WHEN it comes to modern day icons you don't have to look much further than Star Wars.
From Darth Vader to Yoda, the film's characters evoked responses from a forgotten age when myths and magic ruled. In terms of popular culture the films are arguably as important as The Beatles, as revolutionary as radio and as awe-inspiring as space itself.
But more importantly than that, they etched an indelible impression on the public. Everyone knows who Luke Skywalker is, what a lightsabre is and why you don't call The Force a "sad old religion" when Darth Vader is around.
Everything about Star Wars has been catalogued and written about, but the things that created this universe have rarely been seen on display. Until now.
At The Barbican in London during most of 2000 there was the biggest collection of props, costumes and drawings from the films ever assembled outside of America.
You're never going to get invited to Skywalker Ranch, home of George Lucas, but this is the next best thing. From the moment you enter the Barbican and see a lifesize Naboo starfighter staring down at you, you realise this is something special.
There was an exhibition in 1999 at Wembley on a similar theme, but in comparison this "grinds it into tiny pieces and blasts it into oblivion", to nearly quote one Obi-Wan.
And so, without further ado, is our guide to The Art of Star Wars.
ARTWORK - Beyond the entrance where the main theme music is playing, lays a blue illuminated sign welcoming visitors and a room full of matte and concept drawings.
There's a matte painting of Hoth,
an early Tusken Raiders drawing, and an interesting painting of Stormtroopers, holding
lightsabers and shields, while a bearded Luke and his friends try to escape.
Storyboards by Joe Johnston provide a fascinating insight into the mind of Lucas and show how things in the final draft actually came to be.
MODELS - It's then on to one of my favourite rooms of the show, the models. In a large central case lies a Star Destroyer, a TIE Fighter and the Millennium Falcon. And next to that is one of the best known images of Star Wars, the Executor, the Imperial ship that took an eternity to show itself during the first shot in the first film.
The detail is incredible, you can
see the gleaming ship of Amidala and the battered Rebel Cruiser. And just as you've
recovered from seeing the real Millennium Falcon you go forward and greet Anakin's
Podracer, dangling 40ft above you. In this room are even more wonderful models, from an
original Landspeeder, complete with Obi-Wan and Luke models, to an AT-AT walker, to a
Sandcrawler.
Not that the original trilogy gets it all its own way. There are examples of the Trade Federation's tanks and a video of Jake Lloyd explaining why the Podrace was "very, very cool". And one of the best Episode I props has to be the grandstand, complete with Jabba, that was made to watch the Podracers.
SOUND - The films would never have been the same without some of the unique sounds that accompanied them. Centered in this room is a video of John Williams and a choir practising Duel of the Fates, and to the sides are various headphones with various messages.
You can hear how R2 came to squeak like he does, what a mixing bowl and Jabba have in common and pick any of the main songs from the films to listen to - don't forget to hear Jedi Rock (number 14 on Return of the Jedi...)
VISUAL EFFECTS - Maybe the only slightly disappointment of the whole show, this is a pretty small room with not too much going on. Having said that you do get to see one of the Jabba models and learn how Jar Jar was put together.
RESOURCE ROOM - A superb room for children to play. Here there's Podracer and The Phantom Menace games, you can build a droid, search a vast CD for information or click on the official home page.
COSTUMES - IF you don't walk in this room and mutter "cool" under your breath, you're either over 40 or there's something wrong. This room is a collection of priceless costumes, starting with cult figure Boba Fett, and early concept drawings of him - apparently this was originally how Vader was going to look.
Then there's the original Chewbacca and Han Solo costumes, an Imperial Royal Guard, a Stormtrooper, Leia's Hoth gear and Luke's Jedi clothes from Return of the Jedi. A truly magical room, surpassed only by the next one.
In here is most of the Episode I wardrobe. From Queen Amidala's various guises, to Darth Maul's robes, to the tall Tatooine garb of Qui-Gonn. Or Qua-Gonn, according to a youthful looking 1994 drawing of the Jedi Knight.
DARTH VADER - The fact that this guy gets a whole section to himself says a lot. As you enter a dark chamber Darth Vader is there waiting, his brooding presence flowing around the room. Spooky.
CREATURES - Another superb collection, starting with Yoda in one corner and a collection of early Ewok models in the other that look more like quails.
Logray and a Jawa stand by one wall while a video plays in another explaining how Stuart Freeborn took the wise parts of Einstein's face and the funny parts of his own to create Yoda. And you can even have a go at controlling Ree-Yees' face with a series of levers.
DROIDS - UP there with Morecombe and Wise and Laurel and Hardy are R2-D2 and C-3PO. Here is where they stand, the original models in all their battered glory.
They're not alone either, they've got the medical droid and a Battle Droid to keep them company.
THE STORY CONTINUES... And last but not least is a room full of original posters, from Japanese to French, of the films. The centrepiece here is Mawhonic's Podracer, which features in The Phantom Menace and is there to sit in.
IF you only ever go to one Star Wars exhibtion then make it this. This show doesn't just tell you how things came about, it shows you, and it does so with the original drawings and ideas from people such as Dough Chiang to Ralph McQuarrie.
Almost any of the main characters are icons in their own right, Han, Luke, Darth, Yoda, to name a few. You can call this art if you want to, it's certainly the most striking image of popular culture in the past 25 years, you can call it a children's film if you like, but try walking past Chewbacca without having a second look.