Last month Star Wars Celebration wrapped up their 2025 show which for the second time ever, the first being in 2008, was held in Japan at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba, Japan. After a year off from their 2023 Europe show this convention was unique as it was the second show in a row not held in the US.
Similar to other comic conventions Star Wars Celebration holds panels, screenings, and an exhibit floor but unlike other conventions the focus is solely on Star Wars. Because this year Star Wars Celebration was reduced to three days, unlike other comic cons and even other Star Wars Celebrations, I did feel like this show was sufficiently low-key enough to get close to experiencing most of what was going on including seeing many of the panels I wanted to see, experiencing most of the show floor including exhibitors, dioramas, and the art show.
At most conventions panels and screenings draw in large crowds with celebrities, panelists and experts discussing upcoming projects, retrospectives, representation, and many other topics. Panels allow fans to see and experience their favorite celebrities and serve as a great way for a larger group of fans to feel connected with an upcoming project.
I’m going to keep my overall coverage of this year’s celebration on the lighter side this year
At Celebration some of the bigger panels were a bit more subdued than in previous years; there were no surprise concerts orchestrated by John Williams, no Mark Hamill cameo, no 20th anniversary panel for Revenge of the Sith, and with no new movie on the immediate horizon no huge panels with the stars of that movie. That said, there were still a fair amount of panels including a Mandalorian and Grogu where the new Starfighter movie was announced as well as a slew of Disney Plus show panels including looks at Andor, Visions, and Light and Magic.
Additionally there were plenty of other panels covering everything from collecting to cosplay. One of the panels I really enjoyed was a look at how Star Wars inspired othe Japanese toys and even knock off toys.
So here’s a look at some of the panels I attended throughout the four day show.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver more cam out to discuss the upcoming movie. They also teased a new stand alone Star Wars: Starfighter movie starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy.
Andor: A Star Wars Story
Executive Producer Tony Gilroy, Executive Producer and star Diego Luna and other cast including Genevieve O’Reilly (Mon Mothma), Denise Gough (Dedra Meero), Kyle Soller (Syril Karn), Alan Tudyk (K-2S0), Adria Arjona (Bix Caleen), and Producer Sanne Wohlenberg.
While the series just finished up some interesting tidbits from the panel including how much bigger the show has gotten (700 costumes, 152 creatures, 4,100 VFX shots, 140 sets) as well as other inside bits such as Denise’s feelings on her character and her relationship with Kyle Soller.
Finally on advise from Tony Gilroy definitely watch Rogue One once you finish the series to get a completely different take on the movie as it seamlessly leads into to the movie and does a great job of tying everything together.
Ahsoka
Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, Rosario Dawson, and a special appearance by Hayden Christensen came out for a retrospective on the the first season of Ahsoka.
Mainly the cast and crew discussed how they wanted to expand the characters past The Mandalorian and where to go next. Ahsoka seemed like the natural fit as a focal point to pilot the idea.
One hard topic to discuss, especially by Dave Filoni who began to choke up, was the passing of Ray Stevenson and how hard it would be to continue the character but given how important the character is as a parallel to Ahsoka and as someone who walked away from the Jedi, he hoped that Ray would be happy with the direction they are taking the character and led to the decision to bring Rory McCann to play Baylan.
A quick trailer at the end confirmed some familiar Rebels crew will be back for Season 2 including Sabine, Chopper, Hera, and Zeb.
First Look: Star Wars: Visions Volume 3
The panel looked at the first two volumes of Star Wars: Visions series as well as the anticipated third volume which include a sequel episode as well as a few longer focused episodes.
Light & Magic: A Glimpse Into the Magic of Season 2
I only stepped into this panel for a few minutes to hear about the new season of Light + Magic, the critically acclaimed documentary series chronicling the legendary journey of Industrial Light & Magic.
The Heroic Sidekicks of Star Wars
Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks) and Alan Tudyk (K-2SO) took the stage for a behind the scenes look at their performances as the heroic sidekicks of the galaxy far, far away. Moderated by Ashley Eckstein. Mainly the panel discussed how each person modelled their performances, mannerisms, and have interacted with other cast through the years.
Stars of Star Wars
Vanessa Marshall (Hera Syndulla) hosted a conversation with Mads Mikkelsen (Galen Erso), Manny Jacinto (The Stranger), and Sam Witwer (Darth Maul).
