Star Wars Celebration V Thoughts

As the month comes to a close, I thought I'd make a final post to close the chapter on Celebration V.  As I was going through all the photos and video again, I had a few shots left that I thought were interesting and wanted to post, but I also thought I'd sum up the weekend with a few final thoughts now that I've had time to let the full experience sink in.

Celebration V is the fourth Celebration that I've been able to attend and after thinking about it for a couple of weeks, I feel that this may have been the best event yet.  The convention seemed to run smoothly for the entire weekend, with a few miscues on Thursday that were quickly ironed out (Acme Art Show checkout comes to mind).

Thursday

Thursday, the first day of the con, started with a flurry as priorities such as the Art Show and The Art of Ralph McQuarrie displays were early stops before attending the Producing the Saga with Robert Watts panel.

I also fit in the Models of The Empire Strikes Back panel with Jon Berg & Lorne Peterson.  Both panels were very informative and some of the stories and photos presented were incredible.

The day ended with a photo shoot with the Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society and the Star Wars Collectors' Social before heading off to dinner with several friends.

Friday

Friday was another busy day and it kicked off with a huge surprise.  We'd heard on Thursday that a VIP would be touring the show on Friday morning.  Many of us thought that it would be Mark Hamill as he was scheduled for his first day of autographs.  However, on entering the convention center early, I found that the VIP was actually George Lucas.  My first glimpse of him was as he was coming out of the 501st Legion's room.  Luckily, I had my camera handy and was able to catch a great photo of him as he was heading to the third level of the center.

George Lucas

Hasbro's panel was Friday afternoon and we got our first look at some new figures that we'll be seeing later this year on pegs.  I've been to two Hasbro panels for Star Wars, and one at this years G.I. Joe convention, and it's interesting to hear info about the toys directly from the people responsible for their creation.  It was also interesting covering a panel live to the web, via Twitter, and I hope some of you enjoyed it.

I spent most of the day Friday taking photos around the convention, including photographing The Art of Ralph McQuarrie display and Gentle Giant's booth.

Over the course of the weekend, artist Eric Maruscak created a huge chalk Clone Wars drawing on the floor of the Exhibit Hall.  As the weekend progressed, he drew and colored the piece before revealing a new Clone Wars season 3 villain, Savage Opress.  I've seen Eric's work at Wizard World Philadelphia (now Philly Comic Con) and he never ceases to amaze.

One of the main highlights for Friday night were the room sales at the Rosen Centre.  Moved from actual rooms to an empty hallway on the second floor, the floor was literally covered with collectibles from the early days of the hobby to current items.  One of the main parts of the sales is seeing old friends, the social aspect of the room sales is sometimes more fun than actually shopping.

Saturday

Saturday was the day for The Main Event, George Lucas' big interview with Jon Stewart.  Many camped out all night for a shot at one of the 2,600 live seats while others waited to see him streamed live to meeting rooms around the convention center.  I chose to skip the event, instead spending the morning in the autograph hall where I had the opportunity to meet Mark Hamill.  It was quick, but memorable, and I'm glad I had the opportunity.

I also took the time to visit with Ben Burtt, Gary Kurtz and Robert Watts.  Spending a few minutes with Mr. Watts will always be one of my favorite memories from Celebration V.  All three were very friendly and gracious with their time and it may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to have met them.

The rest of the day was spent photographing the 501st Legion's room along with the TK Project helmets.  A visit to the Droid Builders room was also on the agenda.  Between the costumes and the droids, it really amazes at just how talented Star Wars fans can be.

The Main Event was the opening for a brilliant Saturday, and Last Tour to Endor was the perfect cap.  After the show closed for the day, we bussed over to Disney where we had the opportunity to see a wonderfully produced mashup of Indiana Jones and Star Wars, titled "Raiders of the Lost Jedi Temple of Doom."  Attending the show was also my second opportunity of the weekend to see George Lucas, who attended along with several voice actors from The Clone Wars, Anthony Daniels and Seth Green, who was in town representing his Robot Chicken Star Wars specials.

And, of course, what would the Last Tour be without a ride on the Star Tours attraction?  We actually rode through it twice before heading to Tatooine Traders to hang out for a few minutes.  As the night was coming to a close, Disney put on an amazing fireworks display set to John Williams' wonderful soundtrack.

If I had to pick one day of the convention as the best, I think Saturday would be it.  There were so many treats throughout the day that it stands out amidst all the excellent days.

Sunday

The last day of Celebration is always a mixed blessing.  You're ready for it to be over, because after three long days filled to the brim with all things Star Wars, you almost need a breather, but you're also sad because it'll be time to return to the real world.

Sunday morning I made my last stops in the autograph hall where I met the energetic Ashley Eckstein and the talented Dee Baker.  Both are fun and seem to really enjoy meeting the fans.

The rest of the day was filled with photos of the wonderful Hasbro dioramas, many costumed fans, some last minute shopping and even a few minutes in the Modeling the Galaxy panel, again with Jon Berg and Lorne Peterson.

I spent two hours at the Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society booth selling our charity medallion and handing out the final pieces to our patch.

With one hour left after my shift on the booth, I soaked in a few final memories, took some more photos and even snuck in a final purchase before the lights went down on Celebration V.

The final dinner of the convention was at the buffet in the Rosen Centre, and I had the opportunity to sit down with several PSWCS members and go over the weekend's events.  Meeting people at a convention such as Celebration is always easy, but when you can travel with a large group of friends, it really adds to the experience as you get to share the little things you discovered during the show and hear about the things you missed.

Monday

My final day in Florida was spent at Universal's Island of Adventure park where I spent much of the day in the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter area.  As if spending four days at a Star Wars convention wasn't enough to confirm geek status, drinking butter beer and shopping for magic wands should put it over the top.

Hogwarts

Wrap Up

I drove to Florida and back with two PSWCS members, and while the drive was long (much longer coming home), it was well worth it.  It's hard to come up with too many more ways to have as much fun; spending time in Florida with thousands of fellow Star Wars fans, meeting new people and catching up with old friends is an incredible experience.

Star Wars Celebration V will be in a lot of people's thoughts a memories long after its close.  The good memories should tide us all over till we start getting antsy waiting for the announcement of the next Celebration.  I, for one, can not wait to do it all again.

 

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