SINGAPORE, Nov 10 — Star Wars fans, it’s time to start packing your bags to head out into the galaxy. This is thanks to the various Star Wars tie-ups and Star Wars-inspired vacations, accommodation and what-have-you as we await Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which opens in cinemas here on December 17.
Let’s start right here in Singapore: Changi Airport will be showcasing a life-sized X-Wing Fighter at Terminal 3, while a scaled-down TIE fighter will be displayed at Terminal 2 from this Thursday (November 12) to January 5. To top it off, the exhibits will be launched with an Imperial Stormtrooper parade at 11.30am.
And if you’ve heard about the ANA Star Wars planes already — and which Star Wars fan hasn’t, right? — Changi will be the first Asian airport outside Japan to welcome the R2-D2 jet.
ANA aside, Air France is offering passengers passes to watch the movie in Paris on the very day it’s released in France on December 16. Passengers onboard four Paris-bound flights will be whisked away to the screening with Star Wars-themed transportation from the airport.
Speaking of airport connections, Star War fans should also make their way to Osaka. There, the Limited Express Rapi:t, which connects Kansai Airport to Namba Station in the heart of Osaka, will be decked out in Star Wars: The Force Awakens decor — inside and out. All your favourite characters, as well as the new ones can be found on the carriages. Cars 1 and 6 will feature Kylo Ren, Rey and BB-8; Cars 2 and 5 will have Finn and Captain Phasma. Car 3 gets Poe Dameron and a Stormtrooper, while Car 4 showcases C-3PO, R2-D2 and Chewbacca.
It’s no fun if you don’t go all the way with your Star Wars craze. For that, download an infoguide from GoEurope listing down the different Star Wars filming locations and destinations around the world where you can feel the “force” — from Matmata in Tunisia, which stood in for the Lars homestead and the desert planet of Tatooine; to the Hang En Cave in Vietnam, which will be featured in The Force Awakens.
You can also stay in a Star Wars-inspired room or house, such as the Sidi Driss hotel in Matmata, which was actually picked by George Lucas to serve as Luke Skywalker’s home in A New Hope. Meanwhile, Airbnb has a couple listings that’ll make you feel like you’re in the Death Star or the Sandcrawler itself. There’s one in nearby Thailand, the Modern Green Circular Dome in Khao Yai that looks just like the deadly Imperial space station. Over in Indonesia, there’s a bamboo tree house in Ubud resembling the homes of the ewoks on Endor.
Last but certainly not least, you can make an easy pilgrimage to Star Wars Miniland at Legoland Malaysia. It’s the first and only Star Wars Miniland in Asia. It is not yet confirmed if the theme park has anything planned for the movie opening but we will keep our fingers crossed. May the force be with them. ― TODAY
