Star Wars Weekends

While reading Matt Hochberg’s column on "Missing from Star Wars Weekends" I was reminded of my secondary frustration with the event.  My first is just as Matt has described, the poor release of information, handcuffing anyone who might be on the fence about attending the event.  It is too good a draw for Disney/Lucas over the past several years not to get this information together and out sooner.  Does anyone really doubt there will be a Star Wars Weekends 2009 with two television productions coming online?

Now my secondary frustration lies with the loss of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Star Wars Edition and the unannounced loss of the Adult Trivia event last year.  Both were great fun for the over 15/18 guests, giving them something fun to participate in rather than merely being a spectator throughout the weekend.  Millionaire was a blast because the entire family could participate.  For myself, I have a fond memory of sitting with my wife and daughter (7 at the time), where she was excited to be able to answer the same questions as the adults.  I’m proud to say she did very well with the adult style questions, and she was equally excited to see how her mother and father were doing.  (I just missed the hot seat in the last round!)  Millionaire was well conceived and executed, providing one of the few events beyond the Star Tours simulator where everyone could participate.

The adult trivia was no less thought of by the Disney/Star Wars fan base.  Although a little intimidating to some because of the depth of knowledge some people have acquired over the years, participation was always decent.  The audience was comprised of curious on lookers (looking to get out of the heat no doubt!), family and friends of the participants.  The line of questions were such that most everyone survived the first few, keeping participation high, followed by the more difficult questions weeding out those participating for the fun of it and …well, the “pros”.  The “pros” can name you every Imperial Officer and Rebel Strategist in the Saga.  It is impressive, interesting and amusing all at once to watch.  When it got down to the last 3-4 participants, it could be a tough game of Sabbac for everyone involved.  I remember on one occasion that the staff was forced to dig for extra questions because the participants had outlasted the list of difficult questions they had on hand.  In the end, a winner would be crowned and adorned with some very cool merchandise.  Sadly, last year all of this was absent, with nothing to replace it.  It didn’t ruin SWW, but it left a void and a somewhat incomplete feeling for anyone not under the age of 12 who had attended in previous years.

I wrote last year about my frustration on the subject and encouraged anyone who felt the same to contact Disney and let them know that they missed these events.  Whether any of this type of contact ever has any effect on future events is hard to say, but based on the things I’ve heard and read over the past year, these were considered major blows to the event from an adult perspective.  I hope for the sake of this fantastic annual event that Disney sees fit to at least bring back the adult trivia (being that there is no realistic way to bring back the other… which would have been my first choice).

Thankfully, for weekend #1 in 2008, there is at least one solution.  The dinner event being hosted by Studios Central/Matt Hochberg and his friends at Mouse Fan Travel gives fans that one chance to do something where everyone can join in.  In the absence of the above mentioned events, this Dinner gives people of all ages with similar interests in Disney and Star Wars a time to gather, mingle and enjoy a nice dinner.  Many of the people in attendance will be knowledgeable in both subject areas and it promises to be a good time with a surprise or two along the way.  For me this is just what I needed to fill the void I felt last year and has helped with my excitement for attending this year.  (I was already excited… it’s Star War Weekends after all, but this just makes it that much better!)  It’s nice to be able to include an event where it is for everyone and not just for the padawan(s) in your home.  The dinner being set for that Sunday evening is just a fantastic way to cap off the first weekend.  If you are interested in meeting up with other Disney/Star Wars fans, and are going to around that evening, make sure you sign up while there is availability.  Maybe they can even work in some trivia.  I look forward to seeing many of you there!  It promises to be worth while.  MTFBWY.