BOSTON -- A long time ago, in a galaxy not too far away, a man named George Lucas changed film-making history.

"Star Wars" is part of our cultural lexicon, and starting Thursday, it will be used as a teaching tool in the form of an innovative exhibition at Boston's Museum of Science.

NewsCenter 5's Mary Saladna reported that even 28 years later, the original "Star Wars" remains one of the highest grossing movies of all time.

As a whole, the six-film saga stands alone. Its impact on generations of stargazers and fantasy lovers is a force never before seen in American history.

Lucas is the visionary behind it all. His world is the inspiration for the latest exhibit at Boston's Museum of Science called "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination."

"It does what I think we've been trying to do in a lot of areas of education, which is to make your imagination line up a little bit with the real world," Lucas said.

It was the museum that actually approached Lucas three years ago with the idea to use Star Wars as a teaching tool.

"And we were very keen on it. Because, again, it's a great way to get kids instantly engaged in rather complicated ideas," Lucas said.

The exhibit is interactive, and it focuses particularly on robots and modes of transportation -- those in the movie and the real-life versions that have evolved from Lucas' imagination.

Of course, you can see all of the authentic models and costumes from the films at the exhibit. You can even sit in the cockpit of a full-size replica of the Millennium Falcon and take a trip to hyperspace.

"That is truly one of the most extraordinary pieces of theatre I've seen. And it's educational, too," actor Anthony Daniels said.

Daniels is the voice of the museum exhibit, and the voice of C-3PO.

Lucas is just wrapping another Indiana Jones film and bringing "Stars Wars" to the small screen.

"It's going to continue on television both as an animated series and a live-action series. It's not about the main characters, not about the sky walker saga, but in the 'Star Wars' universe," Lucas said.

"Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" opens at the Museum of Science Thursday at 9 a.m.