# 'Star Wars' Observatories Minnesota Carleton College Creates an Oversize R2D2 Observatory By Allison Love | Published 2010-06-03 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/r2d2-obervatory References: [theawesomer](http://theawesomer.com/r2-d2-observatory/43009/) Students at Minnesota Carleton College decided to pay homage to Star Wars and the [George Lucas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-lucas-museum-of-narrative-arts) series by creating a giant R2D2 observatory, essentially costuming a school building in R2D2 apparel. I guess students at Minnesota Carleton College are avid '[Star Wars fans](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ray-ban-star-wars),' because it would take a lot of energy and money to create an R2D2 that large. Nevertheless, I'm sure students on campus definitely got a kick out of it of this huge homage to the 'Star Wars' robot in the form of an R2D2 observatory. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.2/10 - Popularity: 42% | Activity: 16% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 90% men, 10% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/architecture) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Pop Culture Homage Architecture:** The trend of creating large-scale architecture designs that pay homage to popular movies, TV shows or other iconic pop culture references presents a disruptive innovation opportunity in the field of architecture and construction. - **Science and Pop Culture Crossover:** The trend of creating science-themed installations and observatories that reference popular movie franchises such as 'Star Wars' presents a disruptive innovation opportunity at the intersection of science education and pop culture marketing. - **Graffiti-inspired Architecture:** The trend of transforming buildings into public art installations, such as the R2D2 observatory, presents a disruptive innovation opportunity that merges street art and urban design. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Architecture and Construction:** The architecture and construction industry can capitalize on the trend of creating large-scale, pop culture inspired designs by offering new services tailored to the needs of clients seeking unique and creative designs. - **Science Education:** Science educators can leverage the crossover between popular movies, such as 'Star Wars,' and scientific concepts by creating engaging installations or observatories that inspire young audiences to pursue scientific careers. - **Street Art and Urban Design:** Urban designers and city officials can utilize the trend of transforming buildings into public art installations as a tool for beautification and community engagement, while also offering new opportunities for street artists to showcase their work. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Galactic Robot-Inspired Puzzle Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lego-r2d2.md) - [Stars-Inspired Elliptical Planetariums](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/planetarium-design.md) - [Collectible Sci-Fi Coins](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/star-wars-coins.md) - [Galactic Cafe Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/Star-wars-themed-cafe.md) - [Sci-Fi-Themed Cars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/volkswagen-2.md) - [Real Life Cinematic Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/g1t4m1n1-droid.md) - [Sci-Fi Franchise-Inspired Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/star-wars-collection-2.md) - [Sci-Fi Large-Scale Block Sets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ucs-death-star.md) - [Sci-Fi-Branded Special-Edition Earbuds](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/audio-technica-r2-d2.md)