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[Star Wars Celebration Chicago 2019] A Fandom Not So Divided

Published Sat, 13 Apr 2019 10:45:50 -0500

There is a saying on the internet that no one loves Star Wars like Star Wars fans, but no one hates Star Wars like Star Wars fans. There was some worry going into Star Wars Celebration Chicago that there would be some issues because of the vocal people that really didn't like the creative decisions that Rian Johnson made in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The panel for the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX was going to be the ultimate test as to what kind of people showed up to Celebration.

In a packed arena for one of the biggest panels of the entire convention, it seemed that spirits were high. The people who made it in the room were the lucky ones because Reedpop and Lucasfilm decided that there wouldn't be an overnight line for the big panels. Perhaps there were more angry people outside of the arena but inside people were very excited. Over the course of the two hours, this writer was waiting for things to start the arena slowly filled with more and more people as others talked about the massive lines outside.

Everyone filtered in and they began the live-stream the panel that most of you likely watched from home. While the live-stream showed off everything that those in the room saw there is always something to be said about the energy of the room. It seems that the lack of an overnight didn't dampen the moods of everyone. The room was electric as they showed a brief behind-the-scenes reel from all of the movies leading up to the current one.

The cast came out and we began to see different pictures from the movie were met with loud applause. The applause for the legacy heroes such as Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams was huge and the new heroes also had huge moments applause as they all came out as well. When it came time to talk to Kelly Marie Tran the room erupted into a loud applause as people came to their feet. Tran was clearly overwhelmed and there was a feeling of love and support in the room.

Tran fell victim to a bullying campaign in the months following the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi to the point that cast members and crew had to address it. The abuse got so bad that Tran eventually left Instagram and became the defining moment of the divide between fans. Despite the fact that it's been months things still haven't let up. Tran began to tear up a little with the loud and very nice greeting that she got from the fans. If there was anyone in the crowd who had a problem with her their voices were drowned out which is the way it should be.

While the pictures were well and good the thing that everyone was there for came. After a brief moment of silence as they geared everything up the trailer started. There wasn't a moment that went by where people didn't cheer. If a character appeared there was a cheer. Lando got a loud cheer as did Kylo Ren and the moments where we got to see Leia.

Then the screen cut to black and we all heard the laugh of Ian McDermit and the room practically exploded. The room is always electric but a big reveal like that got a huge reaction. McDermit walked out onto a stage glowing red. In his best Palpatine voice, he tells the tech guys to run the trailer again. This time things are a little quieter as more people are trying to take everything in.

Much like Hall H there is a great feeling being in a packed room with people who all want to see the same thing you do. There is something electric about it and often worth the price of admission alone and with the implementation of the lottery now you don't have to sleep on the floor to experience it.

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