A NEW exhibition in London features an array of knights’ armour, weaponry and artefacts from “a long time ago”.

However, rather than being from a bygone age, these documents of epic battles and good versus evil are props from the universally popular Star Wars films.

Star Wars Identities is an interactive exhibition now running in the O2 in London, and mixes a traditional exhibition, featuring iconic props and movie costumes, with a more interactive experience.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Star Wars saga spans generations of fans, and characters like Chewbacca, Darth Vader and Yoda have become some of the most recognisable fictional creations of the last century.

Although the saga’s popularity has never particularly waned, Star Wars once again rose to the level of phenomenon with the release of The Force Awakens in 2015, which went on to become the third highest grossing film of all time, and created a whole new generation of fans.

The theme of this exhibition is Identities, and it looks at one of the key issues of the films - how the decisions we make can have a profound impact on the people we end up being.

At the start of the exhibition everyone is given an earpiece and a rubber bracelet. This wearable tech is key to the experience, as you pass by certain exhibits, commentary plays in your ear, and at certain stages you are asked, by scanning your bracelet on computer screens and wall panels, to “choose your path”. The ultimate aim is to find out what type of character you would end up as in the Star Wars universe.

Some of these choices were quite straightforward - what planet would you like to have been born on, and what alien species were you? Do you choose the light or dark side? However as the exhibition goes on the questions become much more complex, to the point where you begin asking pretty deep questions about yourself. I never expected in a Star Wars exhibition I would end up being asked what my key character trait was, or how neurotic or extroverted I was.

The questions are meant to mimic the choices the saga’s two main characters, Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker, make, which take them down very different paths.

It ends with the visitor being shown a projection of themselves as a Star Wars character. I ended up being a horn-headed Jedi knight after making many decisions I felt my childhood self would have made. However others answered in very different ways, with my friend ending up as a human senator who seemed to be from a family of galactic National Trust volunteers.

As fun as the interactive element was, the best part was without doubt the chance to see the iconic props and costumes up close.

Although those at the exhibition were from all ages, most could not hide their childish glee at seeing the original costumes that defined characters like C3PO, Darth Vader and Boba Fett.

An impressive display of the original miniatures used for the film, from Tie Fighters to Star Destroyers, showed how much craft and art went into creating the worlds on the screen, and the puppet that brought Jedi Master Yoda to life was a major highlight.

The exhibition also features displays of the original concept artwork - offering a glimpse of characters before they became what we know today.

Sketches of Jabba the Hutt with legs and Luke Skywalker as a young woman will be to many people, myself included, as interesting and significant as any exhibit of an early Dickens manuscript with notes in the margins.

That was the main thing I took away from this exhibition - although Star Wars is technically just a pop culture phenomenon, to a huge amount of the population it is just as significant as any more “respectable” arts movement or historic period.