The Dorky Diva

I hope that by now all of you have seen Season 1 of Star Wars: Rebels. The season finale left me with joyous tears and restored hope for exciting new animated Star Wars content. I was very happily surprised by the quality and content of the show since it started up so quickly after Clone Wars ended. Dave Filoni and his team of writers and artists are probably the most talented people in the business and I am glad to see that the show is returning for another season. I wanted to talk about some highlights that we can be looking for in Season 2 of Rebels, which does not have an air date confirmed yet. The second season premiered at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, which I did not get to see. With that being said, I know nothing about the season premiere, so this post will not contain any spoilers! All of the content that I will be discussing comes straight from the official Season 2 trailer or interviews with Dave Filoni.

Sabine's New Look
I'll start off with one of my favorite characters from the show. Sabine Wren is a spunky Mandolorian artist with quick-wit and some major painting skills. She sparks a fire in my fangirl heart because I feel like I am very similar to Sabine in many ways. I like to do creative and artistic things, just like she does. I also think I somewhat resemble her with the short hair and brown eyes. Anyways, Sabine will be getting a new look in Season 2! Dave Filoni noted that he doesn't know very many people with colored hair that let their hair stay one color for too long. Soon we will see Sabine with an aqua/teal colored hairstyle and newly painted armor. Her right shoulder bell features the number five, which I'm assuming is for her call sign, Spectre 5. The other shoulder bell pictures some sort of creature but I can't quite tell what it is. Her costume also has "adventure gear" which includes more belt pouches, gauntlets, handplates, and leg flares. It looks like there is a long sleeved shirt layered under her original short-sleeved one too.

"The Force Awakens", the seventh Star Wars film, had a large presence at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim last week. From panels, to interviews with the cast, and a new trailer, this upcoming movie was the center of attention at Celebration.

Starting on Wednesday, Star Wars fans (including myself) were lined up in order to get a seat in Thursday's panel with JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy. While I didn't get in line until very late Wednesday night, some fans had been waiting outside since 8:00am. The queue line was moved inside the convention center around 6:00pm, which was nice to shelter people from the weather and dropping temperatures. JJ and Kathleen were kind enough to send pizzas out to all the people who were waiting in line late at night. I've waited overnight for many Star Wars events and this is the first time I've ever heard of the director sending dinner out to the die-hard fans.

When Thursday morning rolled around, the queue line was slowly shifted into the main arena and the panel began. JJ and Kathleen were interviewed about their involvement with the new film and what the Star Wars saga meant to them on a personal level. I remember when I first heard that there would be a new Star Wars movie coming out, I was a little skeptical. I loved the prequels but I am also a fan of practical effects and felt like the CGI in Episodes I-III was a little overdone. JJ announced in the panel that practical effects and real costumes would be heavily used in "The Force Awakens". After hearing that bit of news and seeing his passion for this task, I have total faith in him to create an awesome Star Wars movie.

I've previously talked about one of my favorite companies, ThinkGeek, that produces the most unique and creatively designed nerdy merchandise out there. ThinkGeek had a large presence at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim with their merchandise booth and convention exclusives. In addition to their Star Wars exclusive items for sale, they offered press kits for members of the media that were attending the event. These kits came in the form of an Admiral Ackbar Mimobot and featured many of their new Star Wars products that will be released later this year.

These products, prices, and release dates may change before they are actually released but here is a peek at what you can expect from ThinkGeek in 2015:

Pack snacks. I am guilty of not eating very often when conventions are going on because I get too busy and forget to eat. There are usually small stores or gas stations close to convention centers where you can grab snacks or some bread and PB & J. Make it a priority to stop by one of those stores on the first day of your trip. If you pack a sandwich in your convention backpack with some mixed nuts and water, you'll be ready for anything. Plus, you'll save time by eating on your own schedule rather than waiting 30 minutes or so for an overpriced convention hot dog.

I visited my family this past weekend for Easter and I was able to work on a couple of Star Wars projects while I was home. My boyfriend got me an ARF clone trooper helmet kit for Christmas a few months back and I haven't had much time to work on it until now. My best friend also asked me to make a TIE Pilot comm pad for a costume that she's working on. Both were two very different projects but I enjoyed working on them.

I started with the TIE comm pad because I knew had to make it from scratch and I didn't know how long it would take me to complete. Before touching any materials, I did my research to see what the comm pad needed to look like. Knowing that I didn't have enough time to sculpt a comm pad and cast it in resin, I decided to use some spare ABS plastic that I had lying around.

Disney's Star Wars Weekends is my favorite annual Star Wars themed event that I have been attending ever since I was really young. The first time I ever personally met an actor from the Star Wars films was back in 2009 at Star Wars Weekends. Ever since then, I have been one of "those people" that waits in line overnight to get an autograph ticket. I've also had the privilege of marching in the daily parade with the 501st Legion. This event is such a great place to make new friends and celebrate Star Wars fandom with people who are just like you! 

There are daily shows with celebrities, a parade featuring the celebrities and members of the 501st Legion, and nightly fireworks for this event. Not to mention plenty of meet-and-greet opportunities with some of the best Star Wars characters, both good guys and bad! For first time SWW goers, I have some tips for you. Like I said previously, I've been going to this event since I was a toddler so I know how stressful it can be for someone to do everything at SWW in just a few days. Here are my tips:

Have you ever played the 20 Questions game before? I used to play this a lot when I was younger, especially on long road trips with my family. Well, how about putting a Star Wars twist on this old game? Uncle Milton created a Star Wars version of this classic game and I have to say that it's pr…