The Announcements From Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023

Back with the monthly update, I did say that the first article once I returned from Star Wars Celebration would be about my experiences of it. Well, my experiences of it were picking up my badges from the ExCel Centre on the Thursday. An asthma attack that night then left me weakened and unable to attend. While I did feel recovered on Saturday, I didn’t want to risk anything so also stayed away on Sunday.

Not to worry, as I still had a great time with a great friend who was looking out for me as we explored some of London. With plenty of rest stops. Once back at the hotel each day, I was looking at things that had been announced at the major panels of that day. And I have to say, I loved it all. This article will only focus on the TV and film announcements, since there were a lot of them.

I suppose the largest of those announcements came from the opening panel of Celebration. The Lucasfilm Studio Showcase revealed a lot, including… what was it, now? Three new films? Oh, how excited I was to read that. Three new films, all exploring different eras of the timeline! James Mangold, who is helming the new Indiana Jones, will head for the past, exploring the first Jedi to wield the Force.

As a representation of the films announced at Star Wars Celebration, a collage of Din Djarin in his armour, Rey Skywalker in her white robes, and the first Jedi featured within the Dawn of the Jedi comic series with their arms holding a while light that represents the Force are featured here. — The culmination of The Mandalorian story, the continuation of Rey Skywalker, and an on-screen representation of the original Jedi are sure to be great films.

Seeing such a long time into the past (Mangold says it’s based 25,000 years before A New Hope) will be an exciting thing. The topic at hand needs to be handled well, however. The Force is a natural part of the universe. It surrounds us and binds the galaxy together. So trying to answer questions such as where did it come from, when it was discovered, and how people came to use it is likely to be something that destroys any mysticism it has.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is taking things beyond the sequel trilogy, with a focus on rebuilding the Jedi Order. And the Jedi to do that is none other than Rey. Daisy Ridley is returning to the Star Wars universe, which I am happy to see. The sequel trilogy might have had its flaws, but there were plenty of concepts that needed a bit better execution. Including the characters. So giving Rey more time to shine should show off a lot more to her character than the sequels showed.

Dave Filoni is helming a film that will tie together threads that have been building across various Disney+ series for a climactic event. The Mandalorian started off the exploration of the galaxy under the New Republic, with The Book of Boba Fett acting as a bridge between the second and third seasons. Both have had their ups and downs, but they’ve overall been fun watches, so this film is likely to be the same. It won’t be seen for some time, however, with more Mandalorian and Ahsoka, as well as other series of the era to come.

Speaking of those series, a trailer for Ahsoka shows just how much this series is looking to be the sequel to Rebels we’ve all been waiting for. The hunt for Ezra and Thrawn being undertaken by Ahsoka and Sabine across the galaxy, with Hera and Chopper appearing within the trailer. It also seems to be touching on more New Republic politics as the threat of the hidden Imperial forces looms.

A bit of talk on Skeleton Crew and the second season of Andor was at this panel, though nothing that hasn’t been heard before. The teaser for Skeleton Crew showed that Jude Law’s character could use the Force, while Andor showcased some action the main characters find themselves in. Skeleton Crew is still a bit of an unknown, so as yet I’m unsure just how much I’ll like it. The second season of Andor, however, is something I’m very much looking forward to after the absolute greatness that was the first.

Another that’s still very much an unknown is The Acolyte. While the Studio Showcase has revealed some things, it’s very much a secret. Joonas Suotamo will be suiting up as another Wookiee as Kelnacca – a Jedi. This one is set in the High Republic era with a focus on the Sith, though still with exploration of the Jedi of that time. As the exclusive trailer showcased.

Posters of the previous seasons of The Bad Batch and Tales of the Jedi, with the former showing the Batch in their armour against a yellow-brown skydrop while the latter depicts the Jedi emblem with various characters surrounding it. — While these are posters of the previous seasons, I can imagine both new seasons will have great posters that hint at what the season will bring.

Across the other three days, news on Visions Volume 2, Tales of the Jedi, and The Bad Batch also arrived. While I haven’t seen the first volume of Visions as yet, there’s plenty of good I’ve heard about it. This second volume expands out from just anime to a wider net of animation styles, including getting Aardman involved for some stop-motion greatness. I’ll likely run through both volumes when the second arrives on 4/May.

As for Tales of the Jedi’s second season, it was pretty much a quick announcement at the end of The Clone Wars 15^th Anniversary panel. Since the first focused on characters that featured in The Clone Wars, it makes sense for this second season to do so as well. But which characters are likely to feature? If Filoni has any say, I’m sure Plo Koon will. Whether with this or a future season. And I’ll enjoy that focus on the Kel Dor Jedi.

For The Bad Batch, it was confirmed that the upcoming third season would be the last. Things ended pretty rough for the Batch at the end of the second season, with Tech’s death and Omega’s capture giving the finale a real Empire Strikes Back feeling. A feeling that hasn’t really been present since Empire Strikes Back. As sad as I am that this third will be the last, I’m sure it will be going out with a bang.

And just as the live-action content has seen announcements of new shows relating to them, I’m hoping the same after this third season of The Bad Batch. As long as the reason I’m hoping for a follow-on series doesn’t get imploded during that season. During the second season, Rex’s clone network fighting against the Empire was shown near the end of it. And that is the series I hope for after the Batch’s story is done.

It has been another great Celebration full of lovely announcements. While I did miss my chance to get stuck in, I didn’t mind that one bit. And honestly, I don’t think I need to get stuck in. I much prefer an outdoor venue with a bit of shade compared to being inside. But hey, the next Celebration is taking place somewhere super lovely. Japan. While I won’t be going, it will be an awesome experience for anyone who does.

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