Hey there. Continuing my series of blogs recapping my trip to Star Wars Celebration 3 in Indy last month...
Me and my friend Rob had arrived in Indy and we couldn't wait to get to the city's convention center and take part in the Celebration, but first we had to go to the hotel we were staying at and check ourselves in.
One of the first things we were concerned about while we were planning our trip was where our hotel was located. We knew that our hotel was about seven miles away from the Convention Center, which sucked cause it meant us having to find a way to get there instead of walking across the street or down the block to the place. Due to us planning this trip late in advance we missed out on getting to stay a bit closer to the action. Rob had though about renting a car for us to use, but that would be costly (especially with the parking rates) and we'd much rather put our money to good use at the Center instead.
Then we thought about probably taking a cab to and from our hotel to the Convention Center. Again, it would be costly, but not as bad as the first option. But, we caught a break. I remembered reading at the hotel's website about them providing a free shuttle service to and from the airport. We called the hotel from the airport to come pick us up and we were good to go. Then came another break. We found out that the same hotel also was doing shuttles to and from the Convention Center at only $3 per person. So it wouldn't hurt us too bad as far as travel costs go.
We arrived at our hotel, the Best Value Inn about 30 minutes after we'd landed. It wasn't too bad, but I thought it could've been better. But hey, I wasn't complaining. It served our purpose for the four days we were there and that was good enough for me and my friend. After checking in and dropping off our bags, me and Rob set out for the Convention Center.
When we arrived at the Center, we'd find out something that was going to be a major theme for the entire weekend at SWC3:
Lines.
Long Lines.
Lines that seemed to never, ever end.
Trust me on this, throughout the entire set of blogs on my trip, you will hear me mention the L-word a lot.
The first line we would encounter was the Registration line. This was the line we had to be to get our gear that we'd need for the Celebration. Cause if we didn't have the stuff, in particular our badge, we weren't getting in.
While at the line, I'd be exposed to my first SW experience, seeing the many fans and followers decked out in their best SW costumes. Me and Rob took many photos of them and one thing I'll say right off the bat: they were very well done.
Also at this line, we saw several people from with the 501st Legion, a group of SW fans who were serving as volunteers for the entire Celebration. The 501st stand out because they're dressed like the Clone troopers from the Star Wars movies. Both me and Rob got to take photos with one of them. This is me with one of them.
Me and a Clone trooper at the first day of SWC3.
The line quickly moved along and finally we were inside and picked up our info packets, with our badges and everything. Once that was done and we were officially registered for the SWC3, we went to the Hyperspace fan club line where we'd get some other stuff. One of the things they had was the official souvenir movie guide to Episode 3. I was tempted to open it up, but decided to wait. Rob, however, didn't and looked inside. The first few pages he told me had SPOILERS about the movie. Now, this was my major goal of the entire weekend, to not hear anything about the plot that would spoil my experience of seeing the movie. Once Rob told me that, I made it a point to not open that guide until AFTER I see Episode 3. (To this day, as I type this, I've still haven't opened the guide where as Rob has looked at several pages here and there, including the weekend of SWC3, where as he told me, "he couldn't help himself.")
After that, we were escorted out by security and were told that we had to go to the fan club line of the Center, where we'd had to be since the Celebration didn't officially open until 12 noon. (we'd arrived early, around 10:30am) Both me and Rob would find out much later that we should've hung around inside as several people were, cause at least we'd be inside when the Celebration opened. I'll explain later.
So we walked out of the Center and went to the end of the Fan Club line. We had no idea that the end of the line was so long that it stretched well past the Center, went up two levels of the outside area, past another long area by the back of the building and finally stopped near the RCA Dome many yards away. (It was getting so bad, soon the line was stretching around even the Dome itself!)
This was not a good way to start the SWC3 trip in my opinion, being in one of the longest lines I've ever been on. In fact, we were still in that line when the Celebration officially opened, completely wasting that "Fan Club exclusive" first hour we were told about when we signed up. Making matters worse was the fact that I was running on about an hour's sleep, going thru my first case of jet lag and the after effects of taking my Dramanine pill. There were a few instances I almost nodded off while standing in the line.
I guess somehow I survived it, because we finally got inside the Center a little past 1:30pm (Woo-Hoo!!) But man, by that time, I was so drained, I wanted to get something to eat first before I passed out.
After refueling myself with some expensive chicken tenders and fries, me and Rob finally made our way to the activities. We thought about going to the Celebration Store and seeing what they have, but we decided against it and figured we'd check it out another day. (Boy, what a mistake that was, but I'll tell you that in a later blog)
After going around one of the Exhibit Halls, I'd met up with a familiar face. Matt Busch, who I'd met a few years back during one of the Comic Cons I go to and got to know thru various emails, was there as one of the several official Star Wars artists showcasing their works at the Celebration. It was cool seeing him again and we shared a quick word or two before I left to check out some of the other exhibits.
Because of the time wasted in lines and the like, we missed out on a lot of the things we both were planning to check out on the first day, but we were able to catch one event: an interview session with Ian McDiarmid, who plays Palpatine in the movies and has a major, major role in Revenge of the Sith.
By the time that was done, it was almost 6pm, and Rob and I headed off to the Autograph Hall to get some autographs from some of the many stars from the movies. Now, being that I had limited resources and autographs cost about $10 per ticket and tickets ranged on how popular the stars were, I had to plan carefully. There was one person I wanted to get without a doubt: Ray Park, who played Darth Maul in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and in my opinion, the coolest character in that movie.
As me and Rob stood in yet another long line, we heard on the loud speaker that the Autograph Hall was going to be closing soon. We were bummed by that news, and considering the people that were standing in front of us, chances are that getting Park's autograph were going to be slim and none, and if we were going to get it, it would be rather quick and cold.
Resigned to that fate, we struck up a conversation with other fans at the line and we were all chatting about how these lines suck and our not too thrilling adventures on this first day at SWC3. Then, the coolest thing happened. While we were all talking, with our backs away from the signing table, we didn't know that Ray Park had gotten up from the table he was at and was making his way to the line, shaking hands with the people that was in the line and taking photos with them. I was so floored, I almost dropped my digital camera.
He then made his way to us and we got a photo taken with him. Here's mine:
Me and Ray Park, "Darth Maul" from SW Episode 1.
And then, if that wasn't cool enough, after meeting up with everyone in the line, Park made his way back to the table and finished signing everyone's autographs, including ours. I got him to sign my Darth Maul action figure I'd bought years ago after Episode 1 had came out. Very cool.
Then, a short time later, just coming off that high, came another bonus. While Rob was getting several other signatures, I waited around the area. He then came over to Daniel Logan's table to get his autograph. Logan plays the young Boba Fett in Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and is rumored to have a role in Episode 3. After getting his autograph, Logan was cool enough to take some pictures as well. I got to take Rob's picture with Logan and Rob then took a photo of me with Logan.
Me and Daniel Logan, "Boba Fett" from SW Episode 2
After that cool experience, Rob and I thought about going to check out the SWC Opening Ceremonies. We then saw yet another long line that stretched outside the Center, and after hearing word that the line was being closed to stop overflowing, we decided against it. We grabbed some food from the Center (more expensive grub!), called the hotel shuttle van, got in the van and rode back to the hotel. It didn't take long for us to call it a night around 10pm, the earliest I've been in bed in a long time.
It was a long, hectic, crazy and cool first day at the SWC. More adventures to come...
Next up: Episode 3-- Day 2 and my first look at Revenge of the Sith!
