The Sci-Fi Expo Trilogy Celebration by Margaret McNickle

Held in Plano, Texas May 21-23 1999

The Star Wars Celebration at the Wings Over The Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, Colorado was such a miserable experience that I wasn't enthusiastic about attending another Star Wars convention.

The tickets were paid for, my friends were going, and it was close to home. So I took a chance, and never regretted it. I checked into the Harvey Hotel on Thursday May 20th, and the fun started as soon as my bags were stowed in the room. Everyone, guest and fan, gathered in the bar. The friendly, relaxed atmosphere put everyone at ease. It felt like a big living room where you could talk, or just sit and listen. There were comfortable chairs, sofas, and sturdy tables. What I loved most was the flexibility. You could move the furniture around as people came and went, and there was a steady flow of visitors. We pulled up chairs to make room for new arrivals. Even the piano was up for grabs, and a couple of fans sat down and played for a while. The big screen TV had its own area, and didn't dominate the whole room. Every evening, fans and guests gathered there to just hang out until midnight, and sometimes, long after that.

Only platinum ticket holders were allowed in on Friday so we got to wander through the dealers' room early. It was a short shakedown day, a chance to make sure all systems in the Plano Convention Center worked properly. No guests appeared, but I didn't mind. Imagine having 4 or 5 hours to look around and get your bearings before the big events get started. Planning and organization--what a concept!

The main programming started on Saturday. It was a day filled with performances, autograph lines, gaming, and demos of all kinds. The Saturday evening charity screening of Phantom Menace was a little steep for my pocketbook, so I saw it late Friday night at Loews for the first time …with a theater full of fans!

Kenny Baker, Jeremy Bulloch, Michael Carter and Peter Mayhew recalled their Star Wars experiences on stage in the Main Auditorium on Saturday and Sunday. Any one of these actors would have amusing stories to tell, and with all four of them up there at the same time the show was even better. They've been together so long that one can start a story and the others will add to it until you wonder how much really happened and how much is comic improv.

Billy Dee Williams spoke half an hour on Sunday. The thing that stuck out most in my mind was his latest project, an online art gallery of his work at http://www.artdark.com/bdw-imgs.htm

I talked a little bit with Gary Kurtz in the autograph line. He was there with his daughters Melissa and Tiffany. The Kurtz clan gathered on stage to tell us about their experiences on Star Wars. You know Gary was the producer of Star Wars-A New Hope, but did you know that Melissa and Tiffany played jawas in the Tunisian desert? It was a miserably hot job for two young girls. They gave a great performance under terrible conditions. Kudos to both of them.

The Force.net gathering put just about every aspect of Phantom Menace under the magnifying glass. Most fans liked the latest installment of the saga, and a few saw it more than three times. Those who did agreed that they enjoyed it more after the second or third viewing. By that time controversial parts like Jake Lloyd's performance and Jar Jar Binks were easier to appreciate. I had no problem with either one. I thought Jake Lloyd was a convincing Anakin. As for Jar Jar's dialog, most of it wasn't that difficult, but I've had practice figuring out my college professors' foreign accents. Heck, if anything, Jar Jar was easier to understand!

Darth Maul was an audience favorite. Many fans wished he had more screen time. Will we hear more about him in Episode Two? The character we'll learn most about, other than Anakin, is Palpatine. Is he Darth Sidious? That close-up at Qui-Gon's funeral was obvious, maybe a little too obvious.

A month has gone by since the Sci-Fi Expo. I can't remember specific things the guests said, but warm fuzzies come back as I write this review. It was nice to go to a convention and leave happy instead of frustrated and sick. Good work Ben. Keep it up!

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