Suvudu Universe

The first weekend celebrating all things Star Wars in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort was most impressive, attracting thousands of fans to a variety of shows and autographing sessions.

Throughout the first three days, I followed the event closely on social media and picked out my favorite moments.

Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger Face Characters

Both Disney and Star Wars are known for bringing characters to life through accurate costumes and performances. With Star Wars Rebels making its first Star Wars Weekends appearance, it seemed fitting to have characters from Rebels on the stage and throughout the event. Fans welcomed Chopper, Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren with loud cheer as the characters officially joined the Disney and Star Wars family at Walt Disney World Resort.

Photo Credit: Instagrambynay.

Photo Credit: Lori Mundy.

Photo Credit: Teresa Delgado.

Photo Credit: Attractions Magazine.

Exclusive Star Wars Rebels Clip

Fans attending the Behind the Force show hosted by Ashley Eckstein were treated to an exclusive Star Wars Rebels clip featuring Chopper, Hera Syndulla, and Kanan Jarrus. Tricia Barr summarized her experience over at FANgirl Blog.

Speaking of Artoo, he and Chopper were smack-talking each other outside Dave Filoni’s office. Chopper snuck inside and stole a Darth Vader flashdrive, which he delivered in person to Ashley so we could all see a secret clip from an episode of Rebels titled “The Machine in the Ghost.” The animation looks fantastic, and the colors were vibrant and beautiful. The space battle action sequence was very reminiscent of A New Hope and the banter with Hera, Kanan, and Chopper had the clip and zingers of The Empire Strikes Back. There’s definitely some chemistry between Kanan and Hera, but Chopper certainly didn’t seem to mind interrupting their moment. I loved the visual of Kanan leaning down from the gun turret to (try to) countermand Hera’s orders to Chopper while rotating around to fire at TIEs; it’s a shot that looks great in animation but wouldn’t have been feasible on a practical set in 1976. The fact that Chopper has arms allows him to emote visually as well as the beeps and boops we’re used to from Artoo. We have been told there will be a different clip shown each weekend.

Looking forward to hearing about the next clip!

A Video Message to the Fans From J.J. Abrams

Since shooting for Star Wars: Episode VII started on May 16, J.J. Abrams was unavailable to talk to fans in person, but he did leave a video message.

Behind the Force: Vanessa Marshall

The WolfPack Podcast captured footage of Vanessa Marshall, the voice of Hera Syndulla from Star Wars Rebels, at the Behind the Force show hosted by Ashley Eckstein. She talked about how she got the part in the series, her love for Star Wars, her experience at her first Star Wars Weekends, and much more.

Her Universe’s “My Hero Jewelry Collection”

Ashley Eckstein, the creative mind behind Her Universe, debuted her jewelry line designed by the Sparkle Factory during the first Star Wars Weekends. A variety of fangirls, including Nanci from Tosche Station and Teresa Delgado from Fangirls Going Rogue, added some pieces to their collection. The “My Hero Jewelry Collection” will go on sale online starting May 19, but if you enter Her Universe’s contest by May 31, you may win a complete set!

Photo Credit: Nanci

Photo Credit: Teresa Delgado

LEGO Star Wars The Phantom Set

Although this is not directly related to Star Wars Weekends, I did solve a mystery this past weekend that brings a wide smile to my face. When the Star Wars Rebels Facebook account was first created in May 2013, there were only two images: the cover and an unidentified symbol (seen below). Later that summer, I helped uncover the fact that the Star Wars Rebels Facebook cover at the time was actually The Ghost. With the help of Destination Lego over at Instagram, we finally know the source of this second unidentified image originally posted on Facebook. The zoomed-in image matches the symbol on the back of Ezra’s vest. Now, the question is what does the symbol mean? We can tell right away that it’s a stylized bird. Could this be the origin of the rebels’ Thunderbird? Leave your thoughts in the comment section.

For more videos from Star Wars Weekends 2014, check out MakingStarWars.net and The Wookiee Gunner’s Facebook page.

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