Celebration IV

IVPoster The official poster of Celebration IV Celebration IV, often shortened to C4 or CIV, marked the fourth instance of a Celebration dedicated to the Star Wars universe. From May 24 to May 28 of 2007, it took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center located in Los Angeles, California. The main purpose was to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, the original Star Wars movie that premiered on May 25, 1977. The initial day, May 24, was reserved for members of the Hyperspace fan club.

Jay Laga'aia served as the Celebrity Master of Ceremonies for activities on the concourse stage, while Doug Steves was the MC at the behind-the-scenes stage.

The gathering attracted more than 35,000 attendees, representing the largest crowd at any Star Wars Celebration until Celebration Orlando surpassed it.

Background Information

An article on StarWars.com published on February 16, 2006, first hinted at the possibility of Celebration IV. Until then, such an event was merely speculation among fans. This announcement by the Official Site suggested that Lucasfilm Ltd. may have been in the early stages of planning. During a Q&A at the 2006 Star Wars Disney Weekends, Rick McCallum validated fan expectations by confirming a Celebration IV in 2007. Building on the earlier hint, StarWars.com officially confirmed on May 26, 2006, that Celebration IV would occur in Los Angeles, California, spanning from May 24 to May 28 in 2007. Tickets became available for purchase around 12:00 PM PST on October 30, 2006, with online pre-registration closing on March 31, 2007.

Official Pix once again managed the celebrity autograph sessions, anticipating an even larger guest list than the previous Celebration, which featured 41 guests.

On March 24, the California Science Center in Los Angeles provided tours of their Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit for fans.

At the 2006 Comic-Con, Stephen J. Sansweet announced that footage from the 3D Clone Wars cartoon would be presented at Celebration IV.

Scheduled Events

Event Schedule

Star Wars six-film marathon

Six-Movie Marathon Commemorative Button

An official marathon of all six Star Wars films was held for ticket holders, commencing on Wednesday, May 23, 2007, at 9:00 AM in Hall K of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Spanning 17 hours, including breaks, the event transitioned directly into the first day of Celebration IV, which was initially exclusive to Hyperspace members. Attendees received commemorative buttons designed specifically for the marathon, serving as proof of their participation. Tickets were offered free to Celebration IV attendees, but availability was limited, requiring advance reservations. Refreshments were sold during the movie screenings.

Registration was available through the Star Wars Celebration site here.

Sansweet mentioned that the DVD versions of the movies would be shown, with an estimated attendance of 2,000 to 4,200 people for the marathon.

Art showcase

Celebration merchandise store

Located primarily in Exhibit Hall A, the Celebration Store implemented a new system for accessing merchandise through Quick Path shopping time reservations. Attendees who purchased badges online could reserve a 2-hour timeslot via the Gencon site. The store remained open continuously from 12 PM on Thursday, May 24, until 2 PM on Monday, May 28.

Additionally, Master Replicas released a special repaint of the Luke Skywalker X-wing helmet mini-helmet, exclusively for the Celebration IV conference, known as the "Wedge Antilles Celebration IV Conference exclusive."

Star Wars celebrity autographs

Thursday, May 24: Noon - 8:00 PM (Hyperspace members only). Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 25-27: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM. Monday, May 28: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Open to all CIV attendees. Location: Exhibit Hall HJ

Star Wars collecting panels

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 25-27: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM. Monday, May 28: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Location: Rooms 511 ABC

  • Hilarious Star Wars Items
  • Vintage Bootleg Toys
  • Kenner's Micro Collection
  • Star Wars Collecting Clubs
  • Women's Collecting Panel
  • Animation Collecting
  • Character Collecting
  • Recycled Toys
  • Star Wars Coins
  • Peruvian Star Wars Collectibles
  • Props and Costumes
  • Cast and Crew Items
  • Collecting 101
  • Selling Tips
  • Online Auctions and Collecting

Behind-the-scenes stage (515A)

Unless stated otherwise, all events were planned to last no longer than one hour, commencing at the times specified below:

  • 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM: Opening Ceremonies!

