Last week, my wife and I had the incredible experience and
massive pleasure of attending the official Star Wars convention, Celebration,
held in sweet home Chicago. The five day festival honors and . . . celebrates .
. . all things Star Wars.
What a great time.
The last couple of years have been real rough to be part of
a fandom, almost regardless of which fandom it is. Star Wars has had its share
of bitching, as has Marvel; sports seem like they’ve been horribly toxic for
many years already; the gaming world has always been full of jagoffs. Things
really have felt bleak at times; but not Celebration. Star Wars Celebration was
a joyful event that focused on all things positive and Star Wars, even though
that is redundant. The atmosphere was amazing and universally positive and
welcoming, proving that Star Wars really is for everyone. I personally have
felt real nerves before both Celebration and last months’ C2E2 specifically
because I’m not interested in the full diapered tantrums of haters and the ignorant,
and am just hopeful that those people won’t attend conventions devoted to
things that they clearly hate, but who can tell, really. The world is full of
all kinds of people, even those who would attend an event just to be negative
about it. For some reason.
But in seriousness, the atmosphere from minute one (since we
were there the minute Celebration opened on Thursday –mr) was outstanding. The
crowds were terrific, the cosplay was out in full force. For the first time, my
wife and I cosplayed as Jedi, with robes and lightsabers we purchased at C2E2.
I now fully understand why people cosplay, or why they pour so much time and
effort and energy into their costumes. What a fun experience! We weren’t that
serious about it, but it was so much fun to do. We dressed up for Thursday,
which wound up being a good decision, as there were a number of photo
opportunities via the 501st and Rebel Legions, so we got to take pictures sitting
on the Emperor’s throne and in front of an X-wing and everything, in costume, which
felt so much more fun than doing so in plain clothes.
There were exhibits aplenty as well, including a large and
exciting but ultimately not very informational set up of the coming Disney
attraction, Galaxy’s Edge. A very cool assortment of items from Rancho Obi-Wan
was one of our first stops on Saturday, where we got to see memorabilia and
promotional material from previous Celebrations, along with the most adorable
Jar Jar Binks plush of all time.
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| Best Jar Jar ever! |
One of the highlights of the entire convention was the
enormous mural near the entrance, depicting characters and elements from all of
the Star Wars movies to date. On Thursday, the final section was covered, as it
heralded the announcement of Episode IX, which would not be officially unveiled
until Friday. When we returned on Saturday, we were able to see the entire
image, and both days we were present, said mural in whatever state of
uncoveredness brought me to the verge of tears each time I saw it. Man, I love
Star Wars, and Celebration was a chance to be totally surrounded by Star Wars
for several hours a day, and I don’t know what else to say other than I found
this mural to be incredibly emotionally impactful.
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| The Star Wars Saga at a glance |
Things were not all good however, as the convention
functioned on a lottery system for the major panels and show exclusive merch,
and this left a lot of attendees disappointed when they were not able to get in
to certain panels or get certain merch. We “won” the lottery for the exclusive
Hasbro figures but for a day we wouldn’t be attending, but there was a
correction issued that allowed us to get those pieces anyway. A lot was made of
the shortcomings of the lottery system, but in reality, it seems like it worked
out pretty well.
Celebration gave us the opportunity to pick up a whole lot of
figures, all of which will eventually make their way here. I grabbed a number
of Black Series figures my collection
was missing, including the Kenobi and Maul which were show exclusives. Nine Black Series figures in total, seven of
which were opened, while the show exclusives will spend eternity on their
throwback Episode I carded packaging. Also added, after having passed on it at
C2E2, was the Tamashii C-3PO, which while not having received a lot of
attention just yet, is a fantastic, fantastic figure. We also struck out down
some new collecting paths, with my wife buying a Kotobyukia Rey and Finn statue
set and I buying S.H. Figuarts versions of Captain Phasma, Kylo Ren, and of
course, Darth Vader.
Probably the highest highlight of the entire convention was
the Episode IX panel and trailer launch, which we were not present for but got
to see online. The cast of the New Trilogy was present and got a tremendously
positive response from the crowd. Another massive feel good moment, actors and
actresses who have been tormented online by assholes were recipients of long
and enthusiastic applause, and they should have been. It was so cool to see the
reactions of the audience and listen to the actors talk about their experiences
working on up to three movies by this point. That panel was capped off with the
Episode IX trailer, which we now know will be titled “The Rise of Skywalker,”
despite not knowing what that really means as yet. Come on, December!
