SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. — Obtaining 100 percent of any collection takes a lot of time and money, not to mention space.
When the collection happens to be classic Star Wars memorabilia, it's nearly impossible, but as Han Solo once said, "never tell me the odds!"
With Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker coming to theaters this December, it will wrap up a 9-movie-storyline that has spanned more than 40 years.
To celebrate the conclusion of the Skywalker saga, KGUN9 took a trip to Sierra Vista to check out what is perhaps the most complete Star Wars collection in the galaxy.
Chris Cooper began collecting at 22-years-old after taking out a substantial loan, a move that earned him the nickname "Toy King."
Small collections, big collections and anything in between were obtained by Cooper over the years and seeing them displayed in his garage is an out of this world experience.
Star Wars action figures, t-shirts, autographs and lightsabers are displayed neatly inside his home's garage and the nostalgia is undeniable.
"What makes this collection exciting and still to this day, is watching when people come in and they've never seen anything like this before. It's more about sharing something, it's more about watching the reaction of someone and they themselves, its not about me, its they themselves that have those memories," Cooper said.
Cooper refers to himself as a first-generation Star Wars fan and even though he hasn't been the biggest fan of the newer films, he hopes to see thr trilogy give a proper send off to his favorite characters.
"What I really want out of this movie, this last movie is to be emotionally attached to it. That's the biggest thing with my mind and my heart. Where I can feel those characters. You know where I can relate to the characters. That's what I'm hoping in this new movie coming out," he said.
Cooper's mini museum is not open to the public, although he has pondered the idea of it.
At this point, he plans to keep collecting well into his 70s.
"Truthfully I'm fifty years old and I could probably still collect all the way to seventy-seventy five, you know, I could keep going. But you know there will be a time where I'll stop," Cooper said.
For more digital stories, follow Joey Greaber on Facebook
