It’s been a couple of weeks since I attended the first Legends Con, and yet I’m still thrilling over my pile of signed books like a dragon with a horde of gold and enjoying the new community of Star Wars fans I connected with. However, I do want to share some moments from this fantastic event.
From the moment I first heard about this convention I was excited, but also a bit hesitant. The announcement that the Expanded Universe of books would no longer be considered canon after the Disney purchase caused a lot of disappointment in the Star Wars reading community, so I didn’t really know if the culture of the convention would be something I would enjoy. However, all it took was a quick look at the social media of the events team at Legends Consortium to see their mission was one of positivity and inclusion.
Executive Director Katherine Winchell and her team crafted a community and guest list that centered on the stories of the Expanded Universe and celebrated the fanbase that supported it.
The event had a stacked two days of panels and signings, with many commenting on how well organized and entertaining the event was. I found myself having to make many hard decisions between panels and signings. Dark Horse comics was well represented, as well as a group of well-beloved Legends authors including Michael Stackpole, Matthew Stover and Barbara Hambly.
Jason Fry, known for authoring many new canon and Clone Wars reference books, was a strong presence at the convention. He was keen to change the narrative about the Legends/Canon divide.
Time will tell if a second Legends Con will occur, but I really hope it does. This convention was a much-needed event for Legends fans, and as Rose Tico said we win by “saving what we love”. So, keep an eye on the Legends Con socials for updates on the future of the convention.
In the meantime, one of the featured guests had great things to say about the show.
Michael Stackpole: “Legendscon was stunningly good. They did a fantastic job putting it together. Cannot recommend highly enough.”
You can see my coverage of the entire event Here under the hashtag #FTLegends.
Event review and photographs by Kai Charles. You can find Kai on X @YogiKai