Star Wars Weekly: Luck of the Draw (24/03/25 to 30/03/25)

Celebration panel reservation results, Andor, and more...

When Obi-Wan Kenobi said, “In my experience, there’s no such thing as luck,” he clearly had never been through the Star Wars Celebration panel selection lottery.

For fans heading out to the Makuhari Messe next month, last week was another important signpost on the road to Celebration. The online panel reservation system opened up, allowing folks to pick which of the big four panels (The Mandalorian & Grogu, Andor, Ahsoka, and Visions Vol III) they wanted to attend. Depending when you got into the online system (which was randomly assigned based on your ticket info), you could pick up to three panels and which stage you wanted to watch them from (the Celebration Stage where the panels took place or the Galaxy and Twin Suns stages where they would be live streamed).

In the end, I wound up with reservations to watch the Andor and Visions panels, livestreamed to the Galaxy Stage. Not the result I was hoping for, but not one I am unhappy with either.

Although I would have preferred to be in the Celebration Stage, and would have really liked to see the Mandalorian & Grogu panel, I understand just how random the random selection is. And, it is totally random.

In previous years, I’ve been extremely lucky. For Celebration Chicago in 2019, the first year they used the lottery system, I got just about everything I wanted. I got a streaming stage for Episode IX, and was in the Celebration Stage for The Mandalorian, The Clone Wars, and the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace. I saw all the big panels I wanted to see, and most of them in the main room.

Three years later, at Celebration Anaheim 2022, I was incredibly lucky again! I got into the Celebration Stage for the Lucasfilm Showcase, The Bad Batch, and Attack of the Clones’ 20th anniversary. I also got into a streaming stage for “The Mandalorian and Beyond” preview, which featured an extended trailer for The Mandalorian season three and the first teaser for Ahsoka. Again, I saw everything I wanted to see and most of it in the Celebration stage.

If it sounds like I’m bragging, don’t worry, because my luck finally ran out in 2023 when I got reservations for NONE of the panels I wanted for Celebration London. Not the Lucasfilm Showcase, not Ahsoka, not The Bad Batch. I was very disappointed, even though I knew in the back of my mind that I was due to have an experience like this after having so much luck at the last two Celebrations. But all was not lost!

In the end, I only missed the Lucasfilm Showcase. I got into a streaming room for Ahsoka by waiting in a very reasonable standby line (which was very well run—seriously, they need to bring the guy who ran the Galaxy Stage standby line to all future Celebrations, he was great!) And some luck did come my way and I was gifted a seat in the Bad Batch panel. I even managed to get into the advanced screening of a The Mandalorian episode that was meant only for folks who went to the Lucasfilm Showcase (thanks, this time, to the standby line for the Twin Suns Stage).

The point I’m getting at is that even if you had no luck with the reservation system, it is not the end of the world. One, Celebration is amazing, and even if you don’t get to see all the panels you wanted to see, you will still have an amazing time. And two, just because you didn’t get a reservation, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost for seeing the panel in some form. I, and plenty of my friends, have been very successful getting into panels we did not have reservations for by going to the standby lines.

Some of my friends, in Chicago and Anaheim, even managed to get into the Celebration Stage for the reserved panels without having a reservation. I wouldn’t recommend trying this, necessarily, but it is possible. When I tried it in London, for the Lucasfilm Showcase, I wound up in a borderline stampede to the Celebration Stage, only for everyone to be turned away because there was no room after all the people with reservations went in. My friends who went to the Galaxy and Twin Suns Stages got in without issue.

Obviously, every year is different and your mileage will vary when it comes to trying to get into these panels without a reservation. Maybe this is the year everyone shows up to their reservation, and there is no standby line. Or, maybe there are tons of standby spaces and everyone in the standby line gets in. We won’t know for sure until the convention begins.

But even if you can’t get in, it doesn’t mean all hope is lost to see the exclusive reveals.

Two years ago, when I missed the Lucasfilm Showcase panel, I still managed to see a lot of the reveals from it at other points. Like I said, I made it into the Mandalorian screening that took place that night by going to the standby line for one of the streaming rooms (a friend tipped me off that the streaming rooms had a good amount of open seats). They also surprised us by showing the teaser for The Acolyte during a “secret” (not on the livestream) portion of the High Republic panel, which was a real treat. And, they did the same with the Andor season two teaser during the “Behind the Scenes of Andor season one” panel.

