from service?
The reality was that the technology didn't exist at the time to turn the ideas into a reality. The research effort was dropped a decade later, but President Trump revived the concept while he was in office.
The exhibition, Star Wars and SDI: Defending America and the Galaxy” opens Friday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
