My Trip to SWC3-Episode 5

Two days to go before Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith opens. And, now just two posts remaining recapping my trip last month to Star Wars Celebration 3 in Indianapolis...

For the three days me and my friend Rob had been in Indy for SWC3, we experienced long lines and great moments. We got to see some outstanding footage and meet some cool people. But, on this fourth and final day (Sunday April 24) of our trip, we just had one thing in mind, getting our stuff together and getting ready to head home.

The main schedule of SWC activities went on till about 4pm, but the flight plans we'd scheduled called for us to leave at 3:30. Which meant we had to be at the airport by 1:30. So we didn't get to spend much time at the Convention Center on this final day. (Not without protest, mind you. We both wanted to stick around till the Celebration officially ended, but to do that would call for a later flight. A later, more expensive flight. As much as we wanted to, our finances just wouldn't allow it. )

We woke up around 8:30am, and we spent more time at the hotel room that morning then we did the other three days. Mostly, we spent it packing up all of our stuff and packing in all the new stuff we had acquired from SWC. Luckily for the both of us, we had enough room in both of our carry on bags to put everything (including our newly acquired Darth Vader talking action figures) safely without breaking it. I also had a newly purchased poster tube, which contained several posters I had either bought or gotten for free at the SWC.

With that done, we double checked to see if we had everything packed and then we left our hotel room. We then grabbed breakfast, officially checked out of the hotel, and waited for the shuttle van to take us to the Convention Center one last time. After the wait, we made it to the Center around 10:45 am, taking along our bags. For the first time of our entire stay, we were able to go inside without any long lines or delays. My guess is that it was the last day, things would be less restrained as compared to the other days.

Once again, we decided to try our luck getting into the Celebration Store, since we had zero luck the previous three days we had tried it. And, to our surprise, we made it inside. Looking inside the place, I could clearly see why the Storehad so much trouble. The place had no organization whatsoever. Hardly anyone ran it and they had like five or six registers, three of which were open that day we were inside. I can think of a million other places that had better run facilities than that Store. And through all of that, we still had to be in yet another long line. After moving about several yards in roughly an hour, and still not moving any closer to the fron of the store to get our order, we gave it up and left. If we didn't have to leave for the airport, ther might've been a shot we got to the front, but we couldn't risk missing our filight.

Afterwards, we got to check out the Exhibit Hall one last time. This was probably the one area of the Center we visited the most of our stay (and where I got the most free stuff). After about a half hour or so, we left and made our way outside and called the hotel shuttle van to take us to the airport. About 20 minutes later, our van arrived and we left the Convention Center for the last time.

We made it to the airport in plenty of time and, after an unusually long process with the security screening (especially with me because of all the metal zippers I had on my sweatsuit setting off the detectors) we waited at the lounge as we prepared to board our flight. I couldn't help but notice a lot of people who were just coming from the SWC waiting at the airport as well, not just at our flight but for others as well. I could spot them from the SWC badge lanyards they were wearing or various T-shirts and gear that I'd saw at the Celebration. It was cool that all of us shared that one bond at being at one of the biggest fan events of the year for those four days.

At about 3:30, me and Rob boarded our plane for Detroit. As compared to my first plane ride, this time I was more prepared for this flight. I expected the plane to shake and jerk as it prepared to leave the ground. This time around, I wasn't as nervous and I had no problems as it took off. The hour or so flight wasn't so bad and it didn't take long for us to land in Detroit. This time, however, we were in for a bit of a surprise. We didn't expect the weather to be so cold that there was actually snow on the ground as we approached Detroit. Also, due to all the high winds and cold air, our plane actually experienced a little turbulence as it took several huge dropoffs as it descended to the ground. More than enough to make anyone's lunch come back up. A good thing I took a Dramamine pill before I left. I can't say enough good things about that pill for making me enjoy my first ever plane rides without incident.

And with that, the trip was over. Four days ago, we had left for Indianapolis to attend Star Wars Celebration 3 and now it was done and we were heading back to our respective homes. What can I say, it was four incredibly amazing days, filled with stories and moments that I know me and Rob will never forget. I know I had a great time and it was definitely something that I was proud to be a part of.

