January 15, 2011
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Star Wars Celebration V: A Retrospective
Star Wars. Two words, eight letters, a galaxy’s worth of adventure.
Before I launch into the details of this look back at the recent convention in Orlando, I must get something clear from the outset: I love Star Wars.
It has been at times a tempestuous affair, with more than its fair share of highs and lows, but that affection has never fully left me. The saga set so long ago and far away has been one of the pillars of my development as a pop-culture aficionado, alongside such mighty contemporaries as superhero comic books and the works of Jim Henson. My personal pantheon of heroes and role models features such luminaries of the saga as Ben Kenobi, Han Solo, and of course my personal favourite Luke Skywalker.
I’ve attended science fiction conventions aplenty in my time as a science fiction fan, but if I had to call to mind my absolute favourite convention experiences, the Star Wars Celebrations would be up there in the top five.
Star Wars Celebration V ran from August 12-15th and celebrated not only the thirtieth anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, but also the entire breadth and scope of Star Wars fandom. This year, as with 2007’s Celebration IV, I travelled with my friends in the Tosche Station chapter of the Star Wars Fan Force, as the only thing better than attending a celebration is attending with friends and fellow fans alike.
Touching down in Orlando I had to give the convention staff credit, they picked a fine venue to best simulate the heat of Tatooine. Never before has the first rule of conventions—hydration—been made quite so apparent. Fortunately with our hotel a mere five minute stroll from the convention centre we didn’t suffer a great deal, but journeys for food and trips to relay swag back to the hotel room in the warm sun definitely made the heat a noticeable presence.
The Orlando convention centre was spacious to the extreme, allowing for a great deal of room that did a lot to alleviate the slightly claustrophobic feel of most cons. A quick trip to the will-call booth within the spacious and delightfully air-conditioned) building and it was off to the hotel to prepare for the days to follow. A simple rundown of the essentials:
1) Comfortable shoes (vital, as a Star Wars fan spends a great deal of time in line)
2) Walkie-talkie (quick, easy way to stay in touch with friends without cell/text bills skyrocketing)
3) Swag-bag (for con plunder)
4) Camera (for snapping pictures of anything and everything in sight)
5) Star Wars Fan Force Shirts (to represent Calgary in style)
Armed with these items and fortified by a meal, copies of the schedule were laid out in the hotel rooms and plans were made. Upon the morrow the campaign would begin in earnest, but that night the key word was anticipation. Sheer anticipation and the exuberant thrill of being on-site at something we’d been looking forward to for over three years.
Veterans of the convention floor will know of the sheer chaos of the experience, the sensory overload one experiences over the course of a given event. I can only speak of my own journey through the madness of those three days and nights in the briefest terms, not merely due to the length considerations of this piece but also due to the fact that so much happened within so brief a span of time that it all compresses into a perfect storm of exhilaration, excitement, and exhaustion.
Revelations and fond recollections from the con include:
-Meeting and speaking with fans from as far away as England, Denmark, and Australia.
-Attending the Dark Horse Comics/Del Rey panel and hearing of their plans for the comic book/novel co-venture Star Wars: Knight Errant, set between The Old Republic MMORPG and Star Wars Episode One.
-Standing next to a life-sized scale replica TIE Interceptor, and getting my picture taken beside it.
-Sitting at the holographic chess set recreated from the crew lounge of the Millennium Falcon.
-Being gobsmacked by the amazingly intricate works of fan art; be it on the page, in the creation of elaborate and intricately detailed costumes, or even working, rolling RD-D2s. All of it in the service of Star Wars, and all of it lovingly crafted.
-Walking through the Ralph McQuarrie exhibit and looking upon the evolution of the look of Star Wars from early conceptual drawings to promotional materials and more.
-Attending the Fan Mixer on Friday night, in which an otherwise disappointing affair involving people playing with lightsabers evolved into a dance party of epic proportions. Seriously, we tore it up, re-arranged it, re-assembled it, and then left it utterly devastated. Amazingly fun.
-Taking The Last Tour to Endor, the last real chance for fans to enjoy the classic Disney Star Tours ride before it was renovated into a prequel-era ride. Our little band of very stoked, very vocal fans was so beloved we got called back into a car to ride with an entirely new set of passengers.
-Attending the Why We Love The Prequels and having some of my more smug assertions about the first three episodes in the Star Wars saga challenged by the like of Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni and Fanboys director Kyle Newman. One thing you have to grant about Star Wars, it generates debate, and sometimes that give and take can make for fascinating discussion.
-Attending a screening of The Main Event, an interview between George Lucas and The Daily Show’s own John Stewart, which was a mixture of wry humor and insightful commentary.
But more than anything else I remember just the feeling of warmth and community, a sensation that I haven’t experienced at other conventions with greater diversity. Here we all were, united by a common love of that long ago time in our youth where we travelled to a universe of heroes and villains, of good and evil on an epic scale.
Celebration V was an amazingly fun time, in which I began to see the first glimmerings of the torch being passed from one generation to the next. Where elsewhere this might leave one with a sense of melancholy, or a desperate need to cling to nostalgia, for me it left an impression of both joy and hope. Star Wars fans young and old need not fear for the future. The Force will be with you. . .always.
To contact the author of this post: stacy.dooks@wildgunmen.com
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