Bust of Jedi master Yoda. 'Back in time go you will.'

The original Star Wars movie was released 30 years ago, and in celebration, as well as the US postal service issuing a special set of stamps on 25 May, an exhibition is being held at County Hall, London — just off Westminster Bridge, next to the London Eye — until 1 September 2007. Should you go?

I have mixed feelings. At £16.50, or about US $35 at current exchange rates, it's very expensive for what you get. There are models, including one full-sized, of the various ships used, many 'concept drawings' used as a basis for the costumes and sets (the kids will be bored by these), along with mannequins of R2D2, C3PO, Darth Vader and so forth. But the blurbs alongside the mannequins and displays were not particularly informative, unless you didn't know the movies, but then why would you be there? There was information, including some TV displays, about the filming of Star Wars — but I'd seen much of that over 25 years ago.

What attracted the most attention were the various high-definition monitors showing clips from the movies. The clips were selected to fit the 'theme' of the display in that particular room. While I was there, a considerable crowd hovered around the monitor showing the podrace on Tatooine — which was won by the young Anakin Skywalker, later to become Darth Vader — and the lightsaber fight between Obi-wan and Quai-gon (the Jedi knights) and Darth Maul, who was then apprentice to Darth Sidious, and destined to be the Emperor, ultimately defeated by Darth Vader.

But Star Wars isn't about physics or reality. We all know the limitations placed on travel by the bounds of energy, mass and relativity. Star Wars, like its predecessor Star Trek, is about the triumph of hope over reason and reality.

Overall, recapturing the feelings I had as a teenager, sitting in the front row of the theatre when the Millenium Falcon first went into hyperdrive, was worth the entrance fee and a lot more. The saying that Christmas is for kids of all ages is true for Star Wars as well.