Day Two of Star Wars Celebration Orlando 2017 continued the trend of awesome. It began with the start of Star Wars: The Last Jedi panel. Hosted by Star Wars superfan Josh Gad, this was a comedic and informative panel about the upcoming Star Wars film. He was joined by director Rian Johnson, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and several of the Star Wars: The Last Jedi Cast. The whole panel led to the reveal of the first teaser for the film. The day also included a celebration of the women of Star Wars, some humor courtesy of Warwick Davis, and a poignant panel led by Mark Hamill to remember Carrie Fisher. Here are five highlights of the second day Star Wars Celebration Orlando that should NOT be missed:
1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi Teased Too Much?
The big hope for Star Wars fans around the galaxy has been the wish for a new teaser! Rian Johnson and team revealed this first teaser. However the teaser was revealed with a tease first that almost had the audience turn on Johnson and crew. Rian Johnson offered a teaser poster and while the fans were thankful they also were clearly confused and disappointed. Enough so that Kathleen Kennedy jumped in and assured them that more was coming! Nevertheless, the teaser was finally shown (twice) and now the world is analyzing what the future of the Jedi will be.
2. Small Talk with Warwick Davis is big on fun!
Warwick Davis isn’t just a star in the world of Star Wars, but he also appeared in the Harry Potter franchise, Labyrinth, and even Galaxy Quest. Beyond that, he is a very humorous guy that is incredibly entertaining to watch interact with people. In his panel Small Talk with Warwick Davis, he started off by interviewing himself before switching to being interviewed by fans attending the panel. Some of the questions were better than others but no matter, Davis had his own set of questions to replace boring questions asked by fans. All of this led to a very enjoyable panel. Oh, and I can’t wait to see what his role is in Star Wars: The Last Jedi!
3. There’s Nothing Rogue About Rogue One
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first stand-alone Star Wars film. Today in the The Making of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story the creators of the film leapfrogged from what was shared in the bonus features of Rogue One’s home release and shared even more about the making of the film. It included sharing just how much went into creating a realistic galaxy that the characters live in and the amount of effort that was put into making sure the CG characters worked and felt real.
4. Star Wars is for Everyone!
There are both men and women Star Wars fans. Ashley Eckstein exclaimed that “Star Wars is for everyone” during a discussion about the women of Star Wars and how far they have come. Star Wars fans have always been made of up both men and women and Eckstein noted that now both were represented. She also observed that the room was 50/50 men and women. This was during The Heroines of Star Wars panel with Dave Filoni, Ashley Eckstein, and Tiya Sircar. Tiya Sircar also shared how her mother wouldn’t let her have traditional female dolls as a child because of the image they portrayed. After figurines were given to her, Eckstein, and surprise guest Daisy Ridley, she remarked at how special it was that not only did these strong and realistic figurines exist but that they also represented her ethnicity.
5. Mark Hamill’s Tribute to Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher has always been the first lady of the Star Wars galaxy. Her death was felt across and beyond the Star Wars galaxy. Mark Hamill’s Tribute to Carrie Fisher was a panel full of love and humor. “I promise if you go first, I’ll heckle your funeral,” Carrie Fisher said to Mark Hamill once. Not a lot of heckling happened but there were lots of stories and memories shared. This led to quite a few laughs and also some tears. Hamill concluded this tribute by thanking everyone, “this is part of the process I need to move on. I tried very hard but you know, we lost Kenny Baker and Carrie in such a close period of time. You know, but she loved you and I certainly love you and I need your support and we all need each other’s support to make sure that we honor her legacy in a way that she earned and in a way that she deserves. And I’m thinking one last quote for you and that is for as long as we live, so too will she live, because she has become a part of us all and we’ll never stop missing her. Thank you so much. Thank you Carrie. Carrie thanks you and I thank you.”
Day Two of Star Wars Celebration Orlando 2017 was eventful, full of heart, and a lot of fun! Stay tuned to DAPs Magic for more updates about Star Wars Celebration and Star Wars news! Subscribe in the form in the right column for regular updates from DAPs Magic.