Next up: The final episode -- reflecting back on my entire SWC3 experience.

My Trip to SWC3-Episode 4

We're at three days now till Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith hits theaters, so let me continue with my series of blogs recapping my trip to Star Wars Celebration 3 at Indy last month...

The one theme that's been prevalent so far on my trip has been lines and no chance for major events. Me and my friend Rob had missed out on a lot of good stuff so far on our trip because of the long lines and going into Day 3 (Saturday April 23) of the SWC, we knew that we were going to miss out on the biggest event of them all.

You see, this was the day that the Master, the one behind the entire Star Wars saga, the one who made me, Rob, and thousands of other fans worldwide of the Force, George Lucas, was going to appear in person for three Q and A sessions.

And we knew there was NO CHANCE in Hell we were going to see him.

None.

From what we had heard the previous two days at Indy, we knew that there would be long long lines to get a chance to get in to see Lucas. In fact, we had heard there'd be lines starting up as early as 4am outside the Convention Center. Considering that it'll take about twenty minutes from us to get from our hotel room to the Center and throwing in the lines, both Rob and I pretty much gave up on any shot to see the Master. So we didn't even attempt to get up early to try. So we got up around 8:30 am, grabbed some free breakfast at the hotel and figured to show up at the Center at our usual place in line and take things from there.

In fact, just as we were about to board the shuttle van to take us to the Center, we ran into a couple of guys who were staying at the same hotel as us -and whom we got to know pretty well from our long line stories - tell us that they had just came back from seeing one of George Lucas' sessions. They had been up pretty much all night and were in the line around 4am just to see him. As they were telling us about how cool it was to see him, it gave us even more validation that there was NO CHANCE we were going to see Lucas.

None.

So, as we arrived at the Convention Center shortly past 10am, our original plan would be to try to get in the Celebration Store line again. We figured if everyone was in line to see George, then we'd might get a shot.

Surprisingly, we got into the line to get in the Center pretty fast. Faster than we had ever been the past few days. It would be the first of many surprises to come.

When we got inside, we saw yet another line stretching out by the entrance. We figured it was the line for the Store. Rob asked one lady is this the line to the Store. The lady told us this was the line to see Lucas.

Whoa. Seems we had a chance after all. But it was still a long shot at best.

As we were about to get in the back of the line, we noticed that everyone was wearing blue wristbands. We found out those were needed if you wanted to get in for one of Lucas' chats.

Moments later, I noticed someone passing out wristbands and me and Rob quickly went up to the person and got a wristband.

Hey, our chances were getting better. But still, long as the lines were, we'd probably miss out.

No sooner then we got our wristbands on, we heard someone shout out on a bullhorn that the doors for the Lucas session were opening and that they were taking people in now. Wasting no time, we quickly followed the field of people in front of us, racing up the stairs that led to one of the ballrooms and making our way inside.

And with that, we were in. In to see George Lucas. From no chance to getting inside in a matter of like, ten minutes. Just like that.

I was so floored by that, I was almost hysterical. Rob tried to play it cool like it was no big deal, but I know he was pretty psyched about it too.

So here we are, inside to see George Lucas after what seemed like it would be impossible. They told us to not take video and that to quit taking photos after a few minutes. So here's one of my few shots of it. It's not perfect, but it's one of the best I could take.

The "Star Wars" Master himself, George Lucas

Pretty exciting. Nothing major came out of that session, but come on, we got to see George Lucas in person for crying out loud!! I would hear later on that day that he did mention about the new live-action Star Wars TV show and the 3D Clone Wars cartoon series in an earlier session, so it was cool to hear that breaking news.

Coming off that, me and Rob went back to the Exhibit Hall to check out some stuff. Once again, at the Hall I scored some good stuff, including a free SW Trivial Pursuit T-shirt, a DVD about the Star Wars figurines and I got my hands (finally!) on the much sought after talking Darth Vader action figure. I had to pay a bit more than what they were going for, but I didn't care, I got it and I was happy. (The story behind how I got my action figure -- and how Rob got his -- is something I will save for my last SWC3 blog entry).

