Star Wars Fan Days: The Force was with ‘em at the Plano Centre

by Shannon Sutlief

Some might expect a two-day Star Wars convention to be full of guys resembling The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy. And they'd be partly right. But here's something the stereotypes don't include: There are also buxom beauties dressed in Princess Leia's slave costume from Return of the Jedi -- working for the dark side of the Force -- and vamped-up female Imperial officers and troopers. That's right; hot geek gals.

People-watching is frequently the best part of any convention, and opening day of Star Wars Fan Days fulfilled my voyeuristic intentions. A furry and fully armed Chewbacca removed his mask and gloves in order to check his phone while waiting for the costume content to start. Young Anakin Skywalkers compared costumes, light saber skills, and rat trails. A Stormtrooper was followed by his wife and kids, who were donning Jawa gear complete with orange glowing eyes. They probably had their photos taken as often as some of the celebrities, another key part of any convention.

While there was no geeking out on George Lucas or Mark Hamill, fans could meet Anthony Forrest, the Stormtrooper who said, "These aren't the droids we're looking for" in A New Hope. The men behind the masks of Boba Fett, Darth Vader, and Chewbacca, as well as some other stars of Star Wars, signed autographs and posed for photos with fans in the Plano Centre's side rooms.

Anthony "C-3PO" Daniels, fresh from Friday night's Star Wars: In Concert at Cowboys Stadium, was scheduled to begin his autograph session at 10:30 Saturday morning in the exhibit hall. At 4 p.m., he was still smiling and signing. (Daniels was at Fan Days on Saturday only, but the other guests also returned Sunday for more autograph sessions.)

The exhibit hall included booth after booth of Star Wars and sci-fi memorabilia. There were action figures (some boxed and in mint condition; others thrown in bins for the scrounging), T-shirts, costumes and weapons, steampunk jewelry, and original film and book art, including an early sketch of Han Solo looking more like Conan the Barbarian than a half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder. The hall also housed Artist Alley where the comic book-making guys and gals signed their works, sketched, and chatted with fans.

In the convention center’s smaller rooms, builders showed off their replicas (including a moving, beeping R2-D2) and local members of the 501st Legion costuming organization raised funds for breast cancer awareness (some of the Stormtroopers and officers perked up their Death Star drab uniforms with hot pink). Across the hall, there were trivia and costume contests and talks on collecting toys, posters, and even Star Wars-themed tattoos.

Sure Star Wars Fan Days was no Comic Con, but it was a good chance to let your fanboy flag fly, shrug off the stereotypes, or find the figure or model to complete a collection.

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