Ian Anthony saw Revenge of the Sith four times in the theatre, and once on pay-per-view TV. "By the fourth time," he says, "I could practically recite the lines myself." He's seen A New Hope (for the Star Wars initiate, that's the subtitle of Episode IV, the first of the series, released back in 1977) and the other four films two or three times each. For a true fan of the most famous sci-fi franchise in the universe, that is not a lot of viewings by any means. But then, Anthony would only rate on the scale of Star Wars fandom as a "medium fan." Or so he says.
That certainly wouldn't be apparent to those attending the Assembling a Galaxy exhibit at the Design Exchange in Toronto. A showcase of Anthony's collection of Star Wars memorabilia, it's billed as "an exhibition of objects gathered from times long ago and places far away," and is timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the theatrical release of the first Star Wars.
You'd probably have to be at least a "medium fan" to find yourself at this exhibit, but once there, Anthony's collection does provoke more than just nostalgia. And it's more than a bunch of toys.
Anthony's artifacts range from a ticket for the first Canadian screening of Star Wars, to the first Star Wars press kit punched out on a typewriter, to Super-8 reels for home viewing before VHS existed to, yes, the toys. There's an 11-inch (28-centimetre) Princess Leia doll, whose tightly wound buns of hair can be unleashed and restyled at will, as well as the smaller original figurines of Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, and R2D2, made just under four inches tall so they could fit into spaceships made to their scale.
Across all of this, and over the years, the typography, character representations, and names morph in shape and style, and you can literally see the formation of the Star Wars brand take shape before your eyes, beginning with the now silly sounding almost-title of the movie - The Adventures of Luke Starkiller - which can be seen on a script picked up from the set back in 1976.
Anthony says the display cases at the Design Exchange represent only one-tenth of his collection, the rest is packed away into about 50 boxes at his house. All told, he spent two years amassing the objects - mostly through eBay - and they cost him about $20,000 in total. That's no small investment of time or money, and Anthony is fully aware that, like the evil Emperor in Return of the Jedi, there are those who would cackle at his resolve. "People say, why don't you grow up and get a job on Bay Street?"
His response? "[The exhibit]reconnects people with part of their youth. I am a mature person, but I have this as a fun interest that helps keep me young at heart. ... There's worse hobbies that I could have, like Internet gambling." Plus, he adds, "My girlfriend doesn't get on my back for buying toys."
Not all partners of Star Wars pack rats would be as understanding, but then Anthony - who works as a historian for the Rogers family and company during the day - is not your average collector. Though he maintains he did not assemble his galaxy of props and toys to make a profit, he says he's already been made an offer far, far above his investment. If his talent for collecting is worth as much as he says it is, surely the force, and his girlfriend, will always be with him.
Assembling a Galaxy is at the Design Exchange (234 Bay St.) until Aug. 25, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.