Star Wars Day 2022

By Kristin Brynteson, NIU STEAM Director

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… Actually, it was the late 1970s in northern Illinois.

I sat in a packed theater and discovered a galaxy that unlocked a life-long love of science, engineering and storytelling. I remember how the entire theater booed when Darth Vader first appeared on screen and how we cheered when Luke’s proton torpedoes hit their mark and destroyed the Death Star. Every second of the 121-minute movie was amazing!

After that my life was not the same. Forget being a princess trapped in a tower waiting to be saved by a prince. I wanted to be a space princess who flew around the galaxy fighting for the rebellion. Every day at recess, my friends and I became Luke, Han, Leia and Chewy. We saved the galaxy time and time again. My Star Wars story is not unique. Like many kids from my generation, Star Wars was a huge part of my childhood. It was also the main reason I was fascinated by space, technology and the magic of movies.

Fast forward twenty-five years and I saw it happen again with my own kids. The Clone Wars introduced them to the Star Wars Galaxy, and they became just as obsessed as I was, if not more so. Like any good nerd mom, I used Star Wars to spark real-world curiosity in my little padawans. We designed our own spaceships and traveled to distant planets far, far away.  I like to think that because of that, they both grew up with a love of sci-fi and a passion for real-world STEAM.    

Every year, on May the 4^th, Star Wars Fans young and old collectively celebrate all things Star Wars. It is a day filled with nostalgia, Star Wars puns and a shared love of the universe. This is also the perfect day to use the stories, ideas and concepts from that universe to inspire your students to explore STEAM.

Here are just a few ideas to launch your saga.

• World Building – One of the best parts of the Star Wars universe is exploring the vast number of planets and intergalactic species. From the deserts of Tatooine and the frozen landscape of Hoth, to the technology encrusted city-planet of Coruscant or the lush forest moon of Endor, each planet has unique ecosystems, biological and technological inhabitants, cultures and histories. With some research and imagination, students can add to the universe by creating a world of their own. Have them describe the global climate and the various species that call it home. They can create 2D or 3D models of the planet and various regions or create maps of the planet’s surface. For a writing activity, they can discuss how their planet is similar to or different from the planets in our solar system.
• Ship Building – Every Star Wars fan, young or old, has a favorite ship. I dreamt of piloting the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field while my kids wanted to speed through the desert in a pod racer or defend the galaxy in a Jedi starfighter. Some ships were symbols of hope while others struck fear into the hearts of rebels everywhere. Students can explore science and engineering concepts by designing a ship that would be the envy of every galactic pilot. You don’t have to limit it to just space crafts. There is a huge variety of transportation technology found in the Star Wars stories. How would they get around on or get off of their new planet?  
• Droid Design – I can’t talk about the wonders and charm of Star Wars without mentioning the droids, the self-aware robotic companions and helpers found in every corner of the Star Wars Galaxy. The droids in Star Wars come in every shape and size and serve a wide variety of purposes. Exploring the use of droids is a fun way to dig into robotics and artificial intelligence her on Earth. Have your students research the types and classes of droids found in Star Wars. What purpose did they serve? What were the main features of the droids and how did it help them do their job? Students can compare the droids of Star Wars to the robots we see in the world around us today. Have them discuss if we have any robots today that could be considered Droids. One of our favorite lessons here at NIU STEAM is the Build a Bot activity. In this activity, students are given a task (clean the house, take care of the yard, etc.) and asked to design a helper robot. Change the challenge from designing a helper bot for today to designing the droid of the future and see how their ideas soar.
• Make Movie Magic – Let’s step outside of the Star Wars universe and look instead at the movie magic that brought the stories to life. Many of the practical and digital special effects that are commonplace today exist because of the cutting-edge imagination of George Lucas and his team. Not to mention how John Williams controlled our emotions with every note of his amazing musical score. The visuals, sound and music were completely out of this world! Take some time with your students to watch and discuss the behind-the-scenes footage of the first trilogy. How did they make the spaceships fly or the tauntuans run? Compare the practical effects in the original with the digital effects in the newest movies and shows. Most importantly, let your students create their own movie magic and bring their stories to life with stop-motion animation, digital special effects, sound engineering and their own original musical score. They can experience firsthand how science, engineering, technology and art can make magic happen. Here at NIU STEAM, we have two camps that explore the science and art of media: the Visual Effects camps for middle-school and high-school students and Creative Media camp for middle schoolers. These might be the perfect summer experiences for your future artists, engineers and storytellers.  

So, this May 4^th, celebrate Star Wars Day with some STEAM fun. These are just a few ways you can celebrate Star Wars Day and ignite in your students a passion for STEAM and hope for our future. May the Force be with you.