12 Apr – The Star Wars Celebration is the biggest annual event to celebrate being a "Star Wars" fan. According to IGN, this year's celebration, happening for four days from 13 to 16 April, will be the biggest one yet with fans, cast and crew making the pilgrimage to Orlando to commemorate 40 amazing years of George Lucas' epic saga. Confirmed guests to this year's Celebration include Mark Hamill (the Luke Skywalker of the original trilogy), Rian Johnson (the director of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"), Kathleen Kennedy (the president of Lucasfilm) and Hayden Christensen (the man who portrayed Anakin Skywalker in two films of the prequel trilogy). And if Mark Hamill and Hayden Christensen will be making an appearance, then we expect the cast members of " Star Wars: The Force Awakens" or "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" to be there as well and just make it a summit of three generations of "Star Wars" casts.
And if that doesn't get you excited for the event, here's a break-down of what we predict to happen during the event. First and foremost, we expect-and very much want-them to release the first trailer for Episode VIII, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". Lucasfilm, we know that the film won't be out until the end of the year, but we need the trailer now! Please! We've waited long enough! We can't take it anymore! We'd even be okay with cancelling the entire Celebration, if you'd just show us the trailer! (Okay, maybe, not really. But you've got to admit that a lot of people are going there just for that short 2-minute trailer of Rian Johnson's movie.)
There's also a panel scheduled for the first day of the event, called the 40 Years of Star Wars Panel. And while it hasn't been confirmed on who will be a part of the panel, other than Kathleen Kennedy, a lot of us are expecting the earlier mentioned big wigs of Star Wars to attend as well. This panel may very well be the main highlight of the Celebration where everyone will be looking at the remarkable past of the franchise while preparing for the future that is the sequel trilogy: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" and the yet-to-be-named Episode IX. And, who knows, the panel might even make an announcement of the title of the Han Solo spin-off? Or maybe give a confirmation of the Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off? Or they could give us a look at some footage of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"? We can dream, right? And, of course, there will be a tribute to the late Carrie Fisher, hosted by her on-screen twin, Mark Hamilton. While she wouldn't be at the Celebration herself, she will still be present in the thoughts of her Star Wars family, friends and fans. For his tribute to his old co-star, Mark Hamill will remember the "talent, humour and legacy" of the actress.
Hopefully, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" will show a reunion between Luke and Leia, and ideally Luke won't spend the entire film in isolation with Rey. Speaking of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi", the stars of the film, Hamill and the young Daisy Ridley, have recently announced a campaign to raise money for Starlight Children's Foundation and The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) called "Star Wars: Force for Change". Those who join the campaign will stand a chance to win a variety of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including a tour and one-night stay at the Skywalker Ranch, a private screening of "Star Wars: A New Hope" and a trip to the set of the still-filming Han Solo film set. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is coming to theatres at the end of the year, on 14 December 2017. (Photo source: Star Wars Celebration's official website)