After Hours

Behind the scenes at Star Wars Celebration IV

By · May 24, 2007, 3:06 PM PST

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  • Star Wars Celebration IV - VIP pass

    The priceless Yoda pass is said to grant its bearer total, behind-the-scenes access to Star Wars Celebration IV. What is it like to be a VIP at the famed science fiction convention? We flew to Los Angeles to find out.

  • No lines

    For one thing, you can skip these lines. Day one is reserved exclusively for official Star Wars Fan Club members, but the line waiting to enter still snaked all the way around the LA Convention Center. Our limo drops us off at a quiet side entrance.

  • You shall not pass

    An alien nasty tries to bar the way, but his puny weapon is no match for the power of our VIP badges.

  • Halt! Who goes there?

    As expected, an Imperial stormtrooper guards each entrance to the convention center. He spots our VIP badges and for a moment I feel a twinge of anxiety, but then he gives us a friendly salute. It worked -- we're in!

  • An old friend

    Inside the convention center, we are immediately greeted by old friends.

  • A new friend

    We also make some new friends.

  • Star Wars costumes

    These fans tell us they worked on their costumes for three weeks. The guy in the middle bought a brand new black leather jacket for the occasion, then sewed red armor plates all over it. It was obviously a good investment. He looks great.

  • Star Wars costumes

    Star Wars costumes come in all shapes and sides. Praise the Force!

  • In the Fan Club Lounge

    Tired Star Wars Fan Club members can take a break from the rigors of sci fi conventioning in the cushy comfort of their very own lounge.

  • In the Fan Club Lounge

    What does a discriminating Star Wars fan eat? Apparently, two-dollar bags of potato chips and seven-dollar turkey sandwiches. Two ravenous fans sitting near us swear it is the best seven-dollar sandwich they have ever tasted. Having spent most of their cash on collectibles in the exhibit galleries downstairs, they can afford only one sandwich to share between the two of them.

  • The Cantina bar

    The Cantina bar isn't seeing too much action at 2:30 p.m., but the lonely barkeep is confident business will pick up soon. Sure enough -- by 3:30 he sees his first two paying customers. They order beer.

  • Star Wars loot

    Exhibiters are passing out all kinds of free loot, and eager fans are scooping it up. We convince one giddy fan to spread his haul on the table for us to photograph. This is only fifteen minutes' worth of loot, he confides. The secret is to keep going back for multiples of the good stuff.

  • The Tatooine Game Parlor

    Fans play games of skill and chance to win even more Star Wars loot.

  • In the Fan Club Lounge

    Fans enjoy rare access and informal Q&A with Star Wars VIPs in the lounge.

  • In the Fan Club Lounge

    Insider secrets are shared.

  • Up close and personal

    Photo ops and autographs round out the experience. Some fans carried personal copies of treasured Star Wars books for the authors to autograph.

  • A room of one's own

    After a celebrity appearance, every VIP needs to retreat to a private lounge of his own to relax and recharge for the next round of festivities. Naturally, your handler waits nearby to anticipate your every need.

  • Focused attention

    If you want to feel special, get yourself a handler. At Star Wars Celebration IV, one has been assigned to every VIP. Ours gets us where we need to go, finds us supplies, sets up meetings, and solves problems. No sweat.

  • Minibar

    A small but adequate selection of drinks is available for thirsty VIPs.

  • Snacks

    The snack selection is a bit sketchy, but hey, it's free.

  • Staff room

    The GenCon staff room is a restricted area, but with our Yoda VIP badges, the entire convention center is our oyster. We stroll right on in and take a peek around. From the large picture windows we enjoy an expansive view of the exhibit floor below.

  • Mission control

    Adjacent to the staff room is Star Wars Celebration IV's mission control, the nerve center of the entire operation. When we peek in, about 20 convention staff members seem to be hard at work on their laptops. Upon closer inspection, a few are deeply engrossed in some highly sensitive and confidential video game play. *cough* WoW *cough*

    We promise not to tell.

  • The War Room

    Even with our VIP passes, though, there are some barriers we dare not breach. Is the War Room filled with priceless Star Wars collectibles? Does it contain top secret copies of the next Indiana Jones screenplay? Later we find out that the door must never be opened because convention plans have been taped all over the other side of the wall, for reference. Opening the door would literally rip months of planning to shreds. (People who need to enter the room use a side door.)

  • Presentation room

    It's empty now, but tomorrow morning this room will be packed with fans eager to witness presentations from Star Wars luminaries.

  • Presentation room

    The A/V wizard works with a VIP presenter to iron out last minute PowerPoint glitches. The convention laptop only has a copy of Microsoft Office Basic -- the presentation fonts and PowerPoint special effects appear funkified! A great disturbance ripples through the Force.

  • Presentation room

    Luckily, the A/V guys are ace troubleshooters. Microsoft Office Basic won't stop them. Nothing can stop them -- hey, they've got duct tape!

  • The great hall

    PowerPoint crisis averted, we tour the great hall that will be the site of the convention's opening ceremonies tomorrow night. For now, it's still a highly restricted area, but with our VIP pass we dare anything.

  • The great hall

    This stage will be completely transformed within 24 hours. We can't wait.

Star Wars Celebration IV - VIP pass

The priceless Yoda pass is said to grant its bearer total, behind-the-scenes access to Star Wars Celebration IV. What is it like to be a VIP at the famed science fiction convention? We flew to Los Angeles to find out.
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