Celebrating Star Wars in London at SWCE

 

Most of us remember where we were when we first experienced……

 

STAR WARS.

For me it was at the Avco Cinemas in Westwood. It was 50 cents more than the other Westwood theater options but we were already drawn in by the force (*cough) of the previews, and so made the splurge.

Improves with Age

As much as I loved ‘A New Hope’ and eagerly awaited each subsequent stellar sequel, I only realized the rare excellence of film-making involved as I got older.

Worldwide Fandom

Last week, almost 40 years older (egads!) I joined two other life-long Star Wars fans, C.C. Chapman and Chris Bernholdt , for the extraordinary opportunity to attend Star Wars Celebration Europe, in London.   The generous invitation came through Verizon, and I said an emphatic Yes! to the inquiry about my Star Wars fan-ness.

Disclosure

Many of you know I am a brand ambassador for Verizon, after being a loyal customer for ten wireless years. This entails receiving various phones and tech products with no promise of positive reviews, only a commitment to try out various services and gadgetry as a casual consumer. I am an avid share-er and so share I do.

 

Travel Pass

For this trip, I added onto my own iPhone for only $10 a day Verizon’s new Travel Pass plan that kept me connected with data, text and cell service the minute I landed in London until take-off.

(This same uninterrupted is only $2/day in neighboring Mexico and Canada.) Of course it helped me to share the excitement of the convention in the moment…even though many of you across the pond were asleep! 😉  Fellow travelers, you’re going to want to get this. Just call ahead of your trip and tell Verizon your expected travel dates, and voilà! Or Olé! Or Wunderbar! You get the idea.

So I’ll share here what you may have missed, and some more photos – almost all captured on my Samsung S7 – and details of the illustrious and cosmic event.

Dedicated Dress-up

I wasn’t really sure what to expect at SWCE, but soon recognized the fantastic atmosphere of Cosplay (costumed fans) and excited convention buzz that mirrored the renowned ComicCon convention held in my own downtown San Diego.

After settling in to bustling London, we made our way to the ExCel Exhibition hall and were welcomed by our Verizon hosts and a Disney representative who ceremoniously (OK, it only FELT momentous) bestowed us with our coveted V.I.P. credentials. Little did we know at the time, this little laminated badge would gain us entrée to front row center seats to several panels of Star Wars stars, including the Rogue One lead cast and a Mark Hamill Q&A. That would come later.

First Look Costumes and Producer Chat

First thing on Friday, before the hordes entered the hall, we were treated to a private viewing of the costuming for Rogue One, and guided through the details and inspirations for the characters and their specialized garb by fireball producer, Allison Shearmur and her trusted co-producer John Swartz. The villain in this Star Wars story, Director Krennic, wears predominantly white, including his dramatic cape, which Allison declared makes an “I think highly of myself” statement.

Great attention is given to every aspect of a character’s costume, depending on if they stay mostly terrestrial or galactic; mobile versus stationary. It’s a grown-up kid’s dream world, transitioning from dressing collectible f igurines to outfitting big screen heroes and villains.

 

Allison emphasized that Rogue One is a father/daughter story, and also told us what not to expect: the presence of any Jedi in the film. The black armor of the Deathtroopers was imposing indeed, but it was the image of the classic Stormtroopers wading through crystalline waters on a brilliant beach in an obvious invasion that brought chills. We got a first look at a Shoretrooper specialized armor, as well.

These two producers were charming and enthusiastic in their sharing and giddy anticipation. I loved and commented on Allison’s planetary dress, and she actually took my card for my boutique. I hope she pops in when she’s in San Diego!

Hallowed Halls

After the exhibit opened up to the general public, we had some free time to explore the exhibit halls and play in life-sized sand speeders, plunk down pounds for souvenirs, or ponder the pain of procuring a Star Wars tattoo.

 

Mark Hamill

 

Led to our seats in the very front row of the 4,000 seat theater, we were wide-eyed as we gazed up

at the big screen before us, and the solitary chair merely a dozen yards – if that! – facing us, awaiting the entrance of Mark Hamill of Luke Skywalker fame. He launched almost immediately into a Q&A from the audience, so as to allow as many eager fans the opportunity to engage with him. One sly fan conversationally inquired as to Rey’s last name….but didn’t catch him off guard, apparently. 😉 He bemoaned the fact that his character was originally to be named Luke Starkiller, but as we’ve all come to love the Skywalker name, I think it was a more heroic moniker! He took questions from adolescents, seniors, Americans, Europeans and people from all over who had traveled to London and waited long hours to garner a spot at this event. I loved what he said about his own collection of toys and how their “worth” had somehow been diminished by being taken out of their packaging. “Toys should be played with.” Indeed!

 

My Favorite Part – Everyone’s a Fan-Kid

The most significant benefit of these VIP seats came during the hoped-for-yet-still-surprise showing of the Rogue One trailer. We were introduced to the lead cast, writers and director, Gareth Edwards who exchanged healthy, albeit cautionary, banter about only those aspects of the film that were sanctioned to share. Just this small window into the actors and their characters already revealed a likely favorite for me, and I suspect for many: K-2SO, played by cheeky Alan Tudyk, is a character described by director Edwards to be “Chewbacca’s personality in a droid’s body.”

 

Like a Kid Again

Clearly, it was the first time the cast was seeing the full Rogue One trailer, at least on the big screen, because once the house lights dimmed, they slid off of their chairs that were facing us and lay like giddy school kids on the stage floor, supported on elbows.

That’s why they call it movie magic. No one is immune. Not even the star players. And the 4,000 fans in the audience, some who waited up to 40 hours to ensure access, were not disappointed. The excitement was palpable before the trailer viewing, and the applause hit a crescendo during the standing ovation after.

My gratitude to Verizon also peaked here, as it really sunk in that this decades-long Star Wars fever has infused people worldwide, from many countries and cultures. And here I was, joining in the geekdom!  They shared some behind-the-scenes clips for our eyes only, and I got a poster, that I relinquished to my sister to placate her a bit about me getting to go!

 

December Seems So Far Far Away…

I’m excited for this newest generation of Star Wars fans for whom the Force has Awakened. (Forgive me :} ). I’ve never seen so many adolescent Reys running around.  I can just imagine this Halloween. And Rogue One clearly brings us a new heroine in Jyn Erso who will somehow collaborate with Leia to get her the death star plans.  It’s fun to speculate, but even more fun to spectate. I look so forward to doing just that in December, whether it’s a spot on the floor or in a comfy theater lounger.

 

Note: As part of my participation in Verizon’s ambassador program, flights and hotel for this London trip were covered. I paid for my personal line of service and the Travel Pass program overseas. All content, photos, opinions and impressions are my own. Thank you to everyone involved at Verizon for pulling together such a cosmically cool experience!

Bonus: London Sightseeing Photo Gallery (I meandered this diverse and historic city on foot and via iconic double-decker bus, and never lost connectivity to share snapshots or receive texts or emails from my staff running my store back home. Travel Pass allowed me the freedom and peace of mind to roam and share 5,488 miles and an Atlantic Ocean away.)