Now that it’s a wrap, here are some Star Wars Celebration 2023 highlights. These highlights will be more than just about the announcements and sneak peeks. There are a few moments from panels and interviews that I really want to call out.
If you were following along on the Star Wars YouTube Live stream then you have probably seen all of these.
Day 1 Announcements
Friday was the day when all of the biggest announcements were made. I have already covered several of these announcements in another post. Here is the quick gist of it:
- The Acolyte is coming in 2024 and it sounds better than I thought
- The Ahsoka teaser trailer and poster were unveiled and will arrive in August of this year
- Shooting for Andor Season 2 has begun and will be out in 2024
- 3 New Films!
- “Dawn of the Jedi” era film directed by James Mangold
- “Mandoverse” era film directed by Dave Filoni
- Sequel era film, with Daisy back as Rey, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
- In non-Star Wars news, but Lucasfilm-related, a new Indiana Jones trailer
Other Announcements
While Day 1 had the bulk of the big announcements, there were a few other noteworthy headlines.
- During the Ahsoka series panel, it was unveiled that the live-action Thrawn will be played by Lars Mikkelsen (the man behind the voice from Rebels)
- There will be a Season 2 of Tales of the Jedi
- NEW: Young Jedi Adventures on May 4th – the trailer is available
- Star Wars Visions Volume 2 is also on May 4th – the trailer is available
- The Bad Batch’s third and final season will be out in 2024
It was rumored several months ago that Lars Mikkelsen was cast as live-action Thrawn but it was never confirmed. All attempts at confirmation were deflected. I am very excited about it.
I expected the third season of The Bad Batch would be its final season. As much as I enjoy the series, it makes sense to wrap it up after three and, maybe, tie it in with Rebels.
We already knew there will be a second season of Star Wars Visions, however, it was a pleasant surprise that Aardman is one of the studios. Aardman is a claymation animation studio known for Wallace and Gromit.
Highlights from Panels and Interviews
Obviously, the Live feed could only show a couple of the panels but there were two that definitely stood out the most (to me). The Clone Wars 15 Year Anniversary panel with Dave Filoni, Dee Bradley Baker, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter, and James Arnold Taylor is always one of the best panels to watch. These people are not just co-workers, they are close friends; perhaps even family. Dave Filoni was in tears expressing how much he appreciates everyone that worked on The Clone Wars.
Next is the Look Back at Obi-Wan Kenobi panel with Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor, Vivian Lyra Blair, Hayden Christensen, and Indira Varma. The bond formed between Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen is beyond words. After they show Hayden’s favorite scene from the series they both get up and embrace each other.
The last highlight is the interview Hayden Christensen did with Krystina Arielle. They gave him the most amazing entrance and then the fans cheered for him for another 20 seconds after the music faded. He was in tears. The fans made Darth Vader cry! This was probably my favorite moment from the entire weekend!
The unbelievable kindness and respect the fans have at these conventions is remarkable. It makes me wish I could be there every year.
Celebration 2025
A few weeks ago they already announced that the next Celebration event would be in 2025. That’s the 10 year anniversary of The Force Awakens.The dates and location of the next celebration are:
Tokyo, Japan – April 18th – 20th
I am excited for those folks in Japan that will have the opportunity to go to their first Celebration. On the other hand, I am disappointed because I cannot afford that trip.
What are some of your favorite moments?
