We reported a couple of days ago that the Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume exhibit had opened in Seattle on January 31st, and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the launch party the night before.

Having visited other Star Wars exhibitions in the past, I've previously seen a number of the costumes that appeared throughout the Star Wars saga, but I'm not one for passing up an opportunity to once more marvel at the amazing designs that adorned the characters seen on screen, particularly when Seattle is only a couple of hours from where I live. And who would want to miss a chance to hear from Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams to boot!

Upon arriving at the EMP Museum in Seattle, visitors were greeted by the sights and sounds of D20 Brass Band, who were performing in front of the venue, and later moved inside to continue entertaining the crowds. The opening ceremony that began at 7pm included talks from representatives from the museum itself, the Smithsonian Institute and Lucas Museum Senior Manager of Archives and Exhibits, Laela French, before a brief Q&A with the aforementioned Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams. Throughout the evening, pre-planned tours of the viewing gallery began at 20-minute intervals, with the gallery opening for general viewing after 11:30pm. Other events included a crafts table, lightsaber training, a costume competition, interviews with the two main guests as well as spotlight talks with Academy Award nominee and costume designer Aggie Guerard Rodgers (Star Wars™: Episode VI Return of the Jedi), and author Brandon Alinger (Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy) and also a number of trivia contests. I'm not ashamed to admit that one of those was won by a team featuring yours truly!

One of the pleasures of attending this kind of event is the chance to meet with other members of the Star Wars and geek community, some for the first time, and this was no different. Among the familiar names and faces were Gus Lopez, Tricia Barr, Star Wars Meg and Chris Pirillo. Also in attendance were David Collins, J.C. Reifenberg and Ruark Dreher from The Comlink, who were there to capture extensive footage from the event as well as record a 30-minute interview with Anthony Daniels. You can check out this and more videos from the party on their YouTube channel.

The gallery itself is split on two levels, and at the entrance to the lower level, the first thing you see is the Yoda rehearsal puppet from The Empire Strikes Back, which has been loaned to the exhibit by Gus Lopez. The lower floor is predominantly prequel-era, with some original trilogy costumes thrown into the mix, while the reverse is true of the upper floor, and also features the armor worn by both Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper. Accompanying the costumes on both floors are "chapters" that describe the creative process with the aid of conceptual drawings, photographs and video.

Also in the museum is a store that's chock-full of Star Wars toys, books and collectibles, among them an EMP Museum variant cover for Marvel's Star Wars #1!

The exhibit is on now and runs until October 4, 2015, before embarking onto the second stage of a 12-city national tour and you can read more on EMP Museum's website. I know it gets said a lot, but this is a must for all Star Wars fans and is well worth the price of admission, so be sure to check it out if you're in Seattle or the surrounding area!

Click on the following links to view pictures from the launch party and the viewing gallery.