Battlestar @ the Sci-Fi Museum
September 24, 2007Seattle’s Sci-Fi Museum has some wonderful Battlestar Galactica memorabilia on hand for fans to take a close look at. All of the items are from the original series, including a costume of Cylon Centurion Vulpa from the episode “Gun on Ice Planet Zero,” one of the Muffit II costumes and pictures of Evolution the chimpanzee, who played the robotic pet, as well as an Ovion costume from the original movie. In another corner of the exhibit, a video screen plays promotional clips from the new series.
The Sci-Fi Museum is a slice of geek heaven. Most of the major items come from the collection of Seattle billionaire Paul Allen, but several sci-fi celebrities and even fans have contributed to the collection. Many of the items on display are replicas rather than original costumes or props. Some originals are also in poor condition but the overall effect is very interesting. If anything, many of the display cabinets are too densely packed. The displays cover a broad range of literature and media sci-fi, but it is clearly only scratching the surface. They’ve done a very good job of adapting a basic concrete bunker into an interesting thematic space, much more so than the Experience Music Project that occupies the other half of the building. And judging from the crowd on the sci-fi side and the relative emptiness of the EMP, perhaps the Sci-Fi Museum could expand in the future.
It was definitely worth the visit, but note that presenting your AAA or BCAA card will save you $4 off the admission price.
The 13th Colony 
I agree that there’s simply too much crammed into the small space but what irked me the most is that I couldn’t take any pictures. Even museums now allow photography if you don’t use a flash and I don’t see why they couldn’t take on the same policy, especially when they’re gift shop is such a poor excuse for a gift shop. We couldn’t find much of interest and the only thing I managed to get as a keepsake was a lousy keychain!
Still, I don’t regret going.
I was there once when the gaurds got after a kid for taking pictures. When her father complained, the guard said it was prohibited due to “copyright issues” – whatever that means.
But I totally agree about the sorry excuse for a gift shop. I think it’s actually getting worse. I don’t remember so little in it the first time I went.
This was my third time and I’d happily go again as they do seem to be adding to the collection.