Daniel Robson 
The Live Stage at Star Wars Celebration Japan, where hordes of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars.
As a lifelong Star Wars superfan, I can't tell you how excited I was when, in 2023, Lucasfilm announced that the next edition of its official fan expo Star Wars Celebration would be held in 2025 in Japan, bringing a selection of my favorite movie stars and 100,000 fans together at Makuhari Messe.
I immediately collared my colleagues on IGN's US team to suggest we collaborate on coverage when the event came out of hyperspace two years later. I've never planned anything so far ahead in my life!
From Dream to Reality: Behind the Scenes with IGN
It was worth it. For the three days of April 18–20 at Star Wars Celebration Japan, the IGN Japan and US editorial teams worked closely together in our own private on-site studio. There, we interviewed the stars of Star Wars.
From The Mandalorian filmmakers and series stewards Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau to actors like Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker), Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka Tano), Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks), and half a dozen cast members from the Disney+ show Andor, we spoke with dozens of visiting guests from a galaxy far, far away.
During Celebration, new shows were announced. Surprises included a brand-new animated series titled Maul: Shadow Lord, which follows the one-time Sith apprentice as he returns from near-death. Attendees also got a first look at footage from the upcoming film The Mandalorian & Grogu, which will be the first big-screen Star Wars movie since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker when it is released in 2026.
In a surprise appearance, actor Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy confirmed the title of their own upcoming movie, Star Wars: Starfighter. They said it will hit theaters on May 28, 2027.
A Childhood in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
We covered these and more announcements from the show floor, which you can read about in more detail on IGN.
Star Wars has been my favorite movie series for as long as I can remember. I was around four years old when Return of the Jedi came out in 1983, and I was instantly hooked. As a child, I'm not sure how much of the story I took in. Nevertheless, heroes Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa left an indelible mark on my tiny soul, while droids R2-D2 and C-3PO still feel like some of my oldest friends.
Not to mention the film's bizarre collection of creatures, from the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt to the plucky Ewok Wicket, and the huge collection of action figures that brought them to life in my hands even after the movie ended.
This was in the days of VHS tapes, and when my dad recorded a TV broadcast of 1977's A New Hope, I watched it over and over again, my imagination on fire. Its tale of a raggedy band of brave heroes fighting to topple a fascistic authoritarian empire feels just as relevant today.
Starstruck by Sigourney Weaver
Two other formative movie series for me were Ghostbusters, released in 1984 when I was five or six, and the space horror masterpiece Alien, which invaded my psyche forever when I saw it much too young at around age 10. I re-watch films in these series every year or two, even now, and they have defined my taste forever.
So, imagine my shock when, during our planning for Star Wars Celebration Japan, I learned I would have the chance to interview the actress who played Dana Barrett and Ellen Ripley herself: Sigourney Weaver. She will join the Star Wars universe for the first time when she appears in The Mandalorian & Grogu, slated for release in 2026.
I have interviewed hundreds of stars, and I rarely get starstruck or nervous. But looking through the list of interviewees a couple of weeks before Celebration and seeing the name "Sigourney Weaver" knocked the wind out of me. As the event grew closer, I grew ever more convinced that faced with this heroine of my childhood, I would forget my own name or simply burst into flames.
Thankfully, I was able to get this out of my system before Celebration. When the time came, Weaver was a delight, answering our ludicrous questions comparing cute little Grogu with the terrifying Xenomorph with grace and humor. I even managed to remember my own name.
Redemption for Jar Jar
It was also a thrill to meet Ahmed Best. When The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, his character Jar-Jar Binks was a jarring presence (no pun intended). I'm ashamed to say that old-school Star Wars fans like myself treated the character's slapstick antics with vocal disdain. Best has spoken out about how even in these pre-social media days, the backlash was so harsh that he considered taking his own life.
