If you caught the Tantive IV Experience story we recently posted on starwars.com, you saw one of the videos shot and edited by the crew on-site while an audience watched. Well, Star Wars artists Adam Hughes, Allison Sohn, and Cat Staggs also got in on the Tantive IV action at Celebration Europe and even had some nifty effects added to their footage (courtesy of Ryan Wilcox).

One of the cooler pieces of Star Wars-related swag to be found at Celebration Europe was a poster depicting the actual Mos Espa filming site from Episode I that reads “In a land not so far away…” and “Come and Feel the Force: Tunisia”.

Yup, a travel poster promoting tourism to Star Wars fans, with a breathtaking sunset image of Tatooine to boot. This one’s getting a frame.

Anyway, there are actually tours dedicated to Star Wars fans offered by at least two travel agencies — Tunisia First and Wigmore Holidays — which appear to hit several of the Star Wars shooting sites, such as Mos Espa (Ong Jmel), Anakin’s Slave quarters from Episode I (Tataouine), and the Lars Homestead interior (Matmata).

Be warned that Dewbacks will cost you extra.

(video shot by Jan Lomona)

No party is complete without a full-scale lightsaber battle, and at Celebration Europe that’s just what fans got to see. At the Saturday Night Star Wars Party on the Waterfront, fans took over the bridge at the ExCel Center in London, with glowing lightsabers waving for action — the dark side versus the light side. The only thing missing is an angry Acklay!

You can also watch another video of the battle on TheForce.net here.

Saturday, fans witnessed some rare insights into the story, characters, and development of the next chapter in the Star Wars saga, LucasArts’ Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game. Set during the “dark times” between Episodes III and IV, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed portrays the previously untold story of Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice, and is due for release in 2008.

On hand were Project Lead Haden Blackman and Producer Julio Torres along with Secret Apprentice actor Sam Witwer. The panel featured the debut of a new Force Unleashed trailer, the first time actual game play footage has been revealed. The trailer can now be viewed on starwars.com.

Here are some edited highlights from the panel:

The Story

Blackman: “It really started with identifying the time period. We presented a ton of concepts to George and identified the time period between Episodes III and IV for this game and the next chapter in the Star Wars saga. We felt like the Star Wars saga is ultimately about Vader and his art, so we needed a time period that had Vader in it.
We brainstormed what stories we wanted to tell and at the same time focused on what we might want the game play looks to be. And we hit on this idea of the Force Unleashed which takes some inspiration from the Genndy cartoons and some comic book stuff as well. We really wanted to blow the Force out of proportion, really amp it up in order to serve game play.”

Torres: “Because this is being treated like a movie, the next Star Wars chapter, a lot of our inspiration comes from the original trilogy and Episode III. So a lot of the music and sound effects that we’re using for this game come from that particular content. Because it’s a new story, it’s going to require brand new music. We have original music that we’re going to compose to bridge the connection between Episodes III and IV. Just like John Williams, we’re really leveraging the concept of what Wagner did, which was to write themes for characters. I think the story melded together with the music is going to create an immersive experience very much like a Star Wars movie.”

Witwer: “It’s not just about amazing visuals and Force powers – it all really makes sense within the Star Wars saga. As a matter of fact, once you put the apprentice into Star Wars, if you take him out, the original Star Wars never takes place. This guy paves the way for Han and Leia and Luke to do their thing. This guy makes some huge impacts and changes in the Star Wars universe — this really is the next chapter of Star Wars.”

Blackman: “One of the things that’s exciting about this game is that you get to see how the galaxy has suffered or evolved under the influence of the Empire. So when you go to Kashyyyk at one point, it will look very different from the Kashyyyk that you might recognize from Episode III because the Empire’s taken over.

“George has allowed us to put some twists and some revelations in the game’s story that will really change your perception of Episode’s IV, V, and VI. You’ll have greater insight into both Vader and the Emperor and some of the things they’re plotting. George gave us a huge amount of feedback on what type of master Vader would be, what types of schemes he has cooking, and what types of things he’s after which we were able to leverage into the story. So I really do feel this leads right into Episode IV.”

