Never meet your heroes is the old adage. Yet Star Wars fans are extremely fortunate that the creative minds and talent behind a galaxy, far, far away are all incredible ambassadors for the Force. Walking around the show floor of Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 there were so many familiar faces, all of whom were excited to talk to fans and share in a love for Star Wars. Doug Chiang could be found taking selfies, Kristin Baver was excitedly signing her new book, and Carl Weathers even jumped a queue to grab a hot dog.
Kat: At my first Star Wars Celebration I knew that there would be creators and famous faces walking throughout the show floor, yet never could I have realised what a wonderful experience it is getting to meet your heroes and even make new ones. Straight after walking into one of the main halls, I got to talk to Kristin Baver, famous for This Week in Star Wars and her latest book Star Wars: 100 Objects. I was actually in a queue at the time (to purchase said book) and excitedly pointed her out to my co-pilot Mark Alders. Kristin immediately came over for a quick chat and a selfie, and it was such a wonderful start to my day! Mark, you met a certain author right at the same time, didn’t you?
Mark: That I did! This was my third Celebration, the last one being in Florida 2012, and I knew that for these shows you need eyes in the back of your head. Although Kat and I went straight to one of the main halls, I had already run into someone ninety seconds inside the Excel Centre: Doug Chiang. I happened to glance behind me and saw a face that has been familiar to me since watching the Episode I documentaries on the initial DVD release. With a beaming smile, he was more than happy to have a quick selfie. I don’t think he realised how much his artwork has meant to me over the years!
By the time we got to the main hall, Kat had spotted Kristin and I was over the moon to see her walking with Star Wars author, Adam Christopher. Adam has written several Star Wars books that have been a joy to read but… confession time… as I reached into my bag, it wasn’t a Star Wars book I reached for, but a Stranger Things one! Adam has written my favourite book for that franchise, and it was wonderful to meet him, thank him and come away with a signed copy.
Kat and I then found ourselves in the queue for Forbidden Planet, one of the most popular stalls at Celebration, purchasing books galore and awaiting the Chopper pin. It was here that I really think showed Kat what fans are like and what makes Celebrations such a special place.
Kat: Yes! We’re all mad and spend more time queuing than anything else! Jokes aside, the queue did prove how wonderful Star Wars fans are. We were all very patient and chatted away while waiting to get the Chopper pin. We got talking to a family who had their cosplays planned for every day, and it was great to see so much enthusiasm from both adults and children alike.
It was also at the Forbidden Planet booth that I got my Celebration exclusive version for Cataclysm by Lydia Kang. Now I have to admit that I love special edition books, so I knew I had to get this exclusive with its yellow sprayed edges. It was also pre-signed, and little did I know what would happen later that day. Over by the Del Ray booth we bumped into Lydia who was absolutely brilliant to talk to. I must have spent at least five minutes gushing everything Axel Greylark, because who doesn’t love Axel? He’s definitely been one of Lydia’s favourite characters to write (aside from Yaddle). Lydia then personalised my copy of Cataclysm with some adorable star doodles, and meanwhile Mark, you were having quite a fan moment with a certain comic writer…
Mark: It was great to meet Lydia, the latest writer to The High Republic era, and have her personalise our exclusive books. But yes, Lydia was walking around the floor with none other than Alyssa Wong, writer for Doctor Aphra and the recently released (and incredible) Ewoks one shot. They also announced they would be joining The High Republic too! Having reviewed the series for almost three years (…feeling slightly old saying that!) it was wonderful to talk to Alyssa about all things Aphra: favourite characters, storylines and just how frustrating Aphra and Tolvan are. It meant a huge amount to meet them in person and was one of my highlights of the first day.
Before long we were traversing all the halls, looking at the wonderful displays, the stores and everything in between. As with any Celebration, there was a lot to see and we made our way around several times over the course of the weekend, seeing some incredible sights. One of the biggest highlights for me was the Funko Games stand, where Kat and I got to demo the new Star Wars Rivals game! An amazing game, with an amazing demonstrator guiding us through the game. I did also go to Atomic Mass’ stall for a demo of Shatterpoint. The demo wasn’t great to be honest, our guide got a little too distracted by those around him, but what I will say, the models did look incredible. How about you Kat, any highlights from the floor itself?
Kat: Everything on the show floor was mesmerising, but the part I particularly loved and tried to go early to every morning was by the Live Stage. Every day there were different Lucasfilm props on display, including K2-SO and Nien Nunb’s costume. Getting to see those close up was really special, and not something I’ve experienced since attending the Star Wars: Identities exhibition at the O2 Centre a few years ago.
It was also on Saturday morning that I had the chance to talk to Cavan Scott! Now I review his main comic title that’s currently ongoing – The High Republic (2022) – so wanted to talk a little bit about that. Cavan very graciously gave me some insights into Tey Sirrek, who is my favourite from this series, and some of the inspiration behind the sarcastic Sephi. That wasn’t the last of Team Luminous we got to meet that day though and Mark you basically ran up to Daniel José Older!
Mark: Older’s understanding of Star Wars, the Force and how to create a proper story in a galaxy far, far away has made him one of my all-time favourite authors. In the hallway, my sixth sense, spotted Older and fellow authors, Charles Soule and Alyssa Wong. And yes, I did run over and muttering in Older’s ear that we should probably talk about Bluey (if you know, you know!). Not only was it another opportunity to say hello to authors we have followed for years, but I got to talk to Soule about his latest Kickstarter – one definitely to check out.
