This was my first time attending a Starfury event and considering it was being held so close to home, it would have been rude not to go! A Starfury event is not your ‘regular’ convention. There are no traders selling merchandise, there’s no art displays, this is all about the guests at the event and giving you chance to get up close and personal. And boy, we did just that! The event primarily consists of photographs and autographs in one room. and the panels and Q&A’s in the main hall with a few side room reserved for Meet and Greets. (JH)
SATURDAY 29TH JUNE 2024
My fellow Fantha’s and myself commented on the Celebration-worthy level of guests that were on offer at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Birmingham, located at the NEC and featuring the core cast of Ahsoka and supporting players from Andor and The Mandalorian. (JH)
The panels kicked off with Diana Lee Inosanto and Nelson Lee, aka Morgan Elsbeth and Senator Xiono. Both actors had fascinating stories about their time on the show, with both hoping to one day return to their roles and delighting the audience as they did so. Diana has such a fascinating history in film with her work as a stuntwoman, not to mention being the goddaughter of Bruce Lee, and Nelson discussed his work on his CV including Stargirl and Mulan. (MN)
The guests who attended the event were a mixture of veterans of Starfury and newer guests who were Star Wars fans. We didn’t attend the party afterwards but depending on what level of entry ticket you brought, you could have partied till the small hours of both nights. (JH)
Next we were treated to the an hour with Mary Elizabeth Winstead. For the first 20 minutes she chatted with event organiser Sean Harry, who walked us through her memorable career so far (one which he noted could soon include an Emmy nomination) before opening the floor to questions. With plenty of discussion revolving around her role in Ahsoka, we also had plenty of questions about Scott Pilgrim and A Gentleman In Moscow. (MN)
For me personally, the real highlights were two things. The level of intimacy with the guests (you simply would not get this at Celebration or any other con) and the relaxed and laid-back feel to the day. There was no bumping over people or anything like. The event was made up of friendly folk who were in safe space to enjoy themselves. (JH)
Who wouldn’t want to sit down with Sabine and Ezra to hear them discuss all things Ahsoka, and that’s what we got with Eman Esfandi and Natasha Liu Bordizzo who went into the weeds on filming their scenes in the hit show, especially the scenes with the Noti and the howlers who were as tricksy as they appeared to be onscreen. Both are clearly thrilled to be a part of the Star Wars galaxy, and great with the attendees in the audience, so be sure to look out for them at shows local to you. (MN)
I’m still a little taken aback with the fact that the panels weren’t moderated, you simply joined a queue and walked up to ask them a question. Outstanding. Fantastic fun and hopefully there will be many more of these events to come. (JH)
With some of the Ahsoka guests having to oull out fo the event due to work commitments, there was a chance to bring in some stars from Andor and with all the energy that Jacob James Beswick and Elizabeth Dulau brought they didn’t disappoint. So many laughs and behind the scenes snippets (including Jacob being longtime friends of Dedra Meero actress Denise Gough) and the best way to end the panels on the first full day of the show. (MN)
SUNDAY 30TH JUNE 2024
While we didn’t attend any of the evening events, I was back on the Sunday to enjoy more of the absolutely fascinating panels, and maybe it was the familiarity of doing the panels the day before, or perhaps the great fun had the previous evening, but the guests were paid back, relaxed and open with their answers – and especially with some classic con questions. First up we had Elizabeth Dulau, Jacob James Beswick and Richard Dillaine appearing at his first ever convention to discuss Andor and their characters (and also whether they’d rather be mauled by a lion or eaten by a crocodile). (MN)
On Saturday Nelson Lee took part in a very relaxed and question-heavy panel, and while Sunday would appear to be the same it was once again a relaxed, easy-going and most vitally fun panel that covered the length and breadth of his career along with plenty of sidesteps to other topics of conversation. Again, great fun showing that Nelson would be a great guest at any convention, especially when he’s bantering with the crowd. (MN)
With Natasha Liu Bordizzo sadly taken ill (but gutsy enough to power through and sign every autograph that had been pre-ordered for the day) the Q&A with Diana Lee Inosanto was merged with the Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Eman Esfandi panel and after a break to grab a coffee with some fellow attendees we were treated to another great panel of insight, behind-the-scenes stories and (of course) those daft questions which on the page look ridiculous but in the moment are exactly that – great little fun moments. If we can’t have a laugh with our fandom then what’s the point, and this show was loaded with plenty of laughs. (MN)
Starfury are a new name on the Star Wars convention scene, despite having run shows covering all manner of franchises since 1997. I was attending their shows back in the 90’s, so I went in knowing what to expect (focus on Q&A’s, those fun questions, signings and photographs, chatting with fellow attendees and a big emphasis on the evening parties) but those who attended looking for a standard Star Wars experience may have come out baffled, disappointed or uncertain whether they’d want to attend again.
From my point of view as a fan of these kind of events I wouldn’t want to change a thing. Keep it smaller, more intimate. Give fans the chance to ask questions and interract with the guests, grab goofy photos and personalised autographs, even have a dance at the disco while doing the Time Warp (or singing the naughty convention lyrics version of Bohemian Rhapsody). My fingers are crossed for more Starfury Star Wars events, where I hope we get to watch guests from The Acolyte, Andor, Ahsoka and any other Star Wars show that begins with or includes the letter ‘A‘ . (MN)
Words by Jonathan Hipkiss and Mark Newbold. Photographs by Paul Naylor and Mark Newbold.