The people who run Celebration know what they are doing, and they want to reward the people who come out to the event by putting on the best show possible. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, but I trust them to do what they can to give folks the best experience they can.

To that end, often the best part of Celebration isn’t the reveals. What truly makes it a “Celebration” is being around your fellow fans and reveling in your shared love of the galaxy far, far away. Sometimes this means seeing an amazing new trailer, but more frequently this is just the conversations on the show floor, in line for a panel or merch, in the cafeterias, and outside the building with people from all around the world.

So if you got everything you wanted in the panel reservation system, congratulations! You will have an amazing time. But if you only got some of what you wanted (like me this year) or none of what you wanted (like me two years ago), fear not! We will still have a fantastic time together.

See you in Japan.

Top Story

New Andor Season Two Trailer!

I know this feels like old news because it dropped last Monday, just hours after the last Hoth of the Press, but it is still the biggest Star Wars story from the last seven days, so that’s where we’re starting.

The new preview is more of a “classic” trailer than the teaser (though it is slightly shorter, which is an unusual footnote). Steve Earle is nowhere to be found, and the soundtrack has returned to the usual sort of Star Wars fare, with ominous music and alarms blaring. It’s well done, but I hope they aren’t afraid to use the more modern feel of the teaser trailer again, when appropriate.

Here are my key takeaways from the trailer:

• No one is safe. If we don’t know a character’s fate, it feels unlikely that they will make it out. Unlike, say, Obi-Wan Kenobi, which left future filmmakers a lot of characters they could bring into future stories, Andor feels like it might clean house and show us the fates of all its supporting cast. The Empire’s boot is crushing the people of the galaxy, and everyone will eventually get caught beneath it. Unless your name is Mon Mothma, Cassian Andor, or Saw Gerrera, you are at risk of not making it out of this series alive. And we know what happens to Cassian and Saw in Rogue One…

• The shot of Dedra Meero grabbing at her throat has everyone talking. There seem to be two main theories: one, that Darth Vader is Force choking her, or two, that she’s having a panic attack. A panic attack is more in line with Andor’s grounded tone, but this is still set in the Star Wars universe. The series may feel the need to remind the audience that these rebels and organize and fight back all they want, there is still a pair of supernatural beings at the core of this fascist regime and no amount of Force-less rebelling will be able to stop them. This would underscore just how important Luke and Leia are to the eventual final form of the Rebel Alliance, since they can actually match supernatural power for supernatural power with Vader and the Emperor.

• With the trailer depicting Mon Mothma giving a fiery speech in the Senate and the Ghorman massacre, I’m curious how this season will interface with the Star Wars Rebels episode, “Secret Cargo.” In the season three episode, the crew of the Ghost helps Mon Mothma flee the Empire after she named Palpatine as personally responsible for the events on Ghorman and resigned from her seat in the senate. I doubt Andor will overwrite the episode, but it likely won’t reference it directly either. Still, given that we have live action actors playing the Rebels cast in Ahoka (and Genevieve O’Rielly also appeared as Mon Mothma in Ahsoka), then maybe there’s room for a Hera, Sabine, Zeb, Ezra, or Chopper cameo somewhere this season.

• Speaking of the Ghorman massacre, I have this weird feeling that Luthen will either want things to go sideways or will let them go sideways when it comes to the demonstration, so that the Empire attacks. He says in season one that people need to be woken up to the fact that the Empire is ruining their lives, and was willing to let people suffer to make that point. Maybe after seeing the riots on Ferrix in the season one finale, he will think that sort of uprising is possible everywhere and want the Empire to close in on the protestors so they push back the way Brasso and co. did. I suspect, though, if he does take this approach that this event will become a great source of guilt for him.

• Director Krennic is all over this trailer and seems like he will be a big part of this season. I had initially assumed he would just show up for an arc, play a supporting role in that story, and then not be seen again until Rogue One. Given the amount of him in the trailer, I’m wondering if he winds up showing up in more than one story.

• I love that Bix seems to be a big part of season two. She had a rough go of things in season one and was absent for the entire Aldhani arc (along with the rest of the Ferrix crew). Seems like she will be much more involved and in control in season two.

