This weekend, Star Wars fans from around the world will gather in Anaheim, California for the yearly Star Wars Celebration event, which celebrates all the lore surrounding the popular science fiction series. Whether fans are into comic books, video games, or the movies themselves, there’s something for everyone at this weekend’s event. However, a couple of key factors should make this year’s Celebration even bigger than ever before.
Of course, one of those factors is the first new Star Wars movie in ten years, The Force Awakens, which shies away from the “new” trilogy of the series in favor of nostalgia. The film will feature characters from the original set of Star Wars movies, including Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker. There are new characters being introduced as well, and the film will be helmed by J.J. Abrams, the same man who provided a fresh twist to the Star Trek universe years ago.
Force Awakens will have an enormous presence at the event, with an opening presentation set to kick off tomorrow morning with plenty of surprises, including the possibility of the new trailer that will appear in front of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron in just a couple of weeks. Abrams will be in attendance, along with many stars from the film.
The presence of the sequel alone is likely to drive up attendance numbers for this year’s Celebration more than ever, but it’s not the only reason to check out the event. Other activities will draw people in, including the debut of the 3D version of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which never made it to theaters; the debut of season two of Disney’s wildly popular animated series Star Wars Rebels; and Electronic Arts’ gameplay debut for its forthcoming first-person shooter Star Wars Battlefront, which is expected to be one of this year’s big sellers.
On top of that, even those that aren’t going to the event will be able to see most of it happen, as StarWars.com has teamed up with Verizon to live-stream over 30 hours of content from the event, including the opening presentation and other panels, featuring special guests from the series’ past and present. Those that want to learn more about the live-streaming panel can do so on the official page.
Other surprises could happen at the event as well, and it shows that the Force is just as strong with Star Wars as it’s ever been – even when the initial film came out in 1977.
