HUNDREDS of noble visitors from galaxies far, far away – or other towns and cities, at least – came together for an epic battle in Swindon.

Nearly 500 people headed to the Steam Museum on Saturday, armed with lightsabers and determined to break a world record.

The lightsaber battle was the highlight of the Sci-Fi Superheroes weekend that marks the end of the popular Sci-Fi exhibition at Steam, which has been running since March.

Visitors were joined by a host of characters from the Star Wars movies including three Darth Vaders, Chewbacca and the Jedi Knights.

Among the Star Wars actors attending were John Chapman, an X-Wing pilot in Star Wars, who was also on hand to sign copies of his popular children’s book, The Adventures of Jonnie Rocket.

Rusty Goffe, who has appeared in films including Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Star Wars and some of the Harry Potter films during his 45-year career, was also there to meet fans.

He said: “This is a great event to be part of and it is fantastic to see so many young people with a passion for Star Wars.

“I go to a lot of these events, but this one has something different about it, and the setting in the museum is wonderful.

“It is really good to be able to get out and see fans of the show.”

The superheroes weekend and lightsaber battle was a joint venture between Steam and Skywalker Promotions of Swindon.

Luke Skywalker, owner of Skywalker Promotions, changed his surname by deed poll from Kaye to Skywalker to mark his passion and enthusiasm for the film.

He said: “This is a great event and it is brilliant to see so many people turn up all ready to go.

“This is a truly wonderful experience for anyone to be involved in, whatever their age.

“The whole exhibition has been a huge success and this is a great way to end it.”

Ian Surtees, commercial manager at Steam, said: “This is the finale of the exhibition and we really wanted to go out with a bang.

“The exhibition has been a fantastic success and we have had thousands through the doors, especially during school holidays and bank holidays. It is important because, thanks to the exhibition, we have been getting young people through the doors and they are able to see the museum as well.”

All those who took part in the lightsaber battle received a certificate and a badge.

Eight-year-old Jake Martins said: “It has been really fun being able to play with our lightsabers.

“I think my favourite bit was fighting with Darth Vader because he is my favourite character.”