• And the hunt to discover the truth about the Death Star seems to be ongoing and in full force. We see a character talking about how “they’re building a weapon,” which can only really be one thing at this point (the cut to the incomplete Death Star in the trailer hammers this point home). Saw Gerrera’s increased involvement also suggests as much. Saw is the one who finally discovers the truth at the start of Rogue One, thanks to Bodhi and Galen’s message, and we saw some of his early attempts to find the Death Star on Rebels.

It will be interesting to see if there are any more trailers between now and Celebration. There will surely be plenty of TV spots with occasional bits of new footage, but this may be the last proper trailer for Andor. If it is, it’s a pretty strong one to go out on. It’s full of intriguing imagery and powerful dialogue, just like the show itself.

Let’s hope the season can live up to he hype…

Headlines

Support For The Continuation of The Acolyte Is High. Very High.

Fans of The Acolyte (myself included) were very disappointed last year when it leaked that the show would not be renewed for a second season. We were even more disappointed when we learned that this was despite it being the second most-watched show on Disney+ last year. People have been voicing their displeasure with this decision ever since it was made.

According to a new report from Parrot Analytics, the demand for The Acolyte is 20x higher than the average show. The report deems this to be an “Outstanding” level of demand. While many cancelled shows have disgruntled fans who make a lot of noise about how disappointed they are, the noise around The Acolyte is, apparently, a lot louder.

While I still don’t think anyone should hold their breath for a second season, it does underscore, for me, that cancelling the show was a mistake. The reasons for the cancellation are known: the show was very expensive, and Disney seems to be pivoting away from streaming and back into theatrical releases for its marquee brands. But clearly, this show resonated with a lot of people. Though it wasn’t perfect, it was a fresh take on the Star Wars galaxy and clearly a lot of people appreciated that (even if some of the loudest voices didn’t).

If they could find a way to make the second season with a lower budget (without sacrificing quality), then I think it would be well worth Lucasfilm and Disney’s while.

New Mixed Reality Playset, "Beyond Victory,” Announced

Lucasfilm announced this week that Industrial Light & Magic have created a new “mixed reality” experience called Star Wars: Beyond Victory. The new game will follow Volo Bolus, an up-and-coming Podracer who teams up with Sebulba.

Unlike most previous Star Wars projects for headsets, Beyond Victory is a mixed reality game (rather than virtual reality). This means that the headset will merge your actual surroundings with elements from the game.

Beyond Victory director Jose Perez III explained to StarWars.com, “Our goal at ILM has always been to find new and exciting ways for players to experience Star Wars stories. Focusing on mixed reality has opened several fascinating doors from an immersion standpoint and allows us to literally bring a galaxy far, far away right into the comfort of players’ homes in a way that’s unlike anything we’ve done before.”

The new experience will be exclusively available on the Meta Quest 3 and 3S headsets, though attendees at Star Wars Celebration Japan next month will have the opportunity to try it out first. StarWars.com announced that there will be dozens of stations set for fans to try the game at the ILM and Meta Quest activation in Hall 4, Booth #20-5.

A prequel comic book by Ethan Sacks will be available exclusively at Celebration.

Revenge of the Sith Novelty Popcorn Buckets & Cups Are Coming

When Revenge of the Sith returns to theatres to celebrate its 20th anniversary this April, fans will be able to pick up novelty popcorn buckets with the film’s poster on them. Along with the popcorn bucket, a Darth Vader cup will also be available, allowing me to finally live out my dream of drinking Diet Coke straight from the Sith Lord’s famous helmet.

The new Revenge of the Sith popcorn bucket and cup were announced on social media by Regal Cinemas. The poster featured on the bucket is the anniversary poster that was painted by Matt Ferguson.

regalmovies

A post shared by @regalmovies

Popcorn buckets have been having a resurgence in popularity ever since the very meme-able one that was created for Dune Part II. While the Star Wars one plays it safe, unlike, say, the Deadpool & Wolverine one, it will surely be a sought-after item for cinema goers come April 25th.

RIP Clive Revill

The original voice of Emperor Palpatine, Clive Revill, passed away this week at the age of 94.

Revill’s voice was heard in the original, theatrical release of The Empire Strikes Back. In the original version, when Darth Vader speaks with the Emperor via hologram, Revill provided the voice, with Marjorie Eaton as the Emperor’s face (with her eyes replaced by monkey eyes).

Despite being replaced by Ian McDiarmid for the 2004 DVD version (and all subsequent releases), Revill was still a mainstay at Star Wars conventions. He was beloved by fans for his friendly demeanour and still iconic performance.