Afterwards, we split up for a bit as I went to the Autograph Hall so I could get another autograph. I had enough for one more star and I wanted to get the guy who does the voice of General Grievous in Episode 3, Matthew Wood. Once I got there, I found out the lines were closed to get in and I had to try again later. Bummed by that bit of news, I decided to walk around, checking out some of the area outside the Convention Center. Meanwhile, Rob got to hang out at the Fan Club Lounge where he saw Jake Lloyd, who played Anakin in Episode 1, chatting for a bit.

After that, we tried yet another attempt for the Store again (again no chance) and then we thought about trying to get in for either "Star Wars in 30 Minutes" or "The 1-Man Star Wars Trilogy", two shows we had heard a lot of buzz about but figured we couldn't get into because of the long lines. Since both were happening at the same time, we had to choose one or the other. We tried for the SW30 show first, but the lines were way too long, so we then headed for the One Man Trilogy show. At first, the lines seemed too long for that one and Rob wanted to bail. I still wanted to give it a go, and as it turned out, the line was moving along enough for us to get inside and see the show.

Now, the One Man SW Trilogy show is basically this: one man, Charlie Ross, performing the original SW film trilogy ( A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) by himself. No props, no instruments, no visuals, nothing. Just him and a blackened stage as a background. Plain and simple, the guy was amazing! He crammed all the good parts of all three movies into a hour-plus show, complete with the theme music, opening crawl and all the key characters, using his voice and his body. Incredible, and funny as hell!!! The one line that stood out for me was when he was re-enacting the key scene from "Jedi" when Luke removed Darth Vader's helmet so he could see what he looked line. Playing Luke, Ross gave a dramatic pause and said, "I thought you were black!" The whole crowd roared with laughter on that one. It was a great show and I'm glad I got to see that.

After that was done, me and Rob split up again as I tried one more time to get Matthew Wood's autograph. Heading down to the Autograph Hall, I saw that the lines were open this time around and made my way in. It took about 40 minutes or so, but I got in and met him.

Matthew Wood, the voice of General Grievous in Episode 3,

signing a photo of the character for me.

And then, I got a photo taken with him. I told him you're a very popular person these days. He laughed and said, "I know." He's a very cool guy and he autographed my photo with a line that he uses in the movie, "You're a BOLD one!" So, when I get to see the movie, I can't wait to hear him say that line.

Me and Matthew Wood from "SW Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith."

After that cool experience, I raced back upstairs to meet up with Rob for another big event going on, this one involved Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll showing the crowd some of the visual effects behind not one Episode 3, but also some vintage photos from the original trilogy for a book he's doing. We also got to see some visual bloopers made from his team that were hilarious.

Afterwards, I took Rob to a mall nearby the Convention Center where it had an impressive food court setup and we each got some good (and inexpensive) food to cap off our last night in Indianapolis. We then made our way back to the hotel where Rob hit both the pool and the sauna while I unwinded by catching a little NBA playoff basketball on TV.

What a day! Seeing George Lucas. Catching some cool shows and events. Meeting one of the key guys behind Episode 3 and I got the prized Darth Vader action figure. Without a doubt, this was the best day of my entire SWC3 experience.

Next up: Episode 5 -- The last day at SWC3 and heading back home.

My Trip to SWC3-Episode 3

Hey there. Back with yet another entry recalling my trip to last month's Star Wars Celebration 3 at Indianapolis...

On the second day (Friday, April 22) of the trip, me and my friend Rob got up around 9am and made our way from the hotel to the Convention Center. Pretty much, our experience from the first day with the long lines and huge crowds convinced us that the major events we were hoping to check out before we left for Indy weren't going to happen. Therefore, we missed out on seeing a live satellite chat with the future Darth Vader, Hayden Christensen, that took place earlier in the day. Besides, we were still wiped from Day 1, so we got to rest instead of making the early trek. We also figured there was no way we were going to catch George Lucas' chat on Saturday because of the lines and crowds (more on that on the next blog)

When we arrived at the Center, we were again met with another long line that stretched out till about the same place we started at yesterday to line up (near the RCA Dome). On top of that, it was raining as well, so we were off to yet another fine start. Luckily for us, two things worked in our favor. First, the rain let up shortly after we got in the line and second, the line was moving faster as compared to Day 1.

