STAR Wars fans in the UK should start planning a weekend away in Wales, with a dockyard hosting a secret attraction to one of the films’ most important props set to reopen later this month.
In the wake of the original Star Wars film, director George Lucas used an historic maritime complex at Pembroke Dock to create something special for its next instalment, The Empire Strikes Back.
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So, the last ship to leave the complex wasn’t one that ever set sail in the sea – it was the film franchise’s iconic starship, the Millennium Falcon.
The secluded location was chosen to ensure of the project remained a secret although it did lead to rumours among the locals that a ‘UFO’ was being built right under their noses.
That chatter only intensified when the strange giant object was put on the back of a truck and driven to Elstree Studios after its completion.
Now, decades later, the story of the Millennium Falcon is told in a permanent exhibit, which launched at the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre in 2022, using film, photos and first hand accounts.
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The centre had been closed for the winter, but is now due to reopen later this month, with the exhibit there for sci-fi fans to peruse.
When it first opened, the exhibit was described by Gareth Mills, who is a trustee of the Pembroke Dock Heritage Trust, as an “iconic event” for fans of the film all over the world.
He said: “It was the worst kept secret in Pembroke Dock – everybody in the town knew they were building a UFO in the hangar and that period of time and that story is an important part of the town’s living memory.
“The story of the building of the Millennium Falcon in Pembroke Dock is an iconic event to fans across the globe.”
The exhibit was created by Star Wars expert and enthusiast Mark Williams, who couldn’t believe such an important part of the film was created in Pembroke.
He told the Pembroke Dock Heritage Trust: “With the recent resurgence of interest in the Star Wars franchise, a new generation of fans has been created and as these fans start to look deeper into the saga, older fans tell stories about the original trilogy.
“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 exhibit extensively tells the tale of how George Lucas recruited the local engineering company to create the ship, allowing him to show it in greater detail in the films.
Sadly for fans, the ship itself isn’t there with Atlas Obscura explaining the sad demise of the spacecraft after work had been finished on the movies.
They wrote: “A permanent exhibition at the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre tells the surprising story of how the fabled spaceship came to be built in Wales, with images, films, and first-person accounts of the project, which was codenamed ‘Magic Roundabout’.
“Sadly, the only thing missing from the exhibition is the craft itself, which was sold for scrap metal following the conclusion of filming.
“However, one section of the craft has been rebuilt, to give visitors a sense of just how big the thing was.”
The Heritage Centre will reopen from Monday, February 12, where people can see the Star Wars exhibit, alongside other displays covering more than 200 years of maritime, military and social history.
Pembroke isn’t the only place in the UK where Star Wars fans can go to see a piece of the film’s history.
RAF Greenham Common, Berks
RAF Greenham Common featured in two Star Wars films where it was used as the base of the Resistance on the planet D’Qar.
Eagle-eyed viewers can spot it in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
Whippendell Wood, Watford
This slice of British woodland can be seen very briefly in two scenes in the Phantom Menace.
The opening scenes of the film in which Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet Jar Jar Binks was shot there.
It was also the setting for the Gungan Sacred Place on Naboo.
Derwentwater, Cumbria
The Millennium Falcon saw plenty of places across the UK it would seem during filming of the movies.
It can be seen flying over Derwentwater along with X-fighters in the Lake District in The Force Awakens.
Barbican, London
The brutalist housing estate has attracted Star Wars fans, keen to visit some of the scenes from TV spin off series Andor.
The estate’s concrete style meant that little work was required to turn it into the imperial city Coruscant from the series.
Meanwhile, these real life destinations in the UK featured in Disney movies.
And this popular European holiday destination also featured in Star Wars films.
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