121 Force Weekend – Glasgow Science Centre ~ Glasgow – 21st December 2019

Location
Science Center, Glasgow 11:00 – 14:30

Personnel

Chewbacca	Paul Smith	Wookie
Jey d’Srow	Julie Sword	Rebel Pilot
Luke Skywalker	Mark McCreadie	Jedi Master
Rey	Beth Mitchell	Jedi

Mission Report
This was a quiet, unremarkable, event with barely a trickle of public throughout the duration although it noticeable was starting to get busier in the last half hour or so before we finished.
Nonetheless I shall remember it, not for doubtless bemusement of whoever will review the customer feedback card singing the praises of Luke and Rey in days to come and not for the priceless reaction of the member of the public who opened the door to our changing area just as we ended a break and got the fright of his life when confronted by Vader, a First Order Trooper, Chewbacca, Luke and an X-Wing Pilot on the other side of it.
While our changing room Porg shenanigans and Team Skywalkers mastery of a cube puzzle will long burn bright in my mind and I won’t be quick to forget Mister McDavid’s constant disappointment that nobody was on the other side of the lift doors all day none of these will remain my overriding memory of the event.

Instead it will be the simple words of newly minted centennial trooper Paul Smith, somehow still fresh from his week of ROS-related events while the rest of us were overly tired and emotional, with his beautiful, wise reminder of why we all do this which brought a lump to my throat and continues even now to moisten my eyes…

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120 Rise of Skywalker – Glasgow Science Centre ~ Glasgow – 20th December 2019

Location
Science Center, Glasgow 19:00 – 23:00

Personnel

Jey d’Srow	Julie Sword	Rebel Pilot
Luke Skywalker	Mark McCreadie	Jedi Master
Rey	Beth Mitchell	Jedi

Mission Report
This was such an odd event, timing our attendance for the departures from one showing and arrivals for the next then having a massive 2.5 hour break before the public started arriving for the last showing of the day.
Simultaneously alongside, a party night for the staff of some company was taking place in the Science Centre using the same entrance as the cinema meaning that as the night wore on we were getting flybys from people with no interest in Star Wars who were progressively worse for wear.

I’m sure we’ve attended events which have been more egregious over the years, but I struggle to think of any. Not even the option of a free showing was able to jack-knife this one around…

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117 Glasgow Science Centre, Science Lates 2019 – 26th October 2019

Location
Science Center, Glasgow 18:00 – 22:30

Personnel

IC-13128	Alex Dick	Imperial Crewman
SL-77314	Alan Dalgleish	Darth Vader
TB-89909	Jenn Mair	Biker Scout
TK-18910	Brian McDavid	Stormtooper ANH Stunt
TS-7240	Julie Sword	Snowtrooper
TX-6275	Mark McCreadie	Special Ops Trooper
UKG-29578	Sheraz Khwaja	Spotter
UKG-91810	Lynn McDavid	Spotter

Mission Report
And so we get to the climax of the costuming greatest hits farewell tour that’s been 2019 and it was only fitting to dig out the Special Ops outfit that all this started with years ago. Strictly speaking, I suppose I ought to have been spotting this and Stealth Troopering the previous night to properly mirror my induction weekend but I’ve already touched on the recent rekindling of my affection for the original Ghostbusters film.

Unfortunately the exciting/boring Glasgow Science Centre Event Pendulum had rather swung back the other way as compared to the previous night’s @1,700 attendance this evenings adult-only event seemed very sparsely attended. Fortunately that meant the availability of alcohol didn’t lead to too many issues as there wasn’t sufficient inebriated members of the public to cause a problem. Unfortunately it meant the night massively dragged on and it was a relief when we called it quits long before the end…

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116 Glasgow Science Centre, Halloween Party 2019 – 25th October 2019

Location
Science Center, Glasgow 18:00 – 21:30

Personnel

GB-6275	Mark McCreadie	Ghostbuster
ID-56984	Kenny Crawford	Grand Moff Tarkin
SL-77314	Alan Dalgleish	Darth Vader
TA-7240	Julie Sword	AT-AT Pilot
TB-89909	Jenn Mair	Biker Scout
TK-6084	Stuart Thompson	Stormtooper ANH Stunt
TK-19767	Douglas Mullen	Stormtooper ANH Stunt
UKG-29578	Sheraz Khwaja	Spotter

Mission Report
Having overdosed on retro-Ghostbusters in the last month or so with the 35th Anniversary cinema visit and the house at Halloween Horror Nights, I was quite excited about wearing the costume again after four years of avoiding it at the Glasgow Science Centre. Unfortunately I was on my own this time round as my fellow local GB is in the middle of an extensive pack rebuild and with a couple of the costumers dropping out in advance, I ended up the sole Reel Icons banana in the trooping bunch.

Not to say there wasn’t much fun to be had; I got into an extended conversation with two teenage girls as to the exact nature of my costume which contrary to their opinion, I kept claiming was a school janitor and there were sufficient seasonal decorations dotted around the building for kids to regularly point me in the direction of various ghosts which I could pointedly avoid. I’m not sure I believe that there was actually a 25 foot inflatable skeleton waiting to get me somewhere in the building as one boy told me, but the parents seemed amused by the concept and the jury will have to remain out on that one…

I’ve previously lamented that these GSC event are effectively over for those trooping after the first hour as our presence at the entrance means that people get all the photos they want on the way in and have no real interest in us afterwards. This time it was inadvertently mitigated by us being rather late to emerge and missing largely missing them on entry and at the end of the evening by the coincidental timing of the exodus from the Marvel Superheroes Live show on at the Hydro the same night, bringing a new audience to us.

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111 Glasgow Science Centre, Lunar Landing Family Party – 20th July 2019

Location
Science Center, Glasgow 18:00 – 21:00

Personnel

SL-77314	Alan Dalgleish	Darth Vader
TA-7240	Julie Sword	AT-AT Pilot
UK-6275	Mark McCreadie	Spotter

Mission Report
With the departure of the slackers who wimped out after the daytime session and the arrival of Rebellion reinforcements the Empires finest found itself slightly outnumbered for the family party in the evening. Having been told the GSC had sold 1000+ tickets to the event we emerged from the changing room early to find they’d started admitting the public.
This was probably fortunate though, we were the best part of 55 minutes at the front of the admission queues waiting for everyone to be admitted and get their respective opportunities for photos. It may not sound like much but keep in mind that this is approximately a third of the entire duration of the event!

I took the opportunity of the mid-troop break to switch from costuming to spotting and it was probably for the best as having ventured to the upper floors of the building beforehand (where the Science Center apparently keeps its interactive display exhibits of how heat works – IT WAS HOT, OKAY?!?) I was reaching the end of my Biker Scout tolerance.

After the short break unfortunately we found ourselves in much the same situation as the latter part of the daytime event, where the majority of attendees had already taken their photos leading once again to a rise in shenanigan levels as the representatives of the UKs leading Star Wars costuming groups collectively struggled to get to grips with exhibits designed for 8-year olds to master!

Following this humiliation we returned downstairs for a final stint near the exit doors…

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