Star Wars Celebration 2023 was held all the way back in April of this year in London and though this post is well after that the few hours left until Ahsoka’s premiere on Disney Plus warranted a look back at that special time. This was an event that I have desperately wanted to attend as long as I can remember but for one reason or another, I was never able to. This year I was determined to change that and looking back I am so glad I did. Not only was this my first Celebration but also my first real convention that I had attended. I thought I knew what I was in for with everything I had seen over the years either on television or social media. I was so wrong. There is so much more to these events than buying merchandise or hurrying to get in line for panels. That was wisdom I had to learn as the four days of this Celebration went by. However, this post will make its focus on the main panels I attended and Ahsoka Tano because there are only a few short hours to go until the highly anticipated first episode’s release.
To begin, the only panel that I managed to have the opportunity to attend on the main stage was the Villains of the Sequel Trilogy panel. Unlike the other main panels I attended there were no trailers or sneak peaks shown at the panels conclusion, but this panel had just as much to offer as the others. The main perk at the time was realizing that I could sleep in compared to the other days where I had to make sure I woke up early so that I might have a slim chance of getting into one of the morning panels on one of the other stages. The highlight of this panel was the opportunity of hearing Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, and Ian McDiarmid discuss the roles they played in Star Wars among a few other things. Hearing these actors mention their passion and appreciation of their place in the franchise meant a lot to us fans in attendance because that created an additional appreciation for the franchise and actors who help create it. Hearing the actors like Gwendoline go in detail about how much they love Star Wars and the desire of being a part of it made it less of a panel and more of an experience where we were all just a bunch of Star Wars fans hanging out in a room together. Though the panel was for the villains Andy Serkis was shown love for his standout character of Kino Loy from the Andor series. Fans at more than one point chanted, “One way out” to show the actor how much his character stood out to his fans. Then the Emperor himself, Ian McDiarmid was such a pleasure to see. Being a fan of this franchise since I was five, seeing and hearing Ian discuss his role and the franchise as a whole meant so much to me and made the experience that much more memorable. No there wasn’t any big reveals at the end but leaving the room feeling like I just spent a couple hours hanging out with three fans who played integral parts in the saga was a very cool experience that I wouldn’t take back.
Next, considering it is a convention with lots of news I did attend several panels and was lucky enough to hear and see quite a few panels with reveals. Some haven’t even been released yet. Acolyte being the main one. I’m going to save the publishing panels for a later post but only because they were so enjoyable to me as someone who can’t get enough of books and Star Wars literature. The Bad Batch trailer was a nice reveal with amazing animation as usual though I am sad to see it end. With the Batch coming to an end, I think one major question on the minds of fans of the animation is, “What’s next?” Star Wars animation has been one of the strongest areas of the franchise and it’s hard to imagine much time passing without a major player in that area. Besides Ahsoka, the Acolyte trailer proved to be my favorite reveal of the weekend. I’ve heard news and speculation since but coming from someone who watched the trailer, I can’t wait for people to see this. Visually speaking, I love the prequels and to see that area of the saga return but with the High Republic addition was the most pleasing part to me. Plus, there were so many Jedi in that brief trailer and that in my opinion an only be a plus. Squeezing my way into these panels was more work than I expected but the rewards were worth it. The reveals were the draw, but in the time spent waiting I had the opportunity to meet more fans than I have ever been around before in my life and that comraderie was something that has me yearning to attend more. The exclusives may have been the main appeal but the comraderie was the addition that made it truly memorable.
Last, but certainly not least, Ahsoka Tano. I knew on the day the Ahsoka panel took place that I needed to make sure to get to the convention center early. I was placed in one of the standby lines and make conversation with two other fans to spend the time waiting. We were of the agreement that if we did make it in, we would be extremely lucky. In the end, we were some of the last people let into the Galaxy Stage for the panel. Luck was on our side it seemed, or maybe it was the Force? This panel was the one I had most anticipated on the schedule that was released for the weekend so getting into this, even though not on the main stage, was a big win for me. Hearing Rosario Dawson, Dave Filoni and the other cast members involved discuss the show, its legacy, the character of Ahsoka, and more was so fun. Growing up watching the Clone Wars cartoon and continuing that with Rebels made this show my most anticipated so far. One thing I did to prepare for Celebration was binge-watch the entire Star Wars saga to add to my already high level of hype for the event. Having all that information and the emotions paired with it made hearing the discussions more memorable especially the times when Dave Filoni added in. Seeing Rosario Dawson’s love, appreciation, and excitement for playing the part of Ahsoka and buildup for this show was contagious. As the cast and crew were introduced, each one adding into discussion and helping in their own way in building excitement it seemed the air was filled with it. Some actors could add very little to the discussion. Ray Stevenson who plays Baylan Skoll in particular was required to be secretive. With Ray’s recent passing I am glad he was showered with love and excitement for his character at Celebration. Truly, it was his added secretiveness that has added to the excitement surrounding his character. At east, it has for me. I spent a lot of my time growing up consuming Star Wars media and have my own theories for where Dave is taking his portion of the franchise but Baylan Skoll is one that I have few theories on. Only excitement. Wil Dave recreate and adapt the now famous Heir to the Empire trilogy written by Timothy Zahn? Part of me hopes so. I understand the Sequel Trilogy is where it all leads; however, there is much from the Legends era that can still be adapted and included, and it looks like the trilogy featuring the famous Grand Admiral Thrawn could be one. Speaking of Thrawn, When Lars Mikkelsen was announced and walked out on the stage, I don’t think there was another moment at Star Wars Celebration that exuded that much emotion and excitement. The panel ended with a showing of the trailer not once but twice! The trailer we were shown then was one that included footage that wouldn’t be released with the teasers like the images of Thrawn’s face. The hype at Celebration for the Ahsoka show was real and the amount of Ahsoka cosplays I seen while walking around were quite a bit. The release of this show in just a few hours feels like the culmination of years of buildup for the character of Ahsoka but also a major section of the franchise. This series will see the transition to live action for many animated characters and what I’ve seen so far, it has been well worth the wait.
Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 was an experience like no other. I knew going in that attending panels was a major part of the experience, but I didn’t expect the experience to be more than waiting in line and hearing people talk with maybe a teaser here or there. Spending hours in line meeting other fans, realizing while listening to the actors that they’re fans just like me, and seeing trailers and the reactions all reminded me why Star Wars is my favorite franchise because it really is something special. And in just a few hours a truly special show will release its first episode featuring a character of the franchise that probably has the most development of them all. Star Wars Celebration was memorable and having attended the panel I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the hype for Ahsoka is real.
