Star Wars: The Force Awakens Panel's Five Best, Most Important Moments

After a warmup act that included a t-shirt cannon and some lightsaber swinging, the festivities began at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim. Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm, and JJ Abrams, writer and director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens took the stage to a deafening ovation, ready to show fans what they were waiting for: new information about the seventh episodic film in the franchise.

We were there in the crowd, and picked out the five best moments and most important takeaways from the first-ever panel for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

BB-8 Rolls Out

When classic star and fan-favorite R2-D2 took the stage, it was a special moment – especially for the Droid Engineers who created the newest version, who Kathleen Kennedy hired after she saw their creations at Celebration Europe. It was the real, in-film R2, and fans were excited. But then the new kid rolled on in – and we do mean rolled. BB-8, the Force Awakens' droid from the trailers, came on stage to show off that the production team actually created a real, functional robot that rolls on a giant ball with a domed head. BB-8 and R2 faced off in a fun moment. Seeing that feat of engineering roll around was a great indicator of how serious J.J. Abrams has been about keeping the film's special effects as practical as possible throughout this film's process.

Meeting the Newbies

Who is Poe Dameron? "He's the best friggin pilot in the galaxy!"

Oscar Isaac's one-liner about his new Star Wars character, seen primarily piloting his X-Wing in the trailers, instantly made him a fan favorite. John Boyega talked about his character, Finn, and confirmed that he is a trooper that experiences a major life change. Daisy Ridley talked about Rey, the scavenger on the new planet Jakku (more on that in a moment). When she meets Finn,  "her adventure begins."

Oh, and as for Poe? "He's sent on a mission by a certain princess," Isaac teased. Yeah, that's happening.

More Female Characters

Speaking of the Princess, Leia was the only major female character in the original films, a problem that the Star Wars fan-base, which is nearly 50% women, have noticed. "Well, "That's about to change," Kennedy promised. She went on to tease that there aren't just great female character in Episode VII, but also in "the conversations we've had about future films." Yes, girls like Star Wars, too, and they're making changes to better acknowledge that.

Jakku, The Newest Planet

So that desert planet was not Tattooine after all. It's a new planet called Jakku. We don't know much about it, except that the film's inciting incidents seem to take place there and revolve around resident Rey and Stormtrooper Finn. This is more significant than you may think, as it shows that while there will be some nostalgia in the film, naturally, it's also going to introduce plenty of new concepts. It was also cool (and different) to see Abrams be so forthright and direct about a prevailing mystery. And yes, Jakku is the official spelling!

"The Force is Strong in my Family."

Come on, that trailer was just awesome. Seeing it on a big screen with a few thousand of my closest Star Wars friends was an incredible moment. Tears streamed, people shook, and and overall a feeling of excitement I don't think I've ever felt from a piece of pop culture rushed over the crowd.

From the Star Destroyer, crashed and ruined, to the amazing narration delivered by Mark Hamill, "The force is strong in my family. My father has it, I have it, my sister has it. You have that power too," Leia taking a lightsaber, the new castmembers in action, the TIE fighters, the new Imperial (or some kind of force) symbol, and all topped off with Han and Chewie.

If this is just the start of Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, we are in for a treat.

Check in with ComicBook.com throughout Star Wars Celebration for more news, updates, and more. 

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