Comic-Con 2015: Was 'Star Wars' panel worth the wait?
Two days.
That鈥檚 how long some fans waited in line outside the San Diego Convention Center鈥檚 famous Hall H in anticipation of the Comic-Con panel for the 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� sequel, 鈥淭he Force Awakens,鈥� set for release in December.
鈥淧eople began lining up Wednesday morning with foldable chairs, packaged food and bottled beverages, full-blown camping gear and as much fandom as they could muster to hold them over until the doors of the mammoth auditorium hall opened early Friday,鈥� CNET鈥檚 Nick Statt .
The question is, was the panel worth the wait?
Given that the filmmakers spilled some juicy new details, Harrison Ford made a surprise appearance, and the audience was treated to a concert at the end of the day, it may be safe to say that heck, yeah, it was.
Here鈥檚 a rundown of the day鈥檚 top moments:
Behind-the-scenes footage
Fans would have been bummed at director J.J. Abrams鈥� announcement that the next new trailer wouldn鈥檛 be out until the fall 鈥� if he and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy hadn鈥檛 presented that featured behind-the-scenes footage from the set of 鈥淭he Force Awakens.鈥�
The video, now available online, gives fans a glimpse of new technology and characters, as well as practical effects and beloved cast members such as Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill.
鈥淵ou've been here, but you don't know this story,鈥� Mr. Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy, says in the video. 鈥淣othing鈥檚 changed, really. I mean, everything鈥檚 changed but nothing鈥檚 changed.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the way you want it to be, really,鈥� he adds.
Solo surprise
Speaking of old favorites, Harrison Ford鈥檚 surprise appearance 鈥� his first time in public since crash-landing his plane on a Los Angeles golf course in March 鈥� was met with a standing ovation.
When panel host Chris Hardwick asked how he was, Mr. Ford replied with a simple, 鈥淚鈥檓 fine,鈥� The Guardian . He was, however, more voluble on the subject of his much-loved character, the roguish smuggler Han Solo.
鈥淚 never thought that [the film] would come back to bless me rather than haunt me,鈥� Ford said. 鈥淚 was very gratified when I read the [new] script. I read something that I thought was really remarkable, really well-written, with some very intriguing developments and I was very happy to be a part of the story.鈥�
New villains
No 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� discussion would be complete without a glimpse of the Dark Side, and again, Mr. Abrams and company did not disappoint. Gwendoline Christie, Adam Driver, and Domhnall Gleeson 鈥� all of whom will be playing one baddie or another 鈥� were all in attendance, and 鈥渄id their best not to spill any secrets,鈥� Yahoo! Entertainment鈥檚 Marcus Errico .
Ms. Christie, who plays Brienne of Tarth in 鈥淕ame of Thrones,鈥� will again armor up in 鈥淭he Force Awakens鈥� as the chrome trooper Captain Phasma. During the panel, she applauded Abrams and screenwriter Lawrence Kasden鈥檚 decision not to sexualize her character, Time magazine .
鈥淚 found it exciting that there was a female storm trooper, but it was also this opportunity to explore a female character that鈥檚 totally not about the way she looks,鈥� Christie said. 鈥淚 just thought it was exciting that underneath that armor was a woman.鈥�
Mr. Driver, who stars in the HBO series, 鈥淕irls,鈥� about the meaning of evil when discussing his character, Kylo Ren.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have a lot of discussions about 鈥榖ad鈥� or 鈥榚vil鈥� when we were shooting,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was more, what do you think is the difference between being bad, and being right?鈥�
As for Mr. Gleeson: 鈥淚 am evil,鈥� he said of his character, General Hux. 鈥淗e鈥檚 British, so yeah.鈥�
Follow the Stormtroopers
To close out the panel, Abrams invited the audience to join him and the cast for an evening of 鈥淪tar Wars鈥�-themed music.
鈥淲e are literally all going to walk to a location together and experience a 鈥楽tar Wars鈥� concert tonight,鈥� the director said, before distributing 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� lanyards to the roughly 6,500 people in attendance. 鈥淲e only have room for all of you.鈥�
Appropriately, a group of Stormtroopers led the crowd to Embarcadero Park, about half a mile away from the convention center. There, fans were given special passes that could be traded for a toy lightsaber, before being treated to 30 minutes of 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� music from the San Diego Symphony.
