01 Aug 2005 :: Celebration 3, Autographs

Celebration 3 (21 April-24 April) was a convention of many attractions. Shopping, costuming, the Lucasfilm Archive display, presentations by George Lucas, the R2-Builders' display, to name a few...and, of course, an opportunity to meet, talk to, and get autographs from a wide array of Star Wars celebrities. With over 40 actors making themselves available, this was the best opportunity ever for Star Wars autograph hunters to add to their collection - and, as well as the pre-announced guests, a couple of surprise opportunities widened the pool further.

It was mildly ironic that I'd travelled all the way from New Zealand to Indianapolis, yet this occasion was the most efficient to date for meeting kiwi Star Wars actors. I went out of my way to meet them all. Anaria, on the other hand, went Jedi-hunting, and met an array of non-human and near-human Knights of the prequel Republic. In all cases, not only were the celebrity guests affable when it came to signing and small talk, but each and every one of them took the time, one way or another, to stand with fans for photos.

New Zealanders Temuera Morrison, Daniel Logan (fresh from the Armageddon convention in Wellington, mere days before), Rena Owen and Bodie Taylor (his first convention appearance) were all set up in the autograph hall for the whole convention. Jay Laga'aia, on the other hand, was in attendance as Master of Ceremonies, and strict contract conditions precluding the signing of autograph outside of the official schedule meant that it looked like I wouldn't be able to check him off my list. In a moment of serendipity, however, we happened to be in the autograph hall when the public announcement system broadcast that Jay would, in fact, be signing for a couple of hours only, starting immediately. We dropped what we were doing, and beat the throes to the rapidly growing queue.

A couple of additional noteworthy autographs were acquired during the convention. Don Bies (R2 operator and supervisor of the Droid Unit for Industrial Light and Magic) spent a good amount of time in the R2 Builders display room, and kindly signed our R2 Builders ID badges. While there, I was also able to catch up with good friend Gerald Home (Squid Head, Mon Calamari Officer). And, on the last day, Barry Holland, the Imperial Officer famous for the utterance "You Rebel Scum" in Return of the Jedi, made an unannounced appearance and was autographing for free (for anyone who purchased his Official Pix photos).

As an extra bonus, we were able to pick up a selection of the excellent Official Pix 8" x 10" photos, unsigned, for the sake of reference and posterity.

Related article: Celebration 3 Diary, Day 3.
Related article: Celebration 3 Diary, Day 2.
Related article: Gerald Home biography.
Related section: The NZ Connexion.

Matt G