It has been nearly a week since the twin suns sat on Star Wars Celebration Orlando, and I'm already anxious for the next one. Despite being t busiest, most crowded Star Wars Celebration to date, it still left me with memories to last a lifetime! From the creative cosplay, the awesome people, the new trailers, and the moving tributes to Carrie Fisher, it really was a weekend long remembered. I realize there may be some of you reading this (most of you) who did not get a chance to go. If you are a Star Wars fan, are easily jealous, and suffer from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), I suggest you do not read any further. (Waves hand) "This is not the article your are looking for."
Without further ado, here are my favorite moments from Star Wars Celebration Orlando (2017)!
5. The Cosplay
The highlights of these conventions are always the cosplay. And this year did not disappoint! There were Darth Vaders, Han Solos, Chewbaccas, Reys, Kylo Rens, etc. And there were a lot of creative hybrids, including the Muppets! What always interests me about the cosplay is not what characters people dress up as, but that they designed their own costumes!
They spent hours gathering materials to make their costumes look like that came from a galaxy far, far away. I was so impressed by how realistic they looked.
And some of the costumes were just weird, but in a good way. One person dressed up as an actual lightsaber hilt! Even the droids had cool looking cosplay! There were R2 units dressed as a Minion, and even Batman! It was nice to see that even droids can have fun with cosplay.
And of course there was Leia. Lots and lots of Leia! Including my friend, Lisa, and my Mom!
Leia is one of the most iconic characters in film history. It's impossible to not find at least one cosplay of her at these conventions. But this was not like most Star Wars conventions. This was the first Star Wars Celebration without Carrie Fisher, due to her tragic passing in December. It warmed my hear to see her legacy live on through little girls and women who dress up as her character, Leia. Seeing little girls dress up as her made it feel like she was still there.
The Force was strong with the cosplayers this year!
4. Rian Johnson
Star Wars Celebration always has surprises, and this was no different. One of the biggest surprises was when I waited in line for The Last Jedi panel. Rian Johnson, the director of The Last Jedi, Looper, as well as a few Breaking Bad episodes, came out to greet the fans waiting in line. He attempted to take pictures with everyone of them. He even signed their badges! Rian Johnson may be a big time director/producer. But he is also a huge Star Wars fan. He understands the passion we feel for this franchise. For him to take photos with the fans like that shows how humble and down-to-earth he really is! Star Wars Episode VIII is in good hands!
3. The new trailer!
Star Wars Celebration Orlando just would not be complete without new trailers. The trailers are what make it an event. There were a lot of new trailers for exciting new content; including Star Wars Forces of Destiny, Rebels Season 4, Battlefront II, etc. But the main event was, of course, The Last Jedi teaser.
The panel for The Last Jedi was nothing short of amazing. Josh Gad hosted, and made me wish he could host every convention panel from now on. He was that good! He was so funny, and managed to get things moving along. He was just as good as Warwick Davis. His hosting skills were most impressive!
At the panel for The Last Jedi, we learned so much and yet learned so little. We got hints about what situation each character is in. And we may or may not have almost heard a spoiler from Mark Hamill that Rey is Luke's daughter. (Or a spoiler from the live-stream video she is a Kenobi).
The teaser for The Last Jedi lived up to all my expectations. It was so different from The Force Awakens in terms of tone. I have so many thoughts about the teaser, that I am planning a separate article on it. However, I will share my thoughts on the poster.
One of my friends, Lisa, told me an interesting theory she heard about the fashion choices made at The Last Jedi panel. She noticed that the cast all wore clothes with the same colors as the poster pictured above. Daisy Ridley was dressed in red, John Boyega was dressed in white, Kelly Marie Tran was dressed in blue, and Mark Hamill was dressed in black. Coincidence? Or is this a foreshadowing for what could happen to the characters in the movie? We will all find out in December!
2. 40th Anniversary Panel/Carrie Fisher tribute
Of all the panels I was lucky to attend, none of them filled my heart with more joy than the 40th Anniversary Panel. This was Star Wars Heaven! First we saw Lucasfilm President, Kathleen Kennedy. Then we saw the Maker himself, George Lucas! I had always dreamed of being in the same room as George Lucas, the man responsible for many of my childhood memories. I could barley contain myself. Then we saw Dave Filoni, the creator of Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars, come on stage. Followed by a minor Prequel reunion involving Hayden Christensen and Ian McDiarmid. The Star Wars prequels have always been controversial among Star Wars fans. So to see Hayden Christensen and Ian McDiarmid welcomed with a standing ovation was amazing. It shows how good time has been to those movies.
We also saw the cast from the Original Trilogy. We saw Anthony Daniels, Warwick Davis, Peter Mayhew, Mark Hamill, and of course Harrison Ford! George Lucas alone was too much for me to handle. But add Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill? I need to breathe!
The one cast-member whose presence was sorely missed was obviously Carrie Fisher. Her passing was tragic for Star Wars fans everywhere. Not only was she Princess (now General) Leia. She was also a script doctor, a novelist, an activist for women's rights and mental health awareness, a daughter, a mother, and a friend.
It's impossible for any tribute to do her justice. But they came pretty close with a funny, and moving tribute they posted online. When they played it at the panel, there was not a dry eye in the room!
And just when I thought the panel could not get anymore amazing, they do the ultimate mic-drop by having John Williams appear! If you do not know who John Williams is, I feel sorry for you. He is arguably the greatest conductor/composer in the world. Not only did he do the music for Star Wars. He also did the music for Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Superman, Harry Potter, etc. He is one of the few people in show-business who truly deserves the title "Genius". When he came out on stage, the audience gave him the loudest applause I had heard. And then he waved his hand, and everyone went silent. It was as if he did a Jedi Mind trick on all of us.
He then proceeded to play Princess Leia's theme, causing all of us to shed tears. He then played the Main Theme of Star Wars, and finished off with The Imperial March (Darth Vader's theme).
And this all happened on Day 1! After that, I was pretty much ready to go back to California. Because how can you top that? How can you top John Williams? Honestly?
1.) The awesome people there!
Pretty much everything about Star Wars Celebration was amazing! The panels, the cosplay, the trailers, etc. But what made it special was the people there. The fans. I made new friends, and I caught up with ones I already know.
My friend Lisa, who I met at Celebration Anaheim in 2015, had a Star Wars themed birthday banner out in line on the first day. People walked up asking "Whose birthday is it?" And she replied "It's Star Wars' birthday!" She also provided snacks, and offered to save my spot whenever I wanted to go back to the hotel room. She not only makes Star Wars Celebration easier, but she also makes it more fun!
I also met with the guys from Collider Jedi Council, including John Campea, Dennis Tzeng, Perri Nemiroff, Mark Ellis, Kristian Harloff, Ken Napzok, and Jeremy Jahns! They were even on the same flight as mine: United! (Relax. We had a safe flight).
There is just something about the people at these conventions that make them feel special. It doesn't feel like an ordinary convention. It feels like a family.
We look out for each other. We break bread together. We drink blue milk together. We share Snoke theories with each other. Mark Hamill put it best. We're more than just fans. We're family.
When Carrie Fisher passed away, it did not feel like a celebrity we barely knew passed away. It felt like we lost a family member. At Celebration, we came together to grieve, to mourn, and to celebrate her.
That may be why Star Wars has lasted for forty years, and will continue to endure for generations to come. Because it brings all of us together. It may be time for the Jedi to end, but our love for this Saga never will.
May the Force be with you. Always.
