Twenty years ago this spring, Star Wars fans were preparing to see the final (as far as they knew!) installment of the Skywalker Saga…Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It would finally be time to see Palpatine’s rise to power, and how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader.
With how much Star Wars content we’re swimming in now, it’s hard to remember that Episode III really felt like an ending. There were rumors of more ahead, but it was all uncertain. This was the end of the prequel saga, and the end of a very distinct and important era in Star Wars fan history. As with Episodes I and II, the release of the film was honored with an event: the third Star Wars Celebration.
CIII was also the beginning of a new era for Celebration. It was the first event to clock in at four days long, the first with a tattoo track, exclusive merch was expanding, the Collecting Track was in full swing, and most importantly (for my own purposes, as the Celebration archivist), technology was developing and there is more video and photo evidence of this event than ever before.
Technically, CIII doesn’t turn 20 until April, and it’s currently March as this blog goes to press. Buuuut this April is going to be PRETTY BUSY (Celebration Japan…Andor…the list goes on) and Celebration III deserves time to be specifically set aside. So here on the blog, we’ll be spending the next four weeks looking back on that weekend in Indianapolis 2005. We’ll take a look at the merch, the panels, the cosplay, the fun and funky bits, and of course, the rare appearance of the Maker himself, George Lucas.
Stay tuned to the Celebration Database for tons of CIII history and coverage!
Did YOU attend Celebration III in April of 2005? Tell your story to the archive! Send an audio message or your personal story to intoalargerworldproject@gmail.com and you might appear in a future Database blog post or on the Into A Larger World podcast!
the celebration database 