The Cité des Sciences et de I'Industrie in Paris, France will be home to more than 250 original Star Wars archival objects, drawings, models, sets, and costumes when "Star Wars The Exhibition" opens its doors on Tuesday, October 18. The exhibition will take museum-goers through what organizers refer to as "three different gateways into the mysterious universe of Star Wars."

The first gateway will transport museum guests through a display of Original Objects, including costumes, scale models, detailed drawings, and more from the Lucasfilm Archives. A few of the key pieces include Darth Vader, Padmé Amidala, and Chewbacca costumes, plus a full-sized Naboo N-1 starfighter and Anakin Skywalker's Podracer. The pieces are grouped in rooms that reflect 12 different planetary locations of the Star Wars galaxy, including Tatooine, Naboo, Kashyyyk, Geonosis, Hoth, Mustafar, and Utapau.

Through the next gateway, visitors will learn how Thirty Years of Visual Effects at Industrial Light & Magic have literally changed the face of making movies. The pioneering spirit of George Lucas' special effects house has made an incomparable contribution to the movie industry, and museum guests will watch these innovations explained through a series of video featurettes.

Finally, the Gateway to Science explores the real scientific possibilities in the fantasy Star Wars galaxy. Roland Lehaucq, an astrophysicist with the French Atomic Energy Commission, compares the worlds of Star Wars with current research, to tackle thought-provoking questions like "How can landspeeders hover?" and "How do Imperial Walkers move?"

Star Wars The Exhibition
October 18, 2005 -- August 27, 2006
Cité des Sciences et de I'Industrie
30 Avenue Corentin Cariou
75019 Paris, France
Wed-Fri: 10 AM -- 6 PM
Tues. & Sat. 10 AM -- 9 PM
Sunday: 10 AM -- 7 PM

Learn more about Star Wars The Exhibition, including a coming lecture series on the links between science and science fiction, at the museum's website.