Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022: Celebration Stage Panels Recap

With so much to do at any given moment, it’s literally impossible to do everything at Star Wars Celebration. If attending panels was on your list, you had to win a seat through the lottery system or risk it in the standby line. Tatooine Times was fortunate enough to be able to gain access to a number of Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 Celebration Stage panels and have exclusive insights right here, so strap in for an exciting ride.

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones 20th Anniversary Celebration

Hosted by beloved Ahsoka voice actress Ashley Eckstein, Friday afternoon’s panel was all about celebrating the 20th anniversary of Attack of the Clones. The room was packed and buzzing with anticipation, which quickly morphed into wild applause as Eckstein introduced a video message from the maker himself George Lucas. Lucas’ short but sweet message highlighted his memory of how his entire team was excited for Attack of the Clones to be the first feature length film shot 100% digitally. Next, Eckstein introduced the panelists: actors Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett), Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett), and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), plus Design Supervisor Doug Chiang, Production Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll, and Sound Designer Matthew Wood. Each panelist shared their memories of their time on the movie—hot sweaty desert shoots, technical advancements and all. Temuera Morrison in particular was a standout; his enthusiasm and humor had the crowd eating up every word. Plus, he and Daniel Logan’s father/son relationship was clearly evident as they shared hilarious (and touching) anecdotes of their decades long relationship. It wouldn’t have been an Attack of the Clones celebration without a few key cast members as Ashley shocked the crowd by introducing Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker)! The Clone Wars fans were particularly thrilled with Eckstein being seated right next to Christensen as she greeted him with a “Hey there, Skyguy” to wild applause (turns out she was equally excited to see the Anakin Skywalker actor, it being their first meeting). McGregor’s memory was a bit foggy, as he struggled to recall Jango and Kenobi’s rain-soaked battle, but he did share a memory of the scene where Obi-Wan is greeted by young Boba Fett. Logan was given direction to react to Kenobi with a specific facial reaction, and McGregor told the then 13-year-old actor to imagine that he just “did a terrible fart”, which worked perfectly (no method acting required). The panel concluded with everyone on stage sharing their love of the film and the enthusiasm it’s maintained from fans over the years. It was especially touching to see Hayden Christensen stop and sign autographs for lucky front row attendees on his way out.

Mando+ : A Conversation with Jon Favreau & Dave Filoni

The anticipation for the Mando+ panel was palpable in the Anaheim Convention Center Saturday morning. The Celebration Stage was set up differently from previous panels, with a table, fifteen chairs and mics ready to go. Moderator Ash Crossan introduced the first two panelists, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, who shared their memories of trying not to spoil anything from The Mandalorian Season 2 while staying tight-lipped on anything for Season 3. The first surprise guest made his way to the stage: Pedro Pascal, “Daddy Din” himself! The audience melted as Pascal described his time on The Mandalorian as “the closest I’ve ever come to becoming a dad.” The Mando trifecta was complete when stunt actors Lateef Crowder and Brendan Wayne joined the stage next. The surprise guests kept coming as Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), Emily Swallow (The Armorer), and Carl Weathers (Greef Karga) joined the panel—with Weathers making Dave Filoni particularly nervous as he shared a Season 3 spoiler (the already revealed fact it’s coming Spring 2023). Next up were Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), and Director (now The Mandalorian Season 3 Executive Producer) Rick Famuyiwa. Everyone in the room was treated to a full The Mandalorian Season 3 trailer, which immediately upon finishing had everyone chanting, “One more time!” With two seats remaining onstage, who was left to bring out? None other than Ahsoka and Sabine themselves, Rosario Dawson and Natasha Liu Bordizzo (plus Chopper), both of whom seemed genuinely overwhelmed and thankful to be there. Being Bordizzo’s very first Star Wars appearance was something she wasn’t taking for granted, saying she felt like she’d “just been adopted into a new family.” The Ahsoka gifts weren’t over as Filoni shared that although they’ve only been in production for 3 weeks, they were able to put some footage together. The excitement in the room had definitely peaked at this point as shot after shot of footage had fans going out of their minds (Hera, improved lekku, the back of Sabine’s head). It was cool seeing all the panelists come out from behind their seats and lounge on the floor as they were also the first to see the footage. Last but not least, Grogu himself made an in-person appearance (having been stowed away underneath Dave and Jon the entire time), he squatted right down on the table and waved to his adoring fans. The panel ended with an absolutely epic photo op of everyone on stage. Rosario Dawson hung around the longest afterwards, taking pictures and signing autographs to fans in the front row, giving and receiving so much Star Wars love.

Tales of the Jedi

Most folks in attendance at the Tales of the Jedi panel went in with an open mind. There was a sense of curiosity for what exactly this was going to be. Host Amy Ratcliffe brought Dave Filoni to the stage, who was in a much more relaxed state after the morning’s Mando+ panel, admitting that he didn’t have to be as concerned about spoilers anymore. Filoni shared his love for The Bad Batch, and selfishly wanted to do something in animation again since he’s been heavy on the live action side. So it was after a plane ride where he sketched out a story idea that Tales of the Jedi was born, a series of shorts that will flesh out missing pieces of character storylines from the Star Wars galaxy. Filoni said, “I thought making these shorts would frame up certain characters in a way that I couldn’t in [The] Clone Wars,” with Ahsoka Tano, Count Dooku, and Qui-Gon Jinn being front and center. Dave shared that none other than Liam Neeson himself would be back to voice Qui-Gon, with Neeson’s son cast to voice the Jedi Master during his apprentice days. He also revealed the series would reunite Ahsoka with her Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker. The audience was treated with an entire Tales of the Jedi episode, titled Life and Death, which quietly and beautifully focused on Ahsoka’s birth and relationship with both her mother and the Force. Actress Janina Gavankar, who portrays Ahsoka’s mother, joined the panel and was almost brought to tears multiple times as she recounted her love for being a part of the Star Wars family. The panel concluded with the premiere of the full length Tales of the Jedi trailer, with Yaddle’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance drawing the loudest crowd reaction.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 2

Sunday’s The Bad Batch Season 2 panel was chock full of treats for fans of the Lucasfilm Animation show. Host Dave W. Collins was joined by Supervising Director Brad Rau, Executive Producer and Head Writer Jen Corbett, Story Editor Matt Michnovetz, actors Dee Bradley Baker (the Bad Batch) and Michelle Ang (Omega). Straight away, Dee Bradley Baker had the audience floored with the way he seamlessly transitioned from voice to voice of each member of the Bad Batch, sharing that’s how they typically record episodes as well. Lucasfilm Animation crewmembers (many of whom were in the room) received numerous shoutouts from Rau, Corbett and Michnovetz earning them numerous rounds of applause for their amazing work. The audience then got to witness a live script reading of a scene from The Bad Batch Season 1, which displayed the immense talent of the voice actors, once again showing off Baker’s mind-blowing voice skills. A scene from Season 3 was then played which showed off the Bad Batch’s redesigned outfits, and had a more mature looking Omega taking on some nasty crab creatures who are bent on destroying their ship. A newly designed poster titled Long Road Ahead was revealed, hinting at what’s to come for Season 2, which everyone in attendance was taking home. The panel wrapped up with the first ever look at the trailer for Season 2, which was immediately played again to everyone’s delight.

The Celebration Stage at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 was day after day of exclusive reveals, insightful conversations, and surprise guests. Except for Star Wars: Attack of the Clones 20th Anniversary Celebration, these panels were not streamed this year, much to the disappointment of fans around the world who could not be in attendance. Hopefully this look at my experience in the room helped make you feel like you were there. May the Force be with you!