The prequel movies have been widely reappraised since then. Now that digital filmmaking has become the norm, they don't feel so alien — and indeed, they set the blueprint for pretty much all of today's blockbuster effects movies. Also, the younger generation of fans for whom the prequels were their first Star Wars movies loved goofy Jar-Jar, and now they are adults themselves.
From Generational Gags to Newfound Love
Personally, a few years ago, I watched through the Star Wars movies in sequence with my daughter when she was around seven years old. Seeing her giggle at Jar-Jar's chaotic antics made me fall in love with him completely.
Best has since been reinstated into the Star Wars fold, playing Kelleran Beq, the Jedi knight who saved Grogu from destruction in the Jedi Temple during Season 3 of The Mandalorian – a role of great dignity. Meeting him at Celebration was such a pleasure. Later that weekend, my daughter and I found a Jar-Jar plush that shrieks uncontrollably when squeezed. It made us laugh so hard, we had no choice but to buy it.
Global Fandom Comes to Japan
I love the Star Wars films and spinoff shows themselves, of course, but also the fandom around them. Star Wars Celebration Japan brought fans of all ages and nationalities to Makuhari Messe. While I don't know the official percentage, it felt like 70 or 80% of the audience was from overseas, with Disney claiming participants from 125 countries.
Many of the fans I met told me they were visiting Japan for the first time, taking a couple of weeks on either side of Celebration to explore Tokyo or to visit cities like Osaka and Kyoto. Star Wars creator George Lucas was influenced in part by Japanese culture and the movies of Akira Kurosawa, so Japan was like a mecca for these fans. I felt proud that Star Wars could make so many people interested in Japan and its culture, with Celebration showing Japan in a positive light that the 2020 Olympics or Expo 2025 Osaka could have only dreamed of.
The Art and Heart of Cosplay
And where you have a massive venue filled with Star Wars fans, you have cosplay. Japanese cosplayers are of course the best in the world, and at Celebration I was amazed by cosplayer Ricky's acrobatic recreation of a rolling Droideka robot, Yuuki's kimono-clad oiran Maul, Mayu's Sith bandit leader from Star Wars: Visions, a guy dressed as Luke Skywalker riding a horse-like Tauntaun, and a couple connected together as the front and back halves of Anakin's podracer.
It was also impressive to see how visiting fans brought their intricate costumes with them to Japan, not to be outdone by the locals. Some favourites included a lifelike (and very tall) Chewbacca, and a pair of women dressed as the Rancor monster and its keeper.
Meanwhile, some friends of mine dressed as Mandalorian warrior Bo-Katan Kryze, the Master Codebreaker from a casino in The Last Jedi, and a Jedi escorting his kids dressed as Mando and Ahsoka Tano. Seeing the amount of work they put into their costumes during the run-up to Celebration was inspiring.
Stickers, SWAG, and Star Wars Joy
Another cool thing was SWAG. An acronym for "Something We All Get/Give" that also simply means "swag," this is a tradition where fans trade homemade stickers, patches, badges, and even 3D-printed figures with other fans. It's a great way to break the ice, and the amount of creativity that goes into these items is incredible, from artistic takes on beloved characters to iconography advertising local fan groups from around the world.
Not wanting to be left out, I made a batch of stickers before Celebration to trade, featuring a terrible pun-based gag that managed to win a few laughs when I exchanged them with people at the show. Here's the sticker design — please forgive me!
A True Celebration of Fandom and Hope
Star Wars Celebration Japan was an overwhelming outpouring of positivity that made me happy to be a Star Wars fan. It was a dream come true to meet the stars of my favourite movies and TV shows, of course, but more than that, it was a joy to meet so many other fans in person.
Away from the anonymous barrier of social media, there was no negativity to be found. It was also a delight to expose my daughter, now nearly 13, to this wholesome expression of love, unity, and hope. In these turbulent times, it really felt like being a part of a Rebel Alliance.
Far from merely an expo, Star Wars Celebration Japan was just that: a celebration.
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Author: Daniel Robson