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| HyperReal Darth Vader |
As far as personal experience highlights are concerned, I would
have to say that my favorite moment of the convention was getting to talk to
Mark Boudreaux, Star Wars toy designer extraordinaire, about the upcoming
HyperReal Darth Vader, an 8”, fully articulated and highly detailed figure that
is being hyped for its having no visible joints. This is going to be realized
by covering a highly poseable metal skeleton with a soft rubber, allowing for
knees and elbows and waist and hips and shoulders to move without needing
joints cut into solid plastic parts. We got to see production samples and the
skeleton AND a finished product at the Hasbro display, and I got to take a few
minutes and talk to Boudreaux about the design and construction process. Never
before have I felt more like a guy who runs a toy blog than at that time. There
I was, right, asking critical questions about an action figure, while I was
surrounded by people asking much less impressive and informed questions. At one
point, I asked something about the rubber covering, in regards to cracking or
splitting over time, and Boudreaux gave me a little smile and started telling
me about chemicals and stuff. I kept a straight face so that it looked like I
knew what mixtures he was talking about, but I didn’t.
But really, the highlight of Celebration was spending time
with my wife, always a highlight of any occasion, but as has been said many,
many times, Star Wars is a thing that you love that you share with people you
love. That’s why parents give it to their children, and why I gave it to my
wife several years ago: because I love Star Wars, and I love my wife, so I
wanted to give her access to this thing that has made such an impact on my
life. I first saw A New Hope when I
was five or six, and aside from meeting my wife, it was probably the single
most important and impactful even of my entire life. Star Wars in many ways
helped me form into the person that I am today, taught me lessons that gave me
advice that I listen to every single day, and has also been the single most
entertaining and absorbing thing that I have ever experienced. I think
everyone, or most people, have a thing they found that made this type of
tectonic difference in their lives. I can think of three times that I’ve
experienced that, in no particular order: when I met my wife, when I first
discovered Heavy Metal music, and when I first saw Star Wars. I get to share
the love of Star Wars with my wife pretty much every day, and events like
Celebration make that feeling of having given this thing I love to someone I
love burn with such an incredible intensity. My wife bought these statues of
Rey and Finn, because the New Trilogy is her Star Wars, and she genuinely loves
the new characters in the same way that I love the Original Trilogy characters,
and that is such an incredibly amazing and inspirational thing to see in
another person. That’s why people brought their children, sometimes quite young
ones, to Celebration, or any other convention: not just to bring them or let
them see cool stuff, but to share this truly passionate love of something. All
the people who bitch and cry and froth that there’s a girl with a lightsaber or
that a new super hero movie focuses on a female character or a black character,
they don’t really love the things they claim to. A passion doesn’t falter
because they made a movie for Black Panther instead of White Male Hero #24601,
or work itself into irrational frenzy because a different character used the
Force with the same amount of training as an old, beloved character. If your passion is so easily shaken by a girl
flying a space ship without an on-screen training montage, but you were fine
with a boy character not only doing that but then also using a totally new
ability that he had ye t to have any meaningful training in blow up a battle
station simply by relying on said new untrained ability, your issue is not with
the thing you claim to love; it’s that you’ve got some deeper problem that
you’re scapegoating. No one has to like anything, and not liking a movie
several orders of magnitude different from hating a movie vitriolically because
you think a female character is somehow forcing something on you.
Unfortunately, at the end of Celebration, it was announced
that the 2020 edition of the traditionally itinerant festival will be held in
Anaheim, California. For some reason, I’d allowed myself to grow hopeful that
the organizers would announce Chicago as the permanent home of the show, and I
was legitimately crushed to find out that that improbably and unlikely
announcement was never coming. A guy can dream, though, and I certainly did. The
experience was an unbelievably wonderful one, and if there is ever an
opportunity for us to attend again, we are going to go for all five days.
Celebration truly lived up to its name, being an absolute celebration
and reveling in all things Star Wars. It reminded us that the franchise is in
good hands for the future, not only in terms of what Disney is doing and has
planned, but also in terms of the fans, despite what it often seems like thanks
to too much Internet time. The overwhelmingly positive and joyous atmosphere was
truly a thing to experience, and it was so restorative, like deep down in my
soul I feel like the world is a better place for having attended and witnessed
the love and enthusiasm for the franchise. If you ever have the opportunity to
attend a Star Wars Celebration, do it. Do it and don’t even hesitate or wonder
if it’s worth the time and money, even if it’s only for a day or two. Just do
it. Go and revel in the feeling and love of this thing that brings us together
across generations and demographics. Go and share something that you love with
people who love it as well. It just may be the best medicine for the soul and
spirit that exists.
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