One of the biggest draws for Celebration are the guests and there was a huge range. My son (Charlie) and I had booked three photo shoots. The first was with the four The Clone Wars voice actors, who were very gracious, Ashley wonderful and kind (she’s exactly as you’d expect) but we were very quickly rushed through. The same could be said when we met Ming-Na Wen, a few words but quickly through. Although a thrill, it did feel a bit like a conveyor belt. Our third guest we saw on Saturday, and for both me and my son, she was the highlight of the event: Katee Sackoff. In case you didn’t know, it was Katee’s birthday on the Saturday and so my son and I thought we’d do something special. So, in we went with party hats on and a birthday badge for the birthday girl. The look on her face, the surprise, the joy, was clearly evident but the fact she told the photographer to stop and wait for her to put her badge on was priceless. Could it get any better to have such a cool and unique photo op? Well, when leaving she thanked us and told us the badge would not be coming off. Having seen photos of the day, I can confirm it didn’t come off and that meant all the more to my son and I (who was giddy with Starbuck’s reaction – so say we all!). It really was incredible and if you have a photo with the badge, now you know! Kat, I know you got to meet someone who was equally special for you…
Kat: I did indeed. For those who don’t know me I am a huge fan of the First Order. Now usually this is my pretty well known Kylo Ren addiction, but I love everyone from the First Order. Including a certain chrome, Captain. When I heard that Gwendoline Christie was coming to Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, I knew I had to meet her! Not only do I adore Gwendoline in Star Wars, I love her work in The Sandman and Wednesday on Netflix. Originally, I just had an autograph booked, and it was here that I did manage a few words with Captain Phasma herself. But then I saw everyone’s photos on Twitter with their favourite celebrities and I will admit that the FOMO kicked in!
So, I booked a photo op later on in the day and it was wonderful. Gwendoline kept smiling all the way through and I wore my Her Universe Captain Phasma inspired jacket in the photo, so it’s a moment I will treasure forever. Even if I do look absolutely tiny in the photo!
While we were meeting stars from the big screen at the official photo-ops and signings, there were a few local celebrities on the show floor that day. Mark, your spidey senses picked up on a certain television presenter, right?
Mark: They are very well trained! We ran into David Whiteley, an ITV News presenter but for Star Wars fans, he did the documentaries The Galaxy Britain Built and Toy Empire. Although we had worked with David over lockdown, it was the first time we’d actually got to meet him in person and catch up with him!
Panels. Love them or hate them they are a part of Celebration. We got to partake in a few. The first was a collecting panel all about the bizarre collectibles of Britain. It was informative, funny and engaged everybody who was in the room. However, the only issue was it was set-up very close to the Celebration Live Stage, making it sometimes difficult to hear the hosts. We did each get a coin with a vintage Star Wars figure on too. I have to say I love these and if I had more time I would have tried for the set! We also attended Brian Herring’s panel, the Creature Cantina. Talk about an experience Kat!
Kat: It was a riot! We attended this panel on a bit of a whim, but it ended up being a Celebration highlight. Brian Herring opened the panel quite seriously, explaining the technical challenges that the team at ILM have to overcome to create the details of the aliens, creatures, and droids that populate the Star Wars universe. It was an absolutely fascinating insight, which then took a turn when some members of the audience were invited on stage to participate in a live demonstration.
And then we had a Star Wars pantomime! As one of the audience members donned an alien costume and another helped to animate the alien’s head, Brian led a quick story about how the characters were escaping an angry mob boss. I couldn’t stop laughing! Between the alien pretending to be Brian’s cousin ‘Larry’, to Brian’s budget friendly costume, and then the big reveal at the end – Ian McDiarmid himself!
Mark: It was incredible to see McDiarmid on stage, and like you say, another highlight! Of course, we also had a lot of reveals in the form of trailers, films, guests, the list goes on and on. Thankfully, for those not in attendance, most of these were viewable immediately after the panels. There was such a buzz with all the news, we members of Jedi News were back and forth on WhatsApp, sharing every bit of news!
Now unfortunately I was only able to do the Friday and Saturday. As a father of a six-year-old, I had to get back ready for Easter and go on our annual easter hunt with my daughter, who gave me a very stern look with, “you will be back daddy?” I mean, you can’t really say no to that! It was with a heavy heart leaving the show Saturday. Kat, what were the highlights for you of the remaining two days?
Kat: Well on Sunday my highlight was attending the Villains of the Sequel Trilogy panel in person, getting to listen to Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, and Ian McDiarmid. This was a fascinating insight into the villains that have inspired them over the years, why they enjoy encapsulating these darker roles, and just how much Star Wars means to them all. I particularly could have listened to Gwendoline speak for hours. She’s so passionate about the role of Captain Phasma and I really hope that the character can come back in another Star Wars project – especially since Brendol Hux just appeared in The Mandalorian.
My other highlight from later that day was Emily Swallow’s surprise hosting of the Funko panel! Although she was losing her voice, she persevered like a true Mandalorian, and there were some great reveals. Not to mention Emily did live modelling of the exclusive Loungefly Armourer inspired bag.
I must admit Mark that without your spidey senses the rest of my weekend was pretty quiet, as I ran from panel to panel trying to cover as much as possible for Jedi News. Some downtime did arrive on Monday morning when I got the opportunity to help host RADIO 1138 live with very special guest – Ethan Sacks and Gary Hailes. Now Ethan is probably best known for his work on the current Bounty Hunters series by Marvel comics, but I absolutely adored his Allegiance series which tied into The Rise of Skywalker. As we were setting up, I got to talk to Ethan about Allegiance and he signed my favourite issue from the 4-part mini-series, so that’s a very special memento of the day.
While getting signatures and photos was an amazing part of the entire weekend, just being able to meet the heroes of Star Wars and getting to thank them for all their incredible work was what made it truly special. It’s letting these creators know that us fans appreciate all the hard work they put into the galaxy far, far away.