Secret Apprentice

Witwer: “Darth Vader’s secret apprentice is this extremely powerful Force user. He’s been raised under these torturous circumstances with a father figure that is just nightmarish – this is sort of what would have happened to Luke Skywalker if Vader had ever gotten a hold of him. One of the concepts that we played with a lot is that he’s sort of a dark Luke Skywalker, a photo negative of Luke Skywalker. He’s not a Sith, but he’s been raised with Sith powers. Whereas a normal Jedi would be very conservative and respectful of the Force, this kid just runs around using it as much as he can.

“What’s interesting is, even though he’s an extremely deadly and competent warrior, underneath it all, he’s this wide-eyed scared kid. Vader pretty much raised this kid in fear and darkness so throughout the story as he meets Juno Eclipse, the Imperial pilot and love interest, he is sort of faced with his budding humanity. He’s eventually able to see his actions through the eyes of Juno which causes him some conflicts. He’s inherently a conflicted character from the very beginning.”

Blackman: “We don’t call him Darth Vader’s apprentice, we call him Darth Vader’s secret apprentice. We often get asked why the secret apprentice is fighting Imperials in the game footage if he’s Darth Vader’s apprentice – it’s because he’s a secret apprentice. Vader actually directs you as the secret apprentice to leave no witnesses behind. So there are times you’re in an area where stormtroopers are fighting whoever you’re after. If they spot you, you have to dispatch them since you’re not allowed to leave any witnesses. Vader is very firm about the fact that if you’re ever discovered, bad things are going to happen – the Emperor can’t know about you.”

Juno Eclipse

Blackman: “In some of our earlier drafts of the story, we relied a lot on existing characters, and while Princess Leia does appear in the game, she had a slightly different role in some of the early drafts. George really encouraged us to create new characters and particularly a love interest for the Secret Apprentice. I think one of the things that’s been exciting about that character is that she is an equal to the apprentice. She’s not a Force-wielder, but in her world, she’s just as competent as he is in the kind of things she does. We wanted a little Han-Leia feel in terms of some of their banter but I feel what we ended up with is a very unique and new relationship for Star Wars.

Other New Characters

Blackman: “We’ve created a new Jedi general we’re really excited about – he’s not a warm-and-fuzzy Qui-Gon type Jedi but a militant, hardboiled Jedi general named Master Rahm Kota – kind of a Samurai-like Jedi. There’s a new Zabrak Jedi which is Darth Maul’s species but she’s female and has a brand new fighting style with these lightsaber tomfas that gives her a very quick, martial arts type of feel. Her name is Maris Brood.

“Aside from the apprentice, one of my favorite characters is named PROXY, who is the apprentice’s droid sidekick. We really focused on creating a droid who will hopefully provide a little bit of comedy in a totally different way than a C-3PO, although he’s sort of wide-eyed and innocent in some ways.

“Princess Leia, Bail Organa, and Shaak Ti are also in the game, and there’s a couple other characters who have some cameos that the fans will be able to spot [Lucas has confirmed that Shaak Ti's death scene in the Episode III DVD extras is not canon since it did not make final cut].

“These Jedi who have been left over are not really in the same mindset that you’re aware of because they’ve been hunted for years now and they’re not doing so well. Some of them aren’t thinking straight, in terms of using the Force or what being a Jedi means to them anymore. There’s a lot of interesting psychology there.”

The ILM Connection

Blackman: “One of the things we’re doing is collaborating very closely with Industrial Light & Magic on a number of techniques. One of the things we’re doing to enhance the performances and really tell the story is a lot of image capture and motion capture work. We’re using techniques that were pioneered for movies like Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 to capture Sam’s likeness and Nathalie’s [Cox] likeness and pick up nuances we’ve never been able to do in games before. So something like a small smirk or smile or twitch actually come through now…and convey the emotional intent of the scene.”

The Force Power in Force Unleashed

Blackman: “The first direction I gave to the team and concept artists was to take this building block power, this Force-push, and let’s re-envision it so it’s not just knocking someone over or sending them back two or three feet but it’s hitting them with the force of a cannonball. We really wanted to re-imagine the Force power, so you’ll have the Force-push and the Force-grip (telekinesis) and Force lighting but they’ll all be kind of unleashed and over the top. On top of that we’re creating new Force powers that we feel are logical extensions of the Force. The Force-repulse power creates a violent shockwave and radius around you that sends everybody flying. We have a number of combos – if I do a Force-push followed by lightning, it actually sends an auto-targeting ball of lightning that will explode on impact.”

