From a galaxy far, far away – and coming to a town near you
THE story of a Welsh town’s role in the original Star Wars films will be brought to life in a new exhibition.
The permanent installation will tell the tale of the building of a lifesized model of the iconic Millennium Falcon in Pembroke Dock in 1979 for the Oscar-winning The Empire Strikes Back.
It appeared in the film alongside characters including Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca as they battled the evil Darth Vader in a galaxy far, far away.
Craftsmen from a local engineering firm built the model – the first of its type ever constructed, in the Western Hangar – a WW2 aircraft hangar, in the e town’s town s docks.
The work took ook place under a veil of secrecy but eventually word got out into the close- e-knit community.
“It was the e worst-kept secret in Pembroke Dock ock – everybody in the town knew they were building a UFO in the hangar angar and that period of time and that story is an important part art of the town’s living memory,” mory,” said Gareth Mills, who is a trustee of the Pembroke Dock Heritage Trust.
“The story of the building of the Millennium Falcon in Pembroke Dock, whichh we will now be able to tell in a new an d permanent exhibition, is an iconic event to fans across the globe. The exhibition, once opened, will provide a significant boost for Pembroke Dock, with increased visitor numbers helping with the economic regeneration of our town and will also have major benefits for Pembrokeshire.”
The Millennium Falcon exhibition, which has been awarded £8,000 by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, is due to open at the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre midway through 2022 and local Star Wars expert and enthusiast Mark Williams will oversee the project.
“The idea of a town in west Wales making a significant contribution to this incredible story by being the place where one of the most iconic starships in sciencefiction history was w built, creates a mixture of belief, awe and a pride,” said Mark, who is a member of the 501st Legion Star Wars costuming group, which sets out to promote interest in Star Wars.
“With the recent resurgence of interest in the Star Wars franchise, a new generation of fans has been cre ated. The idea of a town in west Wales making a significant contribution to this incredible story by being the place where one of the most iconic starships in science fiction history was built, creates a mixture of disbelief, awe and pride.”
The walk-through display will tell the story with photographs, film, props and costumes, and there may be crowd-funded recreations of sets from The Empire Strikes Back in the longer term.
“Pembroke Dock – the birthplace of the first-ever life-sized model of the Millennium Falcon, is getting a permanent exhibition for an often overlooked and unknown but major Welsh contribution to film and cinema history and popular culture,” said Andrew White, director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales.
“The funding for the Pembroke Dock Heritage Trust has been made possible by National Lottery players who raise more than £30 million every week for good causes in the UK.
“It is just one of the more than 635,000 good causes in the UK that has received a share of over £41 billion raised by National Lottery players since 1994.”
The Millennium Falcon isn’t Pembrokeshire’s only connection to Star Wars. Lynwen Brennan, Lucasfilm EVP and general manager, is from the county.
“I am so delighted that this wonderful moment and place in Star Wars history will be preserved,” said Ms Brennan.
“I love that such an iconic, beloved ship was built in the town where my mum was born and in the county where I grew up, and I’m hopeful this exhibit will become a new destination for fans around the world.”