Let’s face it: Star Wars fandom is second to none. It has grown to the point where Lucasfilm could just rely on all of the hundreds of blogs (including this one) and podcasts out there for getting the word out and it would almost be as good as multimillion dollar ad campaigns. The fan base is rabid and vocal. Thankfully, it has grown more inclusive over the years so that voices that haven’t been heard now also can share their love of Star Wars.
At Celebration this no more evident than at the Fan Stage. The Fan Stage is at Stage W308 on the 3rd floor. We will try to attend as many of these as we can.
Thursday
We Are a Legion The Star Wars Costuming Clubs’ Leadership Panel: Cosplaying Star Wars goes well beyond the 501st and Rebel Legion. There are the the Mandalorian Mercs, The Dark Empire, and the Saber Guild. This is a great way for fans new to cosplaying to learn about the different groups they can join. 12:30-1:30pm.
Meet the 501st Legion They may represent the Dark Side of the force in their costumes, but their charity work is all good. This panel will explain how to join and the mission of the Legion. 2-3pm
Star Wars Authentics Autographs This is the company handling the autograph hall of Celebration. They are part of TOPPS so they have tons of experience in autograph collecting. This panel will examine the issues facing collectors (forgeries, in particular) and how Star Wars Authentics plans on dealing with these issues. This would be an interesting panel for us since we are avid autograph collectors. 3:30-4:30pm
Meet the Mandalorian Mercs Like the 501st, these cosplayers look good and help people out. If you love the style of the Mandalorians, and who doesn’t, then this is the panel for you. 5-6pm
Collider Jedi Council The crew from Collider Jedi Council will discuss canon and everything else Star Wars. They will also take questions from the audience. 6:30-7:30
Droid Building 101 This panel is hosted by the R2-D2 Builders Club. They will talk about their history and the challenges and rewards of building droids. They will discuss materials and tools needed as well and allow you to pick their brains. 8-9pm
Friday
Rendezvous Point: The Military of Star Wars This panel will look at how military thinking affects the plot of Star Wars. 10:30-11:30 am
Saber Guild: Anatomy of a Fight Scene This panel will look saber fights and compare them to famous sword battles. Also, since the Saber Guild is a cosplay and performance organization, they will explain their mission and how you can get involved. 12-1pm
Ladies of the Legion: A Woman’s Guide to Costuming While some of the most iconic and greatest heroes of the galaxy are women, they are simply more male characters in the movies. Just a simple fact, not a judgment. This does bring challenges for women cosplayers. This panel will discuss those challenges and discuss the groups available for female cosplayers. 1:30-2:30pm
Star Wars Movie Trivia Schmoedown: Witwer vs Napzok vs Campea Appernetly, Sam Witwer (voice of Darth Maul) and Freddie Prinze Jr (voice of Kanaan) faced Ken Napzok and John Campea of Collider in a Star Wars Trivia contest. At this contest, Mr. Witwer proved he is second to none in his knowledge of the franchise. He will attempt to prove this was no fluke when he takes on Mr. CAmpea and Mr. Napzok at Celebration. 3-4pm
Extreme Droid Building When I first read this, I thought it would have the builders blindfolded or hanging upside down while building their droids. Actually, it’s about builders who droids pushed the envelope with their creativity and functionality. 4:30-5:30pm
Fantasy Flight Games: Star Wars Tabletop Games The Game company will give a preview of their great games that they offer such as Destiny and X-Wing. Mrs. Nola Nerd Couple’s sisters both play these games with their significant others. We have bought X-Wing but have yet to play it. But we will. Maybe going to this panel will make us finally do it…that and summer. 6-7pm
The Life & Times of Han Solo Fans look at the life of the human half of our favorite smuggling team in the galaxy. 7:30-8:30 pm
Saturday
Down and Dirty Mandalorian Armor Another opportunity for fans to learn how to make Mandalorian cosplay and about the Mandalorian Mercs. What makes this panel different, is that they will develop costumes for two lucky audience members. 10:30-11:30am
501st Legion: Costuming in a Galaxy Far, Far Away This panel will dig deep into the building one’s own costume and props. 12-1pm
Prop Building on a Galactic Scale This is one of those panels that make my jaw drop. People, much craftier than us, build these life-size replicas of props from the movies. These builders will share their stories. 1:30-2:30 pm
Of Mice and Medical: The Other Droids of Star Wars This panel will be a lesson on the droids used in Star Wars. 3-4pm
These are Not the Writers You are Looking For: Bloggers Discuss Writing About Star Wars You get to meet your favorite (well some of your favorite bloggers since we aren’t a part of this panel hehe) bloggers of Star Wars content. 4:30-5:30pm
The Rebel Legion Costuming Community: Rebellions are Built on Hope The Rebel Legion cosplay as the good guys and raise money for various charities. Of course, they work closely with the other costuming communities because it’s about making the galaxy a better place. They will give you insights into what kind of costumes fit’s their guidelines and how you can join. 6-7pm
Whose Line is it, Alderaan? Looking to laugh? This is the panel for you with Star Wars inspired improv. 7:30-8:30pm
Sunday
501st Legion: Bad Guys Who Do Good This panel focuses on the charitable works for the 501st, which is extensive. 10:30-11:30 am
The Making of The Star Wars remake! – a fan film Here the stories behind the fan film remake. 12-1pm
The Galactic Academy: Judge Us By Our Size, Do Not! The Galactic Academy is a costuming community for children. This will tell more about the organization. 1:30-2:30pm
Women in A Galaxy Far, Far Away Star Wars has always made a point to create female heroes. However, like in Revenge of the Sith, it sometimes forgets that they are there. This roundtable discussion discusses the contributions the female characters of Star Wars and also look at how the saga can become even more inclusive. This is one panel I would like love to attend if I can. 3-4pm
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