  • Friday, May 25 11:00 AM: The Archaeology of Star Wars with DWR and Lorne Peterson 12:30 PM: The Making of Star Wars with Jonathan W. Rinzler 2:00 PM: The Archaeology of Indiana Jones 3:30 PM: Legacy of the Force with Allston, Denning, and Traviss 5:00 PM: The Art of Ralph McQuarrie

  • Saturday, May 26 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: 30 Years of Star Wars Publishing and Continuity, with Lucasfilm, Del Rey, and Dark Horse 12:30 PM: Basement Independent Film with Hollywood Results - Shane Felux 2:00 PM: Robot Chicken Writers' Panel 3:30 PM: Robot Chicken Toys & Sets - Creating the Epic 5:00 PM: Dark Horse Comics 6:30 PM: Star Wars Filming Locations with Alinger and Lopez

  • Sunday, May 27 10:00 AM: Basement Independent Film with Hollywood Results - Shane Felux 11:30 AM: Advanced Droid Building 1:00 PM: 501st Costuming: Stormtroopers 2:30 PM: Star Wars Incredible Cross Sections 4:00 PM: The Star Wars Vault with Steve Sansweet and Pete Vilmur 5:30 PM: The Art of the Pop-Up with Matthew Reinhart

  • Monday, May 28 10:00 AM: "Thank the Maker" - Ryder Windham & Kilian Plunket 11:30 AM: You Can Draw: Star Wars with Tom Hodges and Matt Busch (Bonnie Burton was unable to make the panel) 1:00 PM: Wookieepedia Trivia! Let the Wookiee Win!

Legacy of the Force

Aaron Allston, Troy Denning, and Karen Traviss engaged with fans about their ongoing contributions to the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series published by Del Rey on Friday, May 25 at 3:30 PM.

Wookieepedia trivia

Do you spend countless hours browsing the HoloNet? Do you possess more knowledge about the dark side than Halagad Ventor? Do you even know who Halagad Ventor is? If you answered yes, then you should challenge the Wookieepedia experts in a Star Wars trivia contest: Try to Stump the Wookiee—because simply attending isn't geeky enough!

Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki, hosted a trivia competition inspired by Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, offering prizes on the behind-the-scenes stage. Initially, contestants were to be selected from the Wookieepedia table in the Fan Fair Exhibit Hall during the early days of the convention. Instead, participants were chosen at the event based on who could answer a qualifying question the fastest.

Concourse stage

CIV poster by Steven D. Anderson.

All events were designed to be one hour in duration, commencing at the times specified below:

  • Friday, May 25

    • 10:30 AM: Exclusive pre-event gathering for Star Wars Celebrity contestants
    • 12:00 PM: All About Creature Make-up
    • 1:30 PM: Spotlight on Carrie Fisher
    • 3:00 PM: The Model Shop Legends Panel
    • 4:30 PM: An Hour Dedicated to Jay Laga'aia

  • Saturday, May 26

    • 11:00 AM: VFX Rock Stars Discussion
    • 12:30 PM: In Conversation with Irvin Kershner
    • 2:00 PM: All About the Fanboys
    • 3:30 PM: Celebrating Thirty Years of Star Wars
    • 5:00 PM: Star Wars Celebrity Event
    • 9:00 PM: A Conversation with Carrie Fisher

  • Sunday, May 27

    • 10:30 AM: Jay Laga'aia—Live in the Family Room Performance
    • 12:00 PM: Journey To the Maul
    • 1:30 PM: An Hour Dedicated to Anthony Daniels
    • 3:00 PM: Star Wars: Legacy Preview Event
    • 4:30 PM: Exploring The Force of the Fetts
    • 6:00 PM: The Wookiees Always Win Presentation

  • Monday, May 28

    • 10:30 AM: All About Creature Make-up
    • 12:00 PM: Endor Village People!

A Conversation with Carrie Fisher

Access to this event was granted only to Celebration IV registered pass holders, with online registration concluding on Monday, April 30. The cost to attend Fisher's appearance was $15, and seating was limited.

Fan fair exhibit hall (Hall G)

  • Operating Hours for the Fan Fair Exhibit Hall:
    • Thursday, May 24: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    • Friday, May 25: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
    • Saturday, May 26: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
    • Sunday, May 27: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
    • Monday, May 28: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Fan stage

Each event was planned for a duration of up to one hour, commencing at the times detailed below, unless specified otherwise:

  • Friday, May 25

    • 10:30 AM: 501st Costuming Panels: Denizens & Aliens Discussion
    • 12:00 PM: 501st Costuming Panels: Sith Lords Discussion
    • 1:30 PM: Hasbro's Latest Developments
    • 3:00 PM: WOTC Miniatures Showcase
    • 4:30 PM: WOTC Roleplaying Session
    • 6:00 PM: Star Wars Road Trip! Adventure

