Star Wars Celebration told through the eye-catching cosplayers
Star Wars Celebration cosplayer. Image taken by C. Wassenaar.
Day 1
Vice-Admiral Amilyn Holdo, above
As you might imagine, there were a lot of lines on Thursday, April 11, as fans tried their best to get shopping out of the way before panels got underway on Friday. This photo comes from when I was in line for Koto Inc., which had one of the exclusive pins for the Celebration’s pin-trading program.
But what struck me about this woman was how touched she seemed that I wanted to take her photo. There was a beauty and gravitas to her as she posed that made me knew no other Holdo — and I saw a few — could compare for capturing Holdo’s spirit.
Star Wars Celebration cosplayer. Image taken by C Wassenaar
Luke Skywalker on Dagobah
Genderbent cosplay never goes out of style, and this Luke Skywalker on Dagobah was particularly timely considering Hasbro’s announcement that this look from The Empire Strikes Back will become a figure in the Black Series later this year.
That Yoda in particular looks excellent, down to the scale of Yoda relative to her size, but check out both the lightsaber and blaster at her side. She’s ready for any Jedi training she might be put through!
She told me that she made the Yoda herself, and she also put together the next cosplay…
Star Wars Celebration cosplayer. Image taken by C Wassenaar
Wicket W. Warrick
Yub nub, indeed!
This wasn’t the only Ewok that arrived at Star Wars Celebration, but there weren’t many that could match this one for sheer detail, down to the Ewok fingers popping out from the fur as well as the expression on the face.
Besides, we all know that this is the best pose.
The fur might have been hot, but fortunately, this was early enough on the first day that everything went smoothly.
Star Wars Celebration Cosplayers. Image taken by C. Wassenaar.
Vulptex, Bespin Leia, Director Krennic, and a Jedi Knight
As you might imagine, I saw the ears and sparkles of our vulptex here first, but it turned out that that was only one member of this group. Her entire ensemble sparkled. Getting an up-close look at all four of these cosplayers, though, showed a dedication to detail that was seriously impressive.
For example, the overlay on the Bespin Leia has all of the embroidery, including down the back, and you can bet that it looked just as neat and precise in person as it does in the above photo. Our Krennic, meanwhile, does have his hat — which he does wear in Rogue One, but not as often as you might expect.
Star Wars Celebration cosplayer. Image taken by C. Wassenaar.
Asajj Ventress
This Asajj Ventress was a lesson in that you can find beautiful cosplay anywhere, anytime on a convention floor. I was headed back down to the main show floor when I caught sight of her, noticing that she’d actually incorporated a bald cap into her cosplay and went so far as to make sure she had makeup and attire to have Ventress’ white skin. Even as she looks lovely, she still looks like she could take you down.
Star Wars Celebration cosplayers. Image taken by C. Wassenaar.
Imperial Army Officer, Queen Amidala, and Shmi Skywalker
There were tons of Imperials and Rebels alike on the floor, and even this officer joked that I was really here for Amidala and Shmi. This was true, but I did admire his commitment to getting those slightly-poofed out pants.
In all five days, this was the only Shmi Skywalker I saw, and I had the sense I wouldn’t see another again. She had that same warmth about her, and I loved the details in the hems at her sleeves. As for our Naboo royalty in the middle, those fabrics are tough to layer correctly, and that headdress looked heavy — but very accurate to what the decoy wears.