While there was no official Lucasfilm or Disney presence at WonderCon, there was also no shortage of fun for us fans. And the fact that it took place at the Anaheim Convention Center – mere steps from the Disneyland Resort – meant Star Wars fans could combine the con with a visit to Galaxy’s Edge, which is exactly what I did! Here’s a look at the Star Wars fun at WonderCon 2026 over the weekend of March 27-29.
Ashley Eckstein hosted the Masquerade, a gorgeous parade of amazing cosplay. WonderCon’s list of special guests included author Claudia Gray and comic artist Liana Kangas, who both had spotlight panels.
Speaking of panels, a quick search of the programming schedule pointed to many great offerings by fans. The “Star Wars: Inside the Creatures, Droids, and Puppetry” panel had a massive line of people hoping to hear from practical effects experts. “How to Build a Droid 101” undoubtedly brought more people over to the light side (or is it the dark side?) of this hobby. The BB-8 and R2 Droid Builders also had a fun booth on the exhibit floor and parades throughout the day to show off their builds, much to the delight of kids and adults alike.
Also on the exhibit floor, in a huge area set aside for tabletop gaming, I played a delightful Star Tours variant of the Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game. I did indeed save the Rebel spy! One unexpected place I found Star Wars content was a booth about estate planning, with a pamphlet of mostly lessons of what not to do based on the poor legacy planning in a galaxy far, far away. Whatever motivation it takes to get one’s affairs in order, it also had advice based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter, and House of the Dragon.
Craig Miller, the director of Fan Relations at Lucasfilm from 1977-1980, gave an insightful history and shared rare photos in his panel, “Star Wars Memories: The Early Days of Star Wars, SDCC, and Fandom.” And the folks from the Skywalking Network closed out Friday night with their high energy “Star Wars Trivia Party,” which included lots of games and prizes.
Even panels not specifically about Star Wars often include Star Wars – you can’t escape it (and why would you want to?). During my own panel, “Science of Disneyland” (which will be available on the Star Warsologies YouTube channel soon), we of course veered into the land of Galaxy’s Edge. The experts covered the geology of Batuu as well as the physics involved in Star Tours, Smuggler’s Run, and Rise of the Resistance – both in universe and here on Earth.
Voice actor extraordinaire Jim Cummings had his own panel and charmed everyone in the room, slipping between his own voice and those of his classic characters. He spoke about seeing his Star Wars character Hondo Ohnaka “in person” for the first time in Galaxy’s Edge. After growing up with animatronics like President Lincoln, he said his first impression of the newer technology was that it was “too damn cool. I’m a kid from Ohio and now I’m in Disneyland!”
When it came to fan questions, Jim greeted each person in one of his classic voices. A fan named Amy told him how much she loved Winnie-the-Pooh and when he said “Hi Amy” as the silly old bear, she looked like she was going to cry and I got goosebumps. I’ll definitely be checking out his podcast “Toon’d In,” which includes behind the scenes stories from other voice actors. His wife came up to the mic with the final question of the panel to share that there’s a change.org petition to make Jim a Disney Legend.
On the “Cosmic Call Signs” panel about spacecraft names in both fiction and real life, the experts included astronomers, aerospace engineers, and a VFX artist. They discussed the perhaps uninventive ship names in Star Wars, like the X-wings and Y-wings we know and love. Like many of us have, they tried to understand why B-wings were assigned that letter. Through this discussion, I learned that the U.S. military is similarly unimaginative – or maybe the right word is practical. F for “Fighter” as in F-16s, F/A is “Fighter/Attack,” and B for “Bomber.” They also shared a story I’d never heard, that the Rebel Blockade Runner as we know it was the original design for the Millennium Falcon. But it was deemed too similar to the ship in the TV series “Space 1999,” which aired from 1975-1977, so the Falcon got a redesign into the iconic ship we know and love.
There were also plenty of chances to meet up with friends from prior conventions, including the crew from the Virtual Cantina Network. The official Star Wars photoshoot attracted amazing cosplay. To coincide with March 28th’s No Kings marches around the world, signs declaring “No Emperors” were spotted, as well as a protesting Baby Yoda.
Even with the (not unexpected) news that WonderCon 2027 is March 26-28, the weekend immediately before Star Wars Celebration, I know there will be Star Wars fans there. Why not make it a long visit to SoCal – WonderCon, Disney Parks, then straight to Celebration? It seems likely enough that there will be special events at Galaxy’s Edge and maybe even the Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers will get into the spirit! See you next year!
Review by Melissa T. Miller. You can find Melissa at melissatruth.com, check out her articles in Star Wars insider, and hear her alongside co-host James Floyd on the Star Warsologies podcast.