  • Saturday, May 26

    • 10:00 AM: Kotobukiya Presentation
    • 11:30 AM: Droid Building 101 Workshop
    • 1:00 PM: Droid Building on a Budget Seminar
    • 2:30 PM: Sideshow Collectibles Presentation
    • 4:00 PM: 501st Costuming Panels: Bounty Hunters Discussion
    • 5:30 PM: 501st Costuming Panels: Imperial Officers Discussion
    • 7:00 PM: 501st Costuming Panels: Pilots Discussion

  • Sunday, May 27

    • 9:30 AM: Meet the Rebel Legion Gathering
    • 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM: Artists' Portfolio Review with Troy Alders, Art Director at Lucas Licensing
    • 2:00 PM: 501st Costuming Panels: Expanded Universe Discussion
    • 3:30 PM: Starwoids: Special Edition Presentation
    • 5:00 PM: Costuming With the Good Guys: Rebel Legion Costumes Showcase
    • 6:30 PM: 501st Costuming Panels: Clone Troopers Discussion
    • 8:00 PM: Meet the Jedi Assembly Gathering

  • Monday, May 28

    • 10:00 AM: 501st: Youth Costuming Event
    • 11:30 AM: Meet the 501st Gathering
    • 1:00 PM: Hardware Store Star Wars Prop Building Workshop
    • 2:30 PM: The Force Among Us - Chris Macht Presentation

Fan tables

Star Wars Fan Film Awards

Sunday, May 27, 2007

R2-D2 Builders

  • Droid Displays & Demonstrations
  • Droid Races, Trivia Challenge, and XXtreme Droid Competition
  • Droid Building Panels

The One Man Star Wars Trilogy

Enthusiasts of the Star Wars films and live theater attendees were treated to a remarkable performance during each showing of The One Man Star Wars Trilogy by the dynamic Charles Ross. The Canadian performer entertained audiences each day at the Los Angeles Convention Center from Friday, May 25 through Monday, May 28, with a special showing at 6:00 PM on Thursday, May 24 exclusively for Fan Club members.

Lawrence Noble sculpting

Lawrence Noble, the sculptor of the Yoda statue displayed at Lucasfilm's Letterman Digital Arts Center, crafted a life-size bust of Obi-Wan Kenobi throughout the five days of Celebration IV.

Master Replicas Force FX Combat Trials

Celebration IV featured three competitions to determine the most skilled individuals worthy of the titles Jedi Knight or Sith Lord.

Star Wars celebrity contest

Jay Laga'aia served as the host for the inaugural Star Wars Celebrity Contest on the Concourse Stage, highlighting fans with Star Wars-related talents, spanning from songwriters to character impressionists and comedians. Audition videos, capped at 90 seconds, were submitted to YouTube using the tag "starwarscelebrity," from which contestants were selected. The grand prize winner received a life-sized clone trooper statue, with second place awarded a Han Solo in carbonite statue, and third place receiving a Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker bust featuring a removable helmet. All participants received a consolation prize.

Costume pageant

Taking place on Friday, May 25 and Sunday, May 27 from 4 to 6 PM on the Petree Stage, two pageants, each featuring 75 participants, competed to be recognized as the galaxy's finest costumers.

Fanboys preview

Attendees had the opportunity to view preview scenes from The Weinstein Company's new film, Fanboys, on Friday, May 25 in the Celebration Theater. On Saturday, May 26, a special panel discussion including the film's creators and actors occurred on the Concourse Stage. A comic book adaptation of the film's events was also available to fans at CIV.

Other guests

Authors

Cast

Dark Horse

Del Rey

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

ILM

Lucasfilm Animation

Production staff

StarWarsShop

  • John Brosio
  • Jan Duursema
  • John Kellerman
  • John Ostrander
  • Drew Struzan

Wizards of the Coast

Other attending celebrities

Sources

  • Star Wars Celebration IV in Los Angeles To Mark 30th Anniversary of Saga on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  • Celebration IV: Look for More Autograph Stars Than Ever! on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  • Six-Movie Star Wars Marathon at Celebration IV on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  • Ewoks Rock Celebration IV! on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  • It's a Hit: A Record-Breaking Celebration IV on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  • " Inside Celebration IV " — Star Wars Insider 95
  • From a Certain Point of View: What Was the Best Star Wars Celebration (So Far)? on StarWars.com (backup link)

Notes and references

External links

Appearances