Star Wars Celebration Chicago: Episode VI – Ending of the Celebration [From 18/April-2019]26/2/2020 The Celebration at Chicago proved to be a good one. But for the 20th of Celebration, it seemed a little… sparse. There was certainly a celebration of The Phantom Menace, but aside from its beginnings there seemed little about Celebration itself. It also doesn’t help that this year there seemed less going on during the livestream. It seems bad to say so, but it felt like Anaheim in 2015 – the first Celebration to have a livestream.
Panels that would have been entertaining to watch were missed out even with large gaps of roughly two hours where they could have easily slotted in. The interviews with the guests were good to listen in on, but there were times where they were recapping events we had just seen.
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Star Wars Celebration Chicago: Episode V – The Fun Celebration Memories [From 16/April-2019]26/2/2020 The final day certainly felt like the final day. It was a day of looking back and the final celebration of many 20s. The Phantom Menace, Resistance, and the Closing Ceremony all took the time to look back at all the fun that’s been had with various aspects of Star Wars, and at the end of the day the announcement of the next.
The Phantom Menace panel took a look back at the film, with some of the production staff coming up to talk starting out, creating the effects and designs, and working together to bring these worlds and characters to life. As well as their favourite moments of working on it. There’s a good number of things said during this half, with two of those on stage talking of their cameos within the film. Day Three was set to be my favourite of all the days with just those three words. The Clone Wars. And that panel was a great one. There were plenty of things to see from the show floor and the guests, and the continued celebration of The Phantom Menace with an interesting look at its design.
The Mandalorian had Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau talking about how they met and the project got started. Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, and Carl Weathers are brought out and talk of introducing their characters. Those at the panel then got to see some footage that lasted three minutes based on the timer that those on the livestream got to see. A story of working with the 501st Cosplayers is shared, behind-the-scenes of building props is shown – including the ship that The Mandalorian uses – and using the miniatures in flight tests. The second day of Star Wars Celebration gave a real in-depth look at some of the stuff that makes up Galaxy’s Edge and how this is the absolute Star Wars experience that anyone can enjoy.
The best part of the day was the fans and their love for the series, as shown in the Rebels Remembered and Sisters of the Force panels. And who could not love getting a first look at the first proper solo experience in Star Wars gaming for more than five years. Galaxy’s Edge had a preview on the Star Wars Show stage, saying how it will be an absolutely immersive experience. You can feel Star Wars. You can taste it. Smell it. There’s a lot going in to keep it authentic to the Star Wars universe, and everything seen is practical. And the droid from Star Tours is a DJ within the Black Spire Outpost. The first day of the Celebration Chicago livestream has come to an end. And what a day it was. Guests aplenty, some great reveals, and an absolutely wild crowd that’s relishing every moment. I certainly enjoyed this first day, with the livestream providing good entertainment throughout.
The Episode IX panel proved to answer a few much needed questions, but gave many more. Starting us off were JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy with some hints about the film and providing a few laughs at question dodging. Then came Anthony Daniels. I knew this man would provide great amounts of entertainment whenever he got on stage, and he proved that here. Then we got confirmation that Lando Calrissian is in the movie as Billy Dee Williams is called on stage. Lando never left him, and everyone was awed to have him on set. And he is sick and tired of getting accused of betraying Han Solo! Did anyone die during the Bespin incursion? I think not! Star Wars Celebration has officially begun! For everyone who is there at Chicago, I hope you enjoy it. The panels and the livestreams won’t start until tomorrow, giving the opportunity to look ahead to what is happening across the next four days.
And first off, I’ve confirmed how I’ll be covering it all. Each day will have its own post, talking about everything that happened on that day on the livestream. There’s been the main events already confirmed as appearing which will bring a good amount of talk, but extras such as other panels being shown and interviews with guests are sure to bring even more. Saturday was a real blast. The two main things I was looking forward to have been amazing. Starting with Rebels, it has been confirmed season four will be the last.
This family of actors we've had portraying the Ghost crew were up on stage. Tiya Sircar, Steve Blum, Taylor Grey, Vanessa Marshall, and Freddie Prinze Jr. sat with Dave Filoni to look back on the third season and what is coming in the fourth. There was some great interaction between the cast, and this is possibly the final time they will all be together. It's a special moment then, and one that certainly was felt among them upon Dave's announcement of it being the last season. The first day of streams for Celebration was really an explosive opening. The 40 Years of Star Wars panel had surprises galore, and nowhere was that apparent than George Lucas being introduced on stage by Kathleen Kennedy.
Lucas stayed on stage to interact with the other guests that appeared, and they came in force. Dave Filoni and discussion of how George was a mentor to him throughout The Clone Wars. Hayden Christensen appears at his first Celebration since 2002, and he is joined by Ian McDiarmid, as the two discuss their roles with particular emphasis on Revenge of the Sith and the opera scene. The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis The Wise. This is brought up again during McDiarmid's panel, with quite a bit of time spent on it. Star Wars Celebration is starting off the party right. The 40th anniversary party for the franchise. That shows in the fact the first panel is called '40 Years of Star Wars', and The Star Wars Show pretty much hyped it up as something big.
Hayden Christensen will be returning to Celebration after fifteen years, and a lot of other big names from the franchise will be at the panel. It kicks off the Celebration on Thursday 13th at 11:00 ET [16:00 for those in the UK]. The panel runs for an hour and a half, so this is sure to be something special. Most other morning panels run for an hour and a half, which must show how much content they have to talk about - even if they aren't showing stuff for most of it. It was quite a three day event, is the first thing I'll say. As per last year - in terms of trailers - I did feel the Rebels Season 3 trailer overshadows the Rogue One behind-the-scenes trailer, and despite the fact we never saw it on the livestream, the actual trailer as well.
The animation team has the ability to draw on more material without giving too much away, since just six 20 minute episodes will almost match an entire film. Double that six, and there's enough material to make a trailer for just half a season without giving anything important away. |