Multi-player Component

Blackman: “We will have a multi-player component to the game. The game is all about kicking butt with the Force, and from Day 1 we knew that one of the most satisfying things to do is kick your friend’s butt with the Force so we wanted to make sure we delivered on that experience in multi-player. There will be an online component as well and it will support all the requirements of a system like Xbox LIVE.”

Force Unleashed Sequel?

Blackman: “All these characters are going into the continuity, they’ll all be canon, and they’re all part of the Star Wars galaxy. So I can imagine that there will be other follow-ups with those characters. We’re already starting to toss around ideas about the next storyline and how some of these characters can resurface and have major roles in a sequel.

It’s not every day fans get to see an Elvis impersonator take on a death metal band as they sing songs about the Empire. Darth Elvis and Anchorhead hit the stage to compete for the coveted Bith trophy in the Battle of the Bands at Celebration Europe. While both rocked the stage and entertained the audience with their own renditions of Star Wars tunes, only one would be chosen as the fan favorite.

Hosted by Jay Laga’aia, the Saturday night Battle of the Bands pit two of the top original Star Wars music acts, based on voting by the fans via the Web, against each other to see who has the best performance at Celebration Europe.

Darth Elvis, who wore a classic white sequined jumpsuit underneath a dark Sith cloak, sang a medley of Star Wars- inspired tunes set to the hits of Elvis Presley. The song “Viva Mos Eisley” brought down the house. The Scottish singer has toured Europe with his act and has been singing as the King for over 2 1/2 years.

Once Elvis left the stage, Anchorhead appeared with the band wearing stormtrooper, Boba Fett and Darth Vader headgear. The lead singer proudly wore his Jedi robe as he growled into the microphone. The fans stood to their feet as the stormtrooper’s Imperial theme guitar solo reached a fever pitch. Darth Metal never sounded so good. Even Darth Maul (holding his baby to see the band) could be spotted in the audience, bobbing his head to the riffs.

At the end, Laga’aia let the audience applause determine the winners, and though Darth Elvis wooed the crowd with his Sith-inspired crooning, it was clear that Anchorhead won the audience’s attention and respect with their eclectic mix of John Williams and Pantera-inspired music.

Watch the full Anchorhead performance here.

Listen to the Darth Metal tunes on the Anchorhead Myspace page here.

Be sure to check out all the photos of the event captured on the Official Star Wars Flickr Blog here.

One of the best parts of attending a convention like Celebration Europe is to see all the fans wander around in costume. There’s Darth Vader eating some fish and chips on the entrance stairs. Tween Princess Leias are waiting in line to see the Vader Project. And look, Chewie just got some gum stuck in his fur!

And while many fans wear costumes for fun, a few dedicated folks put a lot of time and effort into their wardrobe so they can compete in the Celebration Europe Costume Pageant. Categories included Light Side and Dark Side for adults and kids.

Revenge of the Sith Creature and Makeup Supervisors Lou and Dave Elsey and Original Trilogy costume designer John Mollo acted as pageant judges, while surprise celebrity guests Darth Maul actor Ray Park and Original Trilogy Boba Fett Jeremy Bulloch did the honors of handing out the award prizes of various Star Wars collectibles. Wicket actor Warwick Davis presided over the pageant as host and read notes to the audience about the making of each costume.

Highlights of the show included a very happy little Yoda twirling on-stage, a Jawa outfit made entirely of bath towels, delicate and beautiful Queen Amidala gowns and an array of young Princess Leias and Ewoks. One of the best costumes of the event (which also won for the dark side) had to be the child walking as best as he could in a blocky (or is that bricky?) LEGO Darth Vader costume. Anther crowd pleaser had to be the rather believable costume of Hoth Han Solo riding a tauntaun.

Click here for a look on the official Star Wars Flickr blog to see all the costumes at the pageant, as well as fan costumes spotted around Celebration Europe.

Today, Warwick Davis welcomed prequel producer Rick McCallum to the Celebrity Stage at Celebration Europe for an update on projects he’s been involved with lately, such as the Star Wars live-action TV series, the Young Indiana Jones DVD series, and the yet-to-be-started Star Wars saga in 3-D.

