The First Order's Starkiller Base has piqued the interest of many "Star Wars" fans since it was shown in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" but, as of Jan. 20, the Starkiller Base is no longer just a location in the "Star Wars" universe but an actual structure in Abu Dhabi.
There's no need to worry, though, because Abu Dhabi is not hosting Stromtroopers or Kylo Ren – maybe. Two companies that were devoted to the science-fiction franchise only wanted to pay homage and this is how they chose to do it.
Why In Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi is literally Planet Jakku since the outskirts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital served as the shooting location for the Jakku scenes in May 2014 for Director J.J. Abrams "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Of course, Abu Dhabi seems to be honored about becoming a part of the epic franchise, so in a galactic nod to fans worldwide and as tribute to the successful film, the company Aldar Properties PJSC partnered with twofour54 to turn its headquarters into a 328-feet tall Starkiller base.
How Was It Done?
Aldar Properties and twofour54 did not really build the Starkiller base from scratch. What really happened was that they did some epic sticker printing for nine days to turn the iconic coin-shaped building into their very own Starkiller base. Then workers manually installed the printed stickers on the more than 182,986-square-feet surface area of the building, which took over 420 combined hours to install.
The Force is strong in Abu Dhabi and its companies to pull off such a massive project.
Dark side goals. #TheForceAwakens pic.twitter.com/UnhZqoSqIh
— Star Wars (@starwars) January 13, 2016
"Twofour54 is immensely proud of its role in contributing to the success of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens...' We appreciate the support of Aldar Properties in partnering with us and providing the iconic HQ building as the perfect platform to celebrate Abu Dhabi's association with the film," twofour54 Chief Executive Officer Noura Al Kaabi said.
"As a company that is proud to be playing a major role in shaping the urban landscape of Abu Dhabi, we are delighted to have been able to support twofour54 on such an initiative," Mohammad Al Mubarak, Aldar Properties PJSC CEO commented.
Take a look at the feature below and be awed at the outcome of their efforts.
