The Rise Of Skywalker’ Panel

On Friday, Star Wars followers from world wide gathered in chilly Chicago for Star Wars Celebration’s important occasion: the Episode IX panel. Expectations had been excessive that we’d lastly be taught the title of the film (we did!) and see the primary trailer (test). But, past that, nobody actually knew fairly what to anticipate. (This panel happened in an precise sports activities enviornment, the place the DePaul basketball staff performs. It was very crowded.)

It was form of a live performance environment. Everyone was piled in early, entertained by the opening acts, which included a C+C Music Factory enjoying DJ and the comedy stylings of Warwick Davis. (That’s not a joke, Davis is legit hilarious. I want he had his personal tv present the place he might focus on non-Star Wars associated subjects.)

Anyway, sure, we did, lastly get our trailer and title and, we discovered, it was filled with surprises.

Stephen Colbert hosted the festivities with Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and many of the forged in attendance. Notably absent was Adam Driver, who simply form of looks as if he’s taking the “Harrison Ford, I don’t like all this much anymore,” perspective to a brand new degree. Like Ford, I believe in 30 some years he’ll come round. (Jokes apart, Driver is at the moment starring in a Broadway present, which is the technical purpose why he wasn’t there.) And thank goodness Colbert was there, as a result of, unsurprisingly, nobody stated a lot of something. But Colbert is nice at turning these moments into not less than one thing entertaining. (For many of the proceedings, poor Billy Dee Williams had a glance on his face that learn one thing like, “What on Earth have I gotten myself into?”)

Look, I’m not a panel individual. I don’t love being round crowds cheering for speeches and photographs, however the entire thing received me over, even within the press part. Especially the gang’s response to Kelly Marie Tran, who had such a tough time on social media with darkish parts of fandom throughout The Last Jedi, she appeared legitimately emotional throughout the rousing applause. And it was stylish film for J.J. Abrams so as to add that Rian Johnson casting her was the very best present Johnson gave him from the earlier movie.