Check out the audio presentation above (edited for brevity) or read the list of highlights below.

The Live Action Series:

• McCallum and Lucas were recently in London meeting writers for the Star Wars live action TV series.
• “We want to be able to take all this technology we’ve developed over the years and make it accessible to everybody and try to make each one of the episodes [of the live-action TV series] look like a major feature film with all the production values and visual effects that you would expect in a feature but do it for a television budget.”
• “We’ve met a whole bunch of writers from literally all over the world – we have Australia left, that’s the last place we’re going to meet some people – we’re hoping to get a group of six or seven writers ready sometime between September and December to make the final choice and then we’ll start doing story outlines. As I said before, it’s a much darker, much more character-based series, much more adult, and we’re hoping that it will go on for up to 400 episodes.”
• “I think if we can get [the live action Star Wars TV series] right, it’s something that can go on for years and years. One of the ideas is that we’ll have multiple series going on in about two or three year’s time.
• “We’re definitely going back to Sydney to shoot [the live action TV series] and probably June of next year we’ll start casting for it…I’ve had three conceptual artists working on it now for about seven months.”

Young Indy on DVD:

• “October 13th, the first [Young Indiana Jones DVD] comes out. We’ve spent about three and a half years making 100 documentaries to go with each episode of the Chronicles. So the first set comes out in mid-October, and then [a second batch] in January and [a third] just right after Indy IV.”

Star Wars in 3-D:

• “We’re planning to take all six films and turn them into 3-D. The problem is there’s not enough digital theaters in the world now to do that, and the process of turning 2-D material into 3-D is very expensive. So we’re waiting for the companies out there that are developing this technology to bring it down to a cost level that makes it worthwhile for everybody, then we’ll convert the films into 3-D.”
• “I think 2009 is going to be a big year for 3-D. That’s when Jim Cameron is coming out with his first feature, Avatar, that will be completely shot in 3-D. I think that will start the movement, and once we get about ten thousand screens around the world, it will be possible for us…to push this so we can finally have digital dominance in all the theaters around the world.”

Fans from all over the world descended on London’s ExCeL Center Friday to kick off a weekend full of Star Wars events, photo-ops, parties and more. Starting things off, the opening ceremonies snuck through a cloudy afternoon that promised rain, but was spared. Low-flying planes overhead, however, brought their own style of drama to the event.

Host and Lucasfilm Head of Fan Relations Steve Sansweet introduced prequel actor Jerome Blake, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Warwick Davis (Wicket, Wald), and the unmatchable Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine) to an electric crowd, gathered to watch A New Hope outdoors for a pleasant, and thankfully dry, evening.

Check out the video short of the evening’s events.

After about 2 days of packing and unpacking endless electronic gear and Star Wars shirts, I’m making my way across the Pond to merry ‘ol “red alert” England! I’ve been dreaming about visiting the UK ever since I lay sprawled across on our living room carpet transfixed by the TV featuring the intergalactic adventures of “Dr. Who.” Growing up in Kansas, I think I was convinced all aliens had British accents. Between “Dr. Who” and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” I probably had good reason to believe it. Even the villains had British accents in Star Wars. Which brings me to why I’m headed to London.

Lucasfilm is sending myself and fellow starwars.com reporter and Star Wars Poster Book author Pete Vilmur to Celebration Europe — the biggest official Star Wars convention in the UK. We’ll both be reporting here for Starwars.com — more specifically here on the Official Starwars.com Blog.

As you may already know, in May we were at Celebration IV (our gigantic Star Wars convention in Los Angeles and that was one heck of a Fanstock, and we had a blast. I chatted with Jane Wieldlin from the Go-Go’s, geeked out with the “Robot Chicken” gang, became an honorary member of the 501st, solved mysteries with Holmes Trooper, videotaped tons of footage of droids and slave Leias, photographed everything I saw and directed my first action film (technically I just ask a nice Lucasarts guy to pretend to run away from an Acklay.) So who knows what kind of trouble/fun/craziness myself and Pete will get into this time around?

Stay tuned to see what happens as we blog Celebration Europe.

Advance ticket sales for Saturday at Celebration Europe are now sold out (some walk up tickets may be available) – however, there are still tickets available for Friday and Sunday, and there will be a limited number of three-day passes as well. Order now!