(June 29, 2025)
I recently drove to Ohio with my wife and mother-in-law to visit a relative that got injured and was in the hospital. On a Sunday my wife and I went over to COSI (Columbus Ohio Science Institute) to see their new Star Wars themed exhibition called “Unofficial Galaxies” that had just opened a few weeks before.
I have a long history with COSI growing up in and on the west side of Columbus, and it was one of my favorite places to visit for school field trips or any other chance I got to go! I guess I was a big science nerd until it got all mathematical (so I married a math teacher), and really enjoyed the hands on learning experiences they have like so many other science museums. COSI has since moved and expanded from the location I originally went to. On the west side of Columbus is also where I first saw Star Wars and fell in love with franchise as a kid. It was right after seeing Star Wars that my Dad took me to a Service Merchandise and bought me an R2D2 and Chewbacca action figure, both of which I still have – plus hundreds more! Although we were in town for unfortunate circumstances, it was still a bit nostalgic for me to back in my home town, at one of my favorite places as a kid, looking at things related to my most favorite subject – Star Wars!
”Unofficial Galaxies” is a traveling exhibition of privately owned memorabilia and fan-art. The bulk of the collection seemed to be costumes and static displays of droids, ships, and other props inspired by the movies. This exhibition is not part of or sponsored by Lucasfilm or Disney, but it still had some impressive pieces that you could tell took considerable time and ability to create! There were a few pieces that I wasn’t crazy about, but generally most of it left a very positive impression. I can’t help think what this would have meant to me if I were 6-8 years old walking through the halls. It would have been the greatest day of my life at that point!
It was still a fun visit, and I really enjoyed walking through the rest of the museum. I am especially glad that many of the old and original COSI exhibitions still exist at the new place – and I’m mostly talking about “Progress” where you walk through the same town’s streets at different points of time seeing technological advancements and how the town changes with each development. After walking through that part of the museum, I wanted to walk outside and get an hamburger and Frosty for lunch at the first Wendy’s restaurant across the street, which sadly would have been at the old location and is now long gone as well. Oh well, at least I have the memories, and this quick trip for a few hours on a Sunday was packed with nostalgia and brought back a flood of wonderful memories from the past!
The “Unofficial Galaxies” exhibit is open at COSI in Columbus, Ohio through September 1, 2025.
Visit the museum at https://cosi.org/Below are a few select photographs I took that day
