Star Wars and the Power of Costume

During trying times in human history, science fiction has the power to move and transform. It paints a bleakly realistic parallel to problems in our real lives, but at the same time provides an escape — an outlet — for those who want to be transported to another world and learn the rules of another universe.

One of the franchises that has done this best in our world in Star Wars.

You don’t need to be a die-hard sci-fi enthusiast to know that in the Star Wars universe, battles are fought with light sabers and by using the force, or that Darth Vader is Luke’s father. These things are common knowledge to the point where they have become parody, and that is truly the mark of a successful story. One way this franchise has become so successful is through the scenery and costumes in the films, which transport the viewer to a galaxy far, far away.

Regardless of what you think of Episodes, I, II and III, the Star Wars franchise has always had the big box office budget to create completely immersive worlds. In areas where fans of, say, Dr. Who or Star Trek need to use their imaginations, Star Wars fans get a complete picture painted for them of alien worlds, vast stellar expanses and gritty multi-species dive bars. The costumes in the film play a key role in that complete immersion, and for that reason, the Denver Art Museum is presenting an exhibit showcasing some of the most famous costumes from the franchise.

As explained at the press preview, this show combines some of the famous costumes and accessories seen in the films with never-before-seen goodies from deep storage, like preliminary sketches of some of the characters.

The exhibit was partially curated by the Smithsonian, but for this special exhibit, representatives of the Denver Art Museum went to Lucas Ranch in order to raid their collection and pick out some unique additions.

I won’t lay out every single piece you’ll see going through the show, but rest assured, if you aren’t really interested in I, II and III, you’ll get your share of iconic looks from the classic Star Wars, plus a few cool costumes from the newest film.

Most people are looking for the staples: Princess Leia’s bikini, C3PO and R2D2, Darth Vader and Storm Troopers. This exhibit has all that and more.

Plus, even though Padme Amidala may not be the biggest hit from the Star Wars franchise, her dresses are truly breathtaking, and show just how much can be achieved with an on-screen costume. They also help underscore the unique way Star Wars brought the genre of sword and planet — something until the 70s was mostly confined to imaginations, role playing games and books — to life.

My biggest gripe with the show is that it feels a bit short. After listening to the behind-the-scenes people talk about it for an hour, I was super hyped, and I got an amazing show, but it was over too quickly.

While all the basic categories were touched on, the good, the evil, the grimy, and the non-human, I was hoping for something truly unexpected, or to learn and see a lot that I wasn’t aware of as a fan. While I’m pretty into Star Wars, I wouldn’t consider myself a true fanatic like many who live and breathe the franchise, and for those, the lack of truly new and different pieces in the exhibit might be disappointing.

All in all, though, there’s not really any excuse not to go see a bunch of original Star Wars costumes so close you can touch them (sorry, you can’t actually touch them.)

If you’ve already been planning to check out the art museum, it’s definitely worth dropping the extra bucks to stop by this exhibit. At a time when many are comparing Trump’s rise to power to a fascist takeover, it is refreshing to see that Star Wars reminded us of this kind of thing a few years back. Science fiction continues to do a great job mirroring our world and providing a great escape, and this exhibit is just more proof that sometimes creating a new world for ourselves is completely necessary.