(R2D2 beeps).
What's that? Timmy fell in the sarlacc pit?
Oh right, translation error.
I'm Matthew Bruchette and this is a special Star Wars edition of Behind the Wings.
Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways Lord Vader. Your sad
devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen
data tapes or given you clairvoyance enough to find that rebels hidden...
Just kidding! Okay! Welcome to Star Wars edition of
Behind the Wings. This week, we're checking out our X-Wing and our Podracer.
Awesome! Or should I say in Imperial Officer awesome.
Alright, so if you've been living under a rock about say since 1976, and you don't know
what this is, let me fill you in. It's an Incom T-65 X-Wing fighter from the
Star Wars universe.
This is what the rebels used to great effect to defeat the
Imperial Forces at the Death Star. Well, we are really incredibly lucky to have
one of these at Wings Over the Rockies. In fact, we're the only place you're
going to be able to see this thing. Why? Because there's none out there.
The story is that, in 1996 when Lucas Film was going to re-release the first three movies,
he wanted something that he could send around to theaters across the globe to
really make a splash. Well, what's better than - duh - an X-Wing? This one actually was
in Tokyo for a while and then ended up back in the United States when the promo
was over. If, again, you're not familiar with the Star Wars universe there's a
little thing called Star Wars Celebration. Think of it as comic-con for
just Star Wars geeks. Well, kind of like me.
Anyway, so the absolute, very first, none-before-it celebration one was held - BAM - right here
at Wings Over the Rockies. So we approached Lucas Film and said "Hey, can we
keep this thing?" And they hemmed and hawed. And we went back and forth, and,
apparently, we cried really, really well. But they gave it to us for a dollar a
year. And so we have it on loan to us for the next, well hopefully forever, because
it's really got a great home here. So, let's go check this thing out, and I'm
going to point out some things that you guys don't know about it. Come on.
Bam! I love that noise. Bam!
Okay, so we're right here at one of the engines, and I want to point
this out to you, because, when we got this thing, and it was way before my time,
it didn't look nearly like it does now. It actually was kind of in beat-up
shape. So the local Star Wars fans spent a lot of their own time and money to
bring this thing the way you see it today. And one of these things that they
did was they put lights in the engines, so they light up. But even more awesome,
or should I say awesomer, is R2D2. Let's go see.
Hi R2. How you doing, buddy? Hello? Are you up there? (R2D2 beeps) Oh! Woah! Yeah, there he is. Okay. How
cool is that that we have a working R2? Now, what I really love is that, when
kids come in here, of course they're drawn to the X-Wing, because, well, it's
Star Wars. But they come up to this thing, and R2 talks to them, and they freak out!
It's just an amazing thing. So, if you haven't seen any of it, kind of like our
illustrious cameraman back there, you need to do something. Get out there!
They're all on DVD. It's not that hard to watch. Anyway, let's go check out the
cockpit, because, like I was saying R2 is cool, the cockpit is even better.
Alright, see you, R2. We'll be right back.
(R2D2 beeps).
Haha! Now, I'm a Imperial rebel X-Wing pilot.
Anyway, so how cool is this to be able to sit in an X-Wing cockpit with an X-Wing cockpit with an
X-Wing pilot's helmet on? Oh my gosh! This is just the coolest job ever. So, one
of the things that these guys are doing right now is they're actually going to
improve this. If you're as old as I am, you remember a game that first came out
in the 1970s called X-Wing Pilot. It was an arcade video game,
where you had the little targeting computer,
and you actually tried to launch your photon torpedoes down into the Death Star.
They're actually going to put that in this cockpit,
so it'll really be like you're trying to destroy the Death Star.
You're never going to get me out of here. I am serious. I'm going to live in this thing.
So now we're on the left side of the X-Wing, because there's some
signatures over here I've never really paid much attention to, so I brought in
Jennifer Peterson our local X-Wing expert. Jennifer, thank you so much
for appearing, and I would like to say she's also a super good friend of mine.
Anyway, tell us what we got going on over here.
In 2005, the X-Wing went on tour around the United States in celebration for
what was supposed to be the final film, which was Revenge of the Sith.
Right, right, right.
It's first stop was Time Square in New York, where it was helping to
launch the Dark Side M&Ms campaign. And we had Anthony Daniels, who plays
C-3PO sign it.
Oh, very cool.
This giant scribble.
Yep, that was done in Los Angeles in 2005, while it was on tour at the Fashion Industry and Design Museum.
Who is it?
That is George Lucas. Probably our most famous signature would be Harrison Ford.
oh, yeah.
Who signed it when he was being honored by Wings for the Spreading Wings event.
Oh yeah. I remember that.
And then our tallest one will be Peter Mayhew, who played Chubacca.
Yep. Well, this is great! I have never really
paid that much attention to what's going on with these signatures, so thank you very much.
Absolutely.
You guys and gals and aliens and rebels and Imperial people all watching
this, stick around, because, now, we're going to go check out something from
earlier, yet later, in the Star Wars saga. So stick with us. Come on
Anakin's Podracer. How cool is that. Now everybody thinks, "Oh my gosh, that's the
one that was used in the movie." No, it wasn't. There's no sand in it from
Tunisia or anything like that. It was actually built by Nintendo.
But why Nintendo? Well, Nintendo released a game right
after Episode 1: Phantom Menace came out. Well, this was just like
the X-Wing. It was an advertising gimmick. So it was there at Nintendo
headquarters in Seattle, Washington for a while, and then, when the game actually
got out there and started selling, they actually gave this thing to the Museum
of Flight in Seattle. Now a buddy of mine works there, and so, a couple of years ago,
I said, "Hey, what are you doing with that thing?" and he goes, "It's in crates."
And I said, "can we have it?" He goes, "Yeah, I'll loan it to you." BAM. Here you go.
Anakin's Podracer. But not only do we have Anakin's Podracer,
we've got, bam, Anakin.
The Rebel Alliance is too well-equipped. They're more dangerous than you realize.
You know what else is dangerous? The B-18, or at least it was in the
1930s, not so much now. Why are we talking about the B-18?
Because that is what we're going to be talking about on our next episode.
Tune in, because they're not a lot of these guys left, and you're going to want to check it out.