About SWC Archive

How this came about

My first Star Wars Celebration was Celebration III in 2005. I was a nerdy young teenager, and my best friend and I had made a pact: we were going, but absolutely nobody at school could know.

So we told everyone we were going on vacation. To Indianapolis. In April. A perfectly normal teenage vacation destination.

But something changed that weekend. I was surrounded by thousands of people who loved Star Wars just as much as I did. People who could name obscure background aliens and probably tell you how many buttons were on Darth Vader’s chest panel. I’d found my people, and suddenly I wasn’t embarrassed about being a Star Wars nerd anymore.

Naturally, I’ve since tested that newfound confidence by creating what may well be the nerdiest collection of facts about the nerdiest event on the planet.

After more than a dozen Celebrations, my own memories were starting to fade, while old schedules, blogs and photos were disappearing from the internet. I wanted to preserve that history before it was gone.

I’m sure AI will eventually swallow this entire website and regurgitate it without so much as a thank-you. But for the actual humans who find their way here, I hope it brings back a little of the magic I felt in Indianapolis.

And if you’re planning a future Celebration, stick around for advice from someone who’s attended almost every American Celebration since 2005, plus one in Japan. I’ve learned a few things, often the hard way.

How we work

Putting this archive together took about nine months of research, much of it spent in the company of musty old programs, forgotten Star Wars blogs and the Wayback Machine, which probably deserves a co-founder credit.

I owe an enormous debt to the fans who saved their schedules, shared their memories and questionably copied entire pages from StarWars.com onto their blogs. And now, dear reader, you’re in debt to me.

It’s what they call a life debt in Star Wars. I’ll collect when I’m 11,097th in line for a George Lucas panel and need someone to let me cut.

I strive for accuracy, using original programs, contemporary reporting and official sources wherever possible. That includes original panel descriptions, announced guests and surprise appearances. Occasionally, estimates and educated guesses help fill the gaps, and I try to make those clear.

As someone once said in Attack of the Clones, “Perhaps the archives are incomplete.”

Unlike Jocasta Nu, I’m willing to admit that’s entirely possible. This is a work in progress, and if you have photos, programs, memories or corrections to contribute, I’d love to hear from you.

The fine print

Before anyone at Lucasfilm’s legal department gets too excited, a few things.

SWC Archive is an independent, unofficial fan project with no affiliation, endorsement or sponsorship from Lucasfilm, Disney or ReedPop.

Star Wars, Star Wars Celebration and related properties are trademarks or copyrighted works of Lucasfilm Ltd., Disney and/or their respective owners. All rights remain with their respective owners. Copyrighted materials are used for historical documentation, news reporting and commentary, with reliance on applicable fair use protections where appropriate.

If you’re a rights holder with concerns about anything here, please get in touch. I’d much rather have a friendly conversation than receive a cease-and-desist letter.

I’ve spent an awfully long time putting this together.