With the dust of Star Wars: The Last Jedi settling after the winter holidays, as true followers
of the Force, it is now time to wait patiently (as Yoda would assure us) for the next major
installment of the series in 2019. But Star Wars is more than just a film, it’s its own whole franchise of books, comics, games, TV, film and more; so, when a new film comes out, it brings together all the fans of different aspects of the franchise as we flock together to see the greatest heroes and villains of the Star Wars universe battle it out once more.
But alongside the release of any major film or as part of any major milestone anniversary of the Star Wars franchise, a Star Wars Celebration is very welcome! These events have taken place ever since the release of The Phantom Menace in 1999 and they have gotten bigger every year. So, what does the 2019 Celebration have in store for fans?
Celebrations Then and Now
There have been twelve Star Wars Celebrations worldwide so far; eight in America, three in Europe and one in Japan. The first celebration (Celebration I) featured actor panels, behind the scenes footage from Episode I, a vendors tent, a prop museum featuring a ¾ scale X-Wing model and the world premiere of the Duel of the Fates music video.
However, Star Wars celebration has come along way since its first year. The latest one, Celebration Orlando 2017, focused on the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope and celebrated the release Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The Celebration was broadcast live on the Star Wars YouTube Channel (and on Starwars.com), it featured appearances of Star Wars stars such as Mark Hamill (present at all the celebrations since 2010 Chicago), Harrison Ford, John Boyega, Kathleen Kennedy, and George Lucas.
The celebration saw a teaser trailer for The Last Jedi, a 4th season of Star Wars Rebels announced, Star Wars Cosplay Championships, a live performance of music from the soundtrack for The Last Jedi with John Williams, but there was also more. The activities and events in this fan convention included Nerd Night Speed Dating, sound and light shows from the films’ droid builders, and a massive vendor floor featuring everything from Lego to fan-stores to comics, books, and everything in-between – as well as a tattoo pavilion. Celebration Orlando 2017 saw 70,000 attendees, making it the biggest Star Wars Celebration to date.
Just How Big has Star Wars Become?
There’s a lot of Star Wars out there. But just what could the next celebration cover? On top of that the Star Wars video gaming community is growing in popularity; Battlefront 2 is reportedly doing well, Star Wars the Old Republic is growing greatly in popularity thanks to the success of its episodic expansion Knights of the Eternal Throne, and fan favorites like Knights of the Old Republic are still sporting very positive reviews on Steam. Stepping away from games, the (Marvel) Star Wars comic series is proving to be very popular with green reviews across the board, while 2017 also saw the release of Dawn of Rebellion, the latest
sourcebook installment for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game.
Battlefront 2 on Facebook
Star Wars Destiny, the franchise’s latest Star Wars Collectible Card Game (CCG) features positive reviews across the board, and other big board games like Star Wars Armada are critically acclaimed and beloved by all. Star Wars crops up constantly too in other media with Austin Powers, Glee and the Beastie Boys’ “Do It” all have Star Wars references thrown into the mix, and the references become far less subtle in spoof shows from Family Guy’s “Blue Harvest” to Spaceballs, the classic parody from 1987 featuring Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis.
Star Wars has even spawned a sport, with the growth of competitive lightsaber combat throughout the world. Disney has confirmed that a Star Wars themed hotel is being built as a part of the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge theme park in Orlando, and there’s much more we could talk about. So yeah, Star Wars is pretty big, and there’s a lot the 2019 Celebration could cover.
Expect a lot. Celebration 2019 will feature not only the final film of the trilogy but it will also take place twenty years since the release of The Phantom Menace and the first Star Wars Celebration. Phantom Menace is most fondly remembered for its impressive music, so we suspect the celebration will bring back John Williams for another performance.
There will be teasers or some kind of exclusive representation of Star Wars IX and potential announcements of further Star Wars franchise films. The success of Rogue One has kicked off a lot of speculation regarding future films of the same vein as the Han Solo film (May 2018 release); a big celebration of the last act of the new trilogy is the perfect place to announce a new series of Star Wars related films.
Expect Star Wars Destiny tournaments, a return of the cosplay championships, lightsaber tournaments and much more merch; Star Wars Celebration always features store-exclusive merchandise and with Star Wars ever growing in popularity and product, from video-games to T-shirts, you can be certain the vendor store at 2019 will be impressive to behold. Exhibitions too have often crept into Star Wars celebrations before, and so we could see Star Wars Identities or Star Wars and the Power of Costume appearing in 2019.
Star Wars Celebration on Facebook
Lastly, we should probably mention the wheres and whens. With previous celebrations (except the first in Denver) taking place in either Indianapolis, Los Angeles or Orlando, these are the most likely hosts for the future event. As for when, events have always taken place in the summer, with the earliest beginning in April and the latest ending in August. Although there’s nothing concrete yet, there will be a celebration, Orlando is the most likely location, and summer is the time to plan for.
Altogether, Star Wars Celebration 2019 stands as an exciting event to look forward to. There’s no doubt it will be big, and what we can predict by looking at previous celebrations has us excited for the next one. The closer we get to that date the more information we’ll have available, so stay tuned!
