Host Steve Sansweet kicks off the Celebration of 30 years of Star Wars, and introduces special guests, including Ian McDiarmid, the distinguished actor who portrayed Palpatine in the Star Wars Saga.

Event recap: The Opening Ceremonies were held outside on Victoria Court, where fans from around the world gathered to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. Steve Sansweet greeted the crowd and thanked British fans for their enthusiasm before the program was briefly drowned out by an airplane overhead, jokingly described as “a star destroyer.” Mark Hamill spoke about playing both one of pop culture’s most heroic characters, Luke Skywalker, and one of its most villainous, the Joker, and was a major hit with the crowd despite more airplane interruptions. Ian McDiarmid followed with reflections on portraying Emperor Palpatine across the original and prequel trilogies, including a humorous story about Sebastian Shaw, and joked that another passing airplane was the Death Star coming to take him away. The ceremonies concluded with an outdoor screening of Star Wars: A New Hope, with fans seated on the grass watching the film together.