Star War fans dress up for panel screening

There he was, the six-year-old Padawan.

It was way past his bedtime, but the Force kept him alert as he faced Darth Vader at Shaw Theatres Lido on Thursday night.

Luke (yes, that is his real name) Quek (right) was among the 421 Star Wars fans who were at Star Wars: The Force Awakens Panel Simulcast Fan Event, which began at 11pm on Thursday.

The young fan, whose Luke Skywalker costume won the Best Dressed Contest before the panel simulcast screening, told TNP: "I've seen every single movie. My favourite character is Luke Skywalker."

He was with his father, Mr Sebastian Quek, 39, who has been a fan of the franchise since he was a boy.

"Luke is usually in bed by latest 11pm, last night was a bit extreme," he said yesterday.

It proved to be too extreme for Luke, who fell asleep in the cinema at 1.30am. His father then took him home.

"The panel was really good, we were given a bit of an insight to what's going to be in the movie. It's definitely something to look forward to at the end of the year for us," said the Information Technology (IT) professional.

At 1am (Singapore time) yesterday, fans who were selected on a first-come-first-served basis were delighted by the panel simulcast from Anaheim, California, where new information about the film was released.

Director JJ. Abrams and producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy were there and there were cast appearances by newcomers to the franchise: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac. Original cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill also made appearances.

The event ended at 2.15am.

Fans were also treated to the release of the film's highly-anticipated second trailer and one fan in particular was moved to tears by the trailer.

Thai Bongsintra Bongpanu, 30, flew here from Bangkok for one night just to catch the event in his Anakin Skywalker costume, complete with Padawan braid.

"They are still keeping many secrets, but I've seen Han and Chewie in the Falcon again. And that made me cry tears of joy," said the engineer.

The event was also a long-awaited reunion for Star Wars fans.

LONG TIME COMING

Mr Lewyn Lee, 34, who was dressed as one of the Emperor's Royal Guards, told TNP: "Fans have been waiting for a reunion like this for a decade, since the last movie came out in 2005."

Star Wars fan group FightSaber was also present to perform some of their choreographed lightsaber routines.

Founder of the group Azmi Danuri told TNP: "It was awesome to see fans, kids, and some old friends after so long.

"I'm already so excited (about seeing the movie), I don't even know if it's possible for me to get more excited."

Fast facts about new movie

The Force is strong this weekend. The four-day Star Wars Celebration event in Anaheim, California, was launched yesterday.

At 1 am (Singapore time), the cast of the sequel Star Wars: The Force Awakens joined director JJ Abrams for a global simulcast. The main highlight? The first showing of the second teaser trailer for the long-awaited movie.

Here are five things you need to know about Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

1. The second trailer for the movie is out and packed with fan-pleasing moments.

There's the site of a crashed Star Destroyer and what looks like Darth Vader's melted helmet - which is a potentially great name for a band.

The scene most likely to send fan boys into a frenzy is at the end of the two-minute trailer when Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his hairy sidekick, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) make an appearance.

In his typically laconic style, Ford delivers the line: "Chewie, we're home."

2. There are new droids in town.

Threatening to overtake R2-D2 in popularity is BB-8. This character is essentially a large rolling ball with a half-sphere balanced on top for its head.

It made its debut appearance in the first teaser trailer released last year and this appearance revealed that BB-8 is not a CGI creation.

While a remote-controlled ball is well-known technology, how the head stays on is still under wraps.

3. There are new Star Wars emojis on Twitter. Just type #stormtrooper, #C3PO or #BB8 and images of the characters will appear.

4. There are three new main characters: Finn, Rey, and Poe Dameron, who are played by John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac respectively.

After months of speculation since his appearance in the first trailer, Boyega confirmed that his character is indeed a Storm Trooper.

5. These sequels are not just about the boys and their laser-powered toys. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy revealed that there will be more heroines in the new films

This article was first published onApril 18, 2015.
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