I Went To The Star Wars Celebration In Japan – This Is What It Was Like

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27-04-2025

There's nothing quite like being at Star Wars Celebration.
Hundreds of thousands of Star Wars fans of all ages, races, and genders from across the galaxy descending on one location (in this case, Japan) – many of them cosplaying as Stormtroopers, Jedi, Sith Lords, Mandalorians, and other notable figures from the universe – can feel overwhelming at times. But the overall atmosphere is one of positive and immersive joy. It's a place where you're as likely to bump into a lightsaber-carrying fan as you are to start up a conversation about John Williams' best Star Wars score with someone you've never met before. In that way, it's a welcome and healing contrast to the annoying loud minority on social media who have bullied and harassed Star Wars actors – particularly people of colour like John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Moses Ingram, and Amandla Stenberg – in recent years. It's still a great time to be a Star Wars fan.
While the 2023 edition of the bi-annual convention (held in London) was defined by a slew of announcements that charted the next half decade of Star Wars, SWC 2025 put most of its focus on the present and the near-ish future.
Day 1
The Mandalorian and Grogu (currently due out in May 2026) were the highlights of Day 1, showcasing a sequence in which Pedro Pascal's Beskar-clad hero blasts, stabs, and flamethrowers his way through a horde of stormtroopers in an AT-AT. Even in this early sizzle reel, the jump from the small to the big screen seems to suit Mando, and Jon Favreau – who was onstage with Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy – made note of the IMAX cameras that were utilised for certain action sequences. The film will also star Sigourney Weaver as a stern New Republic commander.
We also got confirmation that Ryan Gosling will be making his Star Wars debut in Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter, due out in 2027. Details are still scarce – Levy said it's a 'standalone adventure set a few years after events of Episode IX' – but securing the talents of one of Hollywood's most likeable stars is a big win.
One of the more exciting reveals of the day was in Lucasfilm's animation panel, as Maul: Shadow Lord was announced. Set after the events of The Clone Wars, the series sees Sam Witwer reprise the role of the fan-favourite Dathomiri Sith Lord as he rises in the criminal underworld. The sizzle reel was bold and generous, with plenty of bounty hunters and fierce lightsaber action along with the reveal that Maul has taken on an apprentice. Coming May 2026!
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Day 2
Day 2 brought Tony Gilroy and the cast of Andor to hype up the now streaming second season of Star Wars' critically lauded show. The fandom's love for actors like Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, and Alan Tudyk felt especially palpable. In a change from season 1, the episodes will be dropping three at a time. 'We're essentially dropping a new movie every week,' Gilroy noted. 'And we're focusing on the most important three or four days of every year.'
Hayden Christensen – aka Anakin Skywalker – got a hero's welcome when he was introduced to the stage for the season two panel of Ahsoka, which is notable for being the first Star Wars series that's led by a Black woman; Rosario Dawson. Christensen's Star Wars journey has been a bumpy one; the initial reaction to the prequel trilogy that he starred in was intensely negative. But a reappraisal of those films in recent years has brought him back into the Star Wars limelight, and the appreciative love he's repeatedly shown by the fandom is heartwarming. And most surprisingly, he'll be back for season 2!
Day 3
This year, Star Wars Celebration's final panel was dedicated to Star Wars: Visions, the endlessly creative anthology animated series that features work from multiple studios all over the world. Volume 3 is due out in October of this year and features work from Kinema Citrus, David Production, Kamikaze Douga, Project Studio Q, Trigger, Polygon Pictures, Production I.G, and Wit Studio.
In addition to new non-canon stories, it was announced that the new season would feature the expansion of beloved shorts from earlier in its run, including 'The Duel', 'The Village Bride', and 'The Lost Ones'. We can't wait for this one!