For many fans, seeing a “Star Wars” film on the big screen is a special experience.
At the Dorrance DOME inside the Arizona Science Center, that experience expands far beyond the screen. On Friday, Nov. 27, the planetarium will show “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $30, with discounts available for children and Arizona Science Center members. The films will be presented across the dome’s 60-foot display in 8K-plus resolution.
The immersive screenings mark the return of “Star Wars” to the dome after a successful run earlier this year.
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According to Alec Warren of the Arizona Science Center, the center previously presented the original trilogy around “May the Fourth” and is bringing back two fan favorites for a special Black Friday event.
While the films remain in their original format, the Science Center’s team enhances the space around the screen with custom visuals designed to complement each scene.
“We’re presenting them in the dome because we’re able to wrap the rest of the environment, the rest of the dome, with matching environments for every single scene in the film,” Alec Warren, the director of Dorrance Dome Experiences.
“Our team actually put that together to create a really unique experience and take advantage of the 360 medium that we have in the Dorrance Dome.”
The result is an experience that goes beyond a traditional movie screening. As starships race across the screen, viewers may also see additional spacecraft continuing their journeys across the dome overhead. Desert landscapes can extend beyond the movie frame during scenes on Tatooine, while icy environments immerse audiences in the frozen world of Hoth.
“We may have 3D models of ships that appear in the scene of the film fly out of the frame and carry on their movement through the rest of the dome,” Warren explained. “We have fun with the audience in that way and make it feel a little bit more immersive than your typical theater experience.”
For Warren, the “Star Wars” event is especially meaningful because of his connection to the franchise.
“‘Star Wars’ is such an iconic franchise,” he said. “I grew up on those films, watching the special-edition re-releases in theaters when those came out in the late ’90s.”
Like many fans, he was introduced early.
“I was probably 2 years old,” Warren said. “We had the original trilogy on a VHS box set, and that was my first exposure to ‘Star Wars.’ I’m a longtime fan.”
That lifelong enthusiasm has made adapting the films for the dome especially rewarding. During previous screenings, Warren said attendees embraced the event by dressing as Jedi, bringing lightsabers and celebrating their shared love of the franchise.
Beyond entertainment, Warren believes science fiction can inspire curiosity about the real universe. He credits franchises like “Star Wars” with helping spark his interest in science, space exploration and technology.
“Part of the beauty of a franchise like ‘Star Wars’ is it sparks the imagination of what space travel could be like in the future,” he said.
“Films have a way of capturing the imagination in a way that you just can’t in a classroom environment.”
That connection aligns naturally with the mission of the Arizona Science Center, which seeks to inspire future scientists, engineers and innovators through engaging experiences. Warren said science fiction often encourages audiences to think about what’s possible and to ask questions about the universe around them.
“It really gets people thinking about what the possibilities could be,” he said. “People actually start looking, and they start researching, and they want to get more involved in those fields.”
“Star Wars” represents the perfect blend of storytelling, technology and imagination, Warren said.
“I don’t think it’s any accident that I ended up where I am today because of being exposed at a young age to stories like this,” he said. “Being able to present something like this is such a unique opportunity.”
