What My First Star Wars Press Event Was Like, and How I Avoided Passing Out from Excitement

If someone told my ten-year-old self that someday I'd be standing on the floor of an exclusive Star Wars press event, I'd probably tell them to leave before I call the police. And yet, there I was, standing beneath three Stormtrooper costumes with the New Order flag unfurled behind them. To say that the whole thing felt surreal would be an understatement. To say that it was a struggle to keep my composure would be entirely accurate. I was at the Holy Grail of my nerd-fueled life, and it was hard to keep it together. I learned a lot while I was at the event, and I have Moviepilot to thank for that. Some of the lessons weren't entirely new, just affirmations of things I had felt for a while. So what was it like? Let me tell you.

There was too much cool stuff

From the Disney Infinity station to the gaggle of toys to the neat Google Cardboard demo, there was no shortage of playthings. I'll be honest and say that I got entirely caught up with the Star Wars: Battlefront station. I was on the fence about buying the game until I got my hands on it during this event. I was thrown right into a 40-person engagement of massive murder and death, and it was hard to put the controller down to go see everything else the event had to offer. I've already ordered the game. Touché, Star Wars people, touché.

Everyone was beyond friendly

I met a lady who, from what I could see, loved the crap out of BB-8. She had BB-8 swag to the nines from her scarf to her purse and even her shoes. She may have been press, but she was a fan first and happily let her nerd flag fly. To be perfectly honest, I felt a little underdressed around her. I also met someone who decided it was a good time to argue with me about the science of The Force. He said something about electromagnetic manipulation which almost made sense. That conversation lasted for a full hour. I'm pretty sure we're best friends now.

Carrie Fisher was one of the highlights of my day

I'll be real with you: everything Carrie Fisher said was gold. I don't know what she was drinking up on stage, but whatever it was made her snarky in the best possible way. From her little quips at J. J. Abrams to the way she described Leia's look in the movie as a classy gas station attendant, it was hard to keep the camera steady every time she talked.

I had swag for days

I've learned that free things are pretty much a given for events like this, but every haul still leaves me stoked on life. I walked away from the event with a free action figure, a Google Cardboard box for my cellphone, and a custom T-shirt that was printed there on the spot. Also, there was free food and it wasn't some lame finger food junk, either. There was a bevy of drinks and sliders, and there were hot dogs, which was good because I completely forgot to eat that morning. I was going to my first ever Star Wars event, breakfast was understandably an afterthought.

So how do I sum up the entire thing?

It was absolutely fantastic.

The whole day was the opportunity of a lifetime and the experience was irreplaceable beyond measure. I can't thank the Moviepilot staff enough for the hook-up. Shout-outs to Dana for sending me, and special props to Gwendoline Christie for being so patient with me. Oh, speaking of Captain Phasma, I also interviewed Gwendoline Christie. I'll get into that later though.