Once inside, we decided to try our luck and go to the Celebration 3 Store and pick up some stuff, in particular, the exclusive talking Darth Vader action figure. We would soon discover that going to the store wasn't going to happen. Turns out, the demand for the items were so great that a lot of people made their way to the store and because of too many people, the store was closed for the day. Which means, even a little past 10 in the morning, the store wasn't going to let anyone in.
Now that sucked. Especially when one of the people working at the Center said, in the most grating voice, that "the store was capped for the day." This guy said this phase several times within our earshot and frankly, it got on my nerves. This was the number one problem of the whole SWC3 experience, dealing with the problems of the store and the lines at the store. It was a royal pain and many people (me included) feel that the people running the convention really dropped the ball when it came to the store and handling the crowds at the store.

Anyways, knowing that the store was a no-go, me and Rob headed to the Exhibit Hall to check out some of the booths. I got some cool free stuff while I was there, in particular a red wristband, promoting Revenge of the Sith (one that I'm proudly wearing to this day and will continue to wear up to - and even after - seeing Episode 3), a "Star Wars is Forever" pin, and a free bonus DVD for the SW Trivial Pursuit game. Now getting that disc was pretty cool and has made me consider buying the actual game.

After stopping at the hall, our next stop was checking out the Lucasfilm Archives exhibit. Very cool to see some of the actual props and costumes used in all of the Star Wars films. (photos from that coming soon) From there, we went to the Fan Fair Hall where we saw some cool displays and got an opportunity to meet one of the original SW characters, Han Solo

Me and "Han Solo" in front of the Millenium Falcon backdrop at SWC3.

OK, it's not Han Solo exactly, but hey, he was a good sport as he took a lot of photos that day.

After that, we went upstairs to one of the ballrooms to check out what I think was one of the major highlights of the Celebration, a chance to see actual footage of Episode 3! After getting in yet another long line and waiting about a half hour or so, we got in and saw it.

Now, what can I say about the ten minutes or so of footage:

OH MY GOD!!! IT'S FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!!!!

I mean, we didn't hear any actual dialogue as it was drowned out by some well done music, and it didn't show too much to be classified as a spoiler, but it was everything I expected it to be, and more than fueled my belief that "Revenge of the Sith" will be the best of the prequel films. There was stuff with Yoda being the kick-ass Jedi we thrilled at from "Attack of the Clones", footage from a major ship battle, stuff with Darth Sidious and Yoda (which I call the undercard of the fights we'll see in the film) and of course, footage from the main event matchup between Anakin and Obi-Wan.

After seeing the footage and getting a thunderous standing ovation, RIck McCallum, producer of the Star Wars films, said something that really validated our hopes about this film. He said that he believes that this is the one, the one all the fans have been hoping for. He went on to say that he could show even more footage from this that topped even that (which we all were hoping for but didn't happen) and that the lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan just goes "on and on and on", which really psyched us up. From what I hear, they say this is not only the longest fight in Star Wars films, but the longest sword fight in film history.

Coming off the high from seeing that footage, me and Rob split up as he went to get some autographs at the Autograph Hall (including Temera Morrison from Episode 2) while I walked around. I got a chance to go by the Store and see if maybe there was a chance to get inside. Of course there wasn't, but I was able to pick up some copies of the official program guide from one of the workers standing outside the store entrance. He told me that there was a seven-plus hour wait for those going into the line and getting their stuff, which was totally insane.

After meeting back up with Rob, we went and checked out the Star Wars Fan Film Awards, where we saw the winning entries of the annual fan film competition. All of them were well done and some were pretty funny and all worthy of the awards they received. It was also cool to see Warwick Davis, who played Wicket the Ewok in "Return of the Jedi", hosting the ceremony and we also got to see some of his own personal movies, including one he did while filming Episode VI, called "Revenge of the Ewok" A cute and funny film.

Once that was done, we headed back to the hotel and rested up for the night. Halfway thru the trip and still, more was to come.

Up next: Episode 4 -- Day 3 and the best day of the entire trip!!!