He will be missed. RIP.

Hey, Check This Out!

Carson Teva is Getting an Action Figure!

One of the biggest Star Wars collectors, who also happens to be a Star Wars actor, can finally add himself to his collection!

Hasbro announced this week that they are releasing a 3.75” scale action figure of New Republic Captain Carson Teva in the Vintage Collection later this year. The reveal was made as part of their monthly Hasbro Pulse live stream. To help make the reveal, they enlisted the help of Carson Teva actor, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who just so happens to be a massive Star Wars collector himself.

The figure is due to be available at retail stores in Summer 2025, and is available for pre-order now.

Also annouced during the Hasbro Pulse livestream were Vintage Collection figures for Asajj Ventress (The Clone Wars), Agent Kallus (Star Wars Rebels), and Dengar (The Empire Strikes Back), a Vintage Collection vehicle of Luke’s Landspeeder, and Black Series Figures for SM-33 (Skeleton Crew), A Night Trooper (Ahsoka), and Ezra Bridger in his Peridea attire (Ahsoka).

You can watch the full livestream here.

From The Archives

Doctor Aphra Makes Her Debut In Darth Vader (2015) #3

One of the standout characters from the modern era of Star Wars comics made her debut ten years ago this week in Darth Vader (2015) #3.

On March 25th, 2015, Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra walked into our lives, along with her murderbots BT-1 and 0-0-0 (basically evil versions of C-3PO and R2-D2). The issue shows the first meeting between Aphra, a “rogue archeologist,” and Darth Vader. It’s the beginning of a partnership that comes to define much of Aphra’s life, as the dark lord enlists her services.

Aphra has gone on to become a recurring character throughout the comic books set between Episodes IV and VI. In addition to her breakout role in Kieron Gillen’s 2015 Darth Vader series, she has headlined two different Doctor Aphra ongoing comic book series (one set between Episodes IV and V, and one set between Episodes V and VI), as well as an audio drama (also titled Doctor Aphra).

As one of the most popular characters from the comics, it seems like just a matter of time before the rogue archeologist makes the jump from the pages to the screen…

In Other News

Adam Driver To Star In New Apple TV+ Series

Kylo Ren is coming to Apple TV+!

Deadline reported this week that Star Wars sequel trilogy star Adam Driver will star in the new Apple TV+ drama The Dealer, alongside Jessica Chastain. The series will be written by Lucas Hnath, directed by Sam Gold, and produced by Gold, Hnath, and Sarah Lunnie.

According to Deadline, “The Dealer is described as a biting exploration of power, class, seduction and culture set inside the glittering world of the high-end art market, told through the eyes of an aspiring super gallerist, played by Jessica Chastain, and the tangled relationship with her most gifted and unnerving artist, played by Adam Driver.”

This new role marks a return to TV for Driver. His first breakout role was on HBO’s Girls (which he was shooting when he auditioned for Star Wars). Since then he has stuck to making movies.

No word yet on when The Dealer will be released.

Podcast Corner

I was really sick this week, but still tried to power through the SWU Podcast this week. I wound up having to bail about 30 minutes into our discussion of the Andor trailer, but Chris, Ben, and Hannah kept things afloat for the rest of the show. To give you a fair warning of just how sick I sound in the episode, before the show, my co-hosts thought there might be something wrong with my microphone!

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch above on YouTube!

(NOTE: I’m leaving for Japan on Thursday and won’t be on the show regularly until the end of the month. I have every intention of poping in here and there while I travel and, of course, during Celebration, but it won’t be my regular contributions. I also may have some Celebration-specific shows up my sleeve, so stay tuned…)

I was doing much better by the time the Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, so my voice wasn’t quite so jarring on Game Over Toronto this week. I broke down the game and looked ahead at who should be the Leafs’ starting goalie for Game One of the playoffs.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch below on YouTube!

Coming Soon

Always in motion is the future, but here’s a look ahead at what we can expect in Star Wars over the next seven days:

• The High Republic Phase 3 is back this week with the release of Claudia Gray’s new YA Novel, Into the Light, on April 1st. The book is Gray’s final contribution to The High Republic publishing initiative, which wraps up this summer.

• And, the Bad Batch returns in Hyperspace Stories: The Bad Batch: Ghost Agents #2 by Michael Morec on April 2nd.

“I call it luck” —Han Solo