'Star Wars Celebration Europe' Recap - Day 2

Image via comingsoon.net

Yesterday, fans got a chance to spend an hour with Mark Hamill, learn about Ahsoka's untold adventures with Dave Filoni, Ashley Eckstein and Pablo Hidalgo, take a journey through Star Wars visual history with Doug Chiang, John Knoll, and Kevin Jenkins, and capped off the day with the highly anticipated Rogue One panel and newly released behind-the-scenes reel. We also got a chance to see a clip from season 3 of Star Wars Rebels, which unfortunately shed no light on Ahsoka's fate. Today, we once again indulged ourselves with more news, clips and sneak peeks into future Star Wars projects from multiple platforms. So, lets get started!

Droids of The Force Awakens

Image via starwars.com

Image via starwars.com

To start the day off, David Collins held an hour long discussion with the builders of R2-D2 from The Force Awakens, Oliver Steeples and Lee Towersey, and Matt Denton and Josh Lee, the engineering team behind BB-8. It was a particularly fascinating panel, especially for those who are interested in how these droids are brought to life and how they work. We were able to see a couple of variations of BB-8 as well, including the one from the red carpet premieres. The engineering team behind BB-8 also cleared up a few things regarding BB-8 and what were practical movements and effects, but one of the more interesting details revolved around the lighter effect, or the "thumbs up." Denton and Lee told the audience that they were planning to do that gag, practically, for that scene, but they couldn't finish it in time, so that effect had to be inserted digitally. So, little pieces of information like that, sort of enhancing the knowledge of those who love the films and are interested in the behind-the-scenes aspect of the film, were throughout this whole panel.

The Creatures, Droids, and Aliens of The Force Awakens

Much like the Droids of The Force Awakens panel, the creative team sat with host Warwick Davis and discussed the process behind creating these characters and how they function. They also brought the heads of some of the alien creatures of the film, and they explained how they were able to incorporate facial expressions and certain aesthetic looks to the characters. One of the things they discussed, certainly stressed by J.J. Abrams, was making as much of the film using practical effects as possible. For example, the droid walking out of Maz's castle was entirely pr

Image via slashfilm.com

actical and had to be built around the performer who was standing on stilts. But, the highlight of the panel, was when they brought out a new character from the upcoming Rogue One film that was shown in the behind-the-scenes reel. We got our first live look at, who they call "Space Monkey," and that character has already become a favorite from that specific reel.

Anthony Daniels, Without Protocol

Beginning in hilarious fashion, Anthony Daniels spent an hour with fans, along with host Warwick Davis. Daniels explained why C-3PO has a red arm in the film, actually reading the comic book that explains that particular story. He also brought several fans on stage to participate in the Q&A, as well as reenacting a scene from A New Hope. It was a very fun and funny panel, learning about his role in the previous film, answering questions about wearing the suit, and playing C-3PO in general. He really showed his commitment to the fans and his love for the Star Wars universe.

Star Wars Rebels Season 3

Image via screenrant.com

This was the most anticipated panel of the day, and definitely the most memorable. On stage with host Warwick Davis was creator of Rebels, Dave Filoni, Darth Maul himself, Sam Witwer, and Sabine, Tiya Sircar. News had been circulating that Dave Filoni had a big announcement to share during that panel. So, we were able to see a couple of clips from the new season, showcasing Ezra and Sabine in action, as well as the Ghost crew being held captive by Darth Maul. We also saw that some of our characters have new looks, as well as having grown as characters. But, the highlight for those watching the live stream, was the new trailer for season 3 of Rebels. Dave Filoni had been teasing that a character from Legends would be returning to canon, and midway through the trailer, we got our answer as to who that would be. In season 3 of Star Wars Rebels, Grand Admiral Thrawn will make his return to the Star Wars universe. Filoni received a standing ovation from the
crowd for bringing this character back, made popular by Timothy Zahn in the Heir to the Empire novels. Speaking of Zahn, Filoni made another announcement. In April 2017, a new novel entitled "Thrawn," will be released and written by none other than legendary Star Wars author, Timothy Zahn. To end the panel, those that were present in the hall got to watch the first two episodes of the new season. By far, this panel stole the show, and quite possible the weekend thus far.

Meet ILMxLAB: The Future of Immersive Entertainment

ILM always has some of the more interesting panels during Celebration. This one in particular focused on the future of Immersive Entertainment, which will allow people to step inside the world of Star Wars and experience original stories. You will essentially be a part of these original narratives. Writer David Goyer (Batman Trilogy, Man of Steel), spoke about their current project with this new form of entertainment. Goyer mentioned that an original narrative is currently being developed for this medium, and that it will center around one of the most iconic villains of all time - Darth Vader. While describing how this form of entertainment works, Goyer said this, "You are the visitor in this story that is happening in and around you, and to a certain extent you might even have some effect on. You can pick up things, you can open things. You can push things, you can walk. You can touch characters." The film will also function in a "persistent" world, meaning that there is day and night, and it continues to do so after the story is complete for the first time. This was a very exciting announcement for fans and for entertainment as well.

The Minds Behind EA's Star Wars Games

With news of a new Star Wars game to be released in the next year, this panel was pretty exciting as we got to get some new details and footage of new content in the Star Wars gaming world. First, we learned that there will be new, downloadable content after the premiere of Rogue One that will include the planet Scarif, as well as make new Jyn Erso and Director Krennic playable characters in Star Wars: Battlefront. Granted, the game wasn't received overwhelmingly well, but additions like these definitely make the game more enjoyable. Also coming to Star Wars: Battlefront will be a new location - the Death Star. You will be able to do the trench run, as well as fight in that iconic aerial battle. The teaser for this add-on is absolutely incredible and showcased some unbelievable graphics. Aside from that, Amy Hennig of Visceral spoke briefly about their Star Wars game that is currently in development. Since the game is still in its early stages, there wasn't much to elaborate on, but she did say that this will be an original narrative, which is something that fans have been clamoring for. The image that was shown, taken from the E3 conference, makes it feel incredibly immersive.

There you have it! Day 2 is in the books, and it did not disappoint. Grand Admiral Thrawn was reintroduced, we got a new Rebels trailer and clips, a Thrawn novel, and some fantastic news regarding the video games and immersive entertainment from ILMxLAB. Let's see what Day 3 has in store for us!

May the Force be with you.

*Links to the respective panels will be posted if and when those videos become available.*