The Fans Strike Back Exhibit

While I was in Boise, I visited the Discovery Center of Idaho, located in the same Julia Davis Park as Zoo Boise. At the time, the Discovery Center was hosting The Fans Strike Back exhibit, a fan-made Star Wars experience, featuring small-scale and full-scale models and set pieces, and even some costumes.

I will be 100% honest. I was expecting a lot more than what I got! For a price tag of nearly $30, the walk through is surprisingly short. Even taking my time and reading everything and looking at it all, it barely took 30 minutes. There is one hands-on science room after the Star Wars exhibit. Even playing with several of the experiments, walking backward through The Fans Strike Back and through it again, followed by a thorough look through the gift shop, I was out of the building in under an hour.

The Fans Strike Back

Just talking about The Fans Strike Back exhibit on its own, it is pretty cool. It’s almost all small-scale models. I imagine they were 3D printed and painted with great care. There are also some full-sized models, like an impressively staged podracer and a Jabba the Hut set perfect for group photos. Full-sized costumes stand ready to take selfies with.

Each piece or set is labeled with the character presented, the episodes they appeared in, and sometimes a quote. Wandering through, what I would have rather seen is a description of the actual fan who put in the work. It’d be much more interesting if I knew Chelsea from Racine, Wisconsin put in how many thousands of man-hours to paint this Yoda, or whatever. Or this group that met at Comin Con worked together to create this full-scale set piece. Maybe it’s not that simple. But I already know the character presented. I want to hear about the fandom. I feel like that’s the point.

However the fans do it, if you look closely at the models, they are very well done. Take your time to look at everything in detail and you’ll get the most out of this experience.

All that’s left is to share my photos of it, see below. Click any photo for a larger size.

Activity Room

Ostensibly, the Discovery Center of Idaho is a science museum. And after the end of The Fans Strike Back, there is one science-experient room, with lots of durable experiment stations. You can test friction, magnetic forces, play with slime, etc.

One section of the room is fenced off for a play area for small kids only. Around the corner is a bit more, including a full-size dinosaur skeleton! Seems like the big guy should be at the entrance.

Discovery Center of Idaho

The Fans Strike Back exhibit has left the Discovery Center of Idaho by now. The new exhibit at the museum is an Impressionist Immersive experience, with lots of projections to make you feel you’re inside the paintings of Van Gogh, Renoir, and more. It looks like there’s a new LEGO play space as well.

Regardless of what’s on, the admission price stays the same (I think.) Adults ages 18 and over are $25.50, seniors 65 and over are $22.50, and kids 2-17 are $17.50. I paid $27.50 back in June, so maybe it was a little higher for Star Wars, or maybe that was taxes.

If you want to see The Fans Strike Back, it’s currently on at the Santa Monica Art Museum in California. This looks like a bigger operation, with larger and different sets, so it may vary according to the space available. Tickets there cost $34 and under, depending on the day you visit. Thursdays and Fridays are the cheapest at $24.

Parking is free for two hours in the attached lot. Plus the parking lot is connected to the rest of Julia Davis Park via a bridge over a stream. On just the other side is a playground, plus tennis and bocce courts, and access to much more parking.