Star Wars Celebration is happening in less than a month, and if you're a superfan it's pretty much the place you want to be.
But not all of us are going—myself included—and in order to cope with a serious case of FOMO, we've got a list of practical steps and tips to help you through these trying times.
1. Organize a Local Meetup
Fun fact: I was planning to go to Star Wars Celebration before the location was announced. The big rumor was that it was happening in LA, so that's what I budgeted for. When I learned it was on the other side of the country, I had to drop out.
Dropping out of a convention sucks, but the good news is that Star Wars has a huge fandom. Not all of those fans are going to Celebration.
To take the edge off, try to find like-minded people in your area who might be down to do something fun for a few days. Perhaps you already talk to them on a regular basis, or you can put out a callout on social media.
2. Have a Star Wars Movie Marathon
One thing you can do—either alone or with your meetup—is to run a Star Wars movie marathon. Binge-watching can be a time sink, but if it's a Star Wars binge-watch it's time well spent. There's enough content out there to get you through the entire week and then some.
Are you looking to watch every single Star Wars show in chronological, in-canon order? Check out ourcanon order for marathoning Star Wars.
3. Dive Into the Star Wars Games
Another way to keep yourself busy is to play one of the many, many Star Wars games available. I've been a fan of them since I was a kid, and I grew up on Knights of the Old Republic when it first came out.
If you don't have any games on hand but you do have a Steam account, you can access new and old titles by typing "Star Wars" into the Store search bar. It will pull up all the games currently available for purchase.
4. Camp Out on Twitter
This will definitely not get rid of your FOMO—because Twitter has this thing where it makes you feel like you're missing out all the time—but if you're big on current events it's the best place to get up-to-the-minute updates on what's going down at the convention.
Some good hashtags to follow in preparation for the convention:
- #SWCC
- #SWCC2019
- #StarWarsCelebration
You can also save your search for these hashtags by clicking Save this search on the hashtag feed. Then you won't have to look for it again.
5. Plan a Meetup—For Episode IX
Do you want to turn your movie-going experience into a holiday? I did just that for The Last Jedi. My friends and I met up for a week, saw the movie multiple times, and went to a couple tourist attractions. It was honestly the most fun we had all year.
We're planning to do the "holiday movie" for Episode IX, and I totally recommend it for anyone who is looking for a low-stress, high-reward experience.
6. Listen to Star Wars Podcasts
Star Wars has a thriving fan-based podcast scene, with dozens upon dozens of shows. The podcasts range from general news and fan speculation to more niche topics, like a focus on the sequel trilogy or fanfiction created by the fandom. Others are devoted exclusively to interviews.
Full disclosure: I'm a podcaster and good friends with many fan-based Star Wars shows, so I'm hesitant to recommend any individual podcast. But if you're looking for some good Star Wars shows, go to iTunes Store > Podcasts, then type "Star Wars" into the search bar. It will pull up podcasts associated with the franchise.
7. Check Out Star Wars YouTube Channels
Another great way to fill your day with Star Wars content is to browse YouTube for fan videos. YouTube can be a bit dicey in that there's a lot of speculation that depends on fear-mongering to get clicks, but you can also find some really great channels devoted to Star Wars lore and positive fandom interaction.
8. Get Creative With Star Wars
Speaking of fans—one of the greatest things about the Star Wars fandom is their sheer level of creative output. From guilds to LARP, cosplay, fanart, and fanfiction, everyone's always creating something. It motivates others to create, and in the spirit of Celebration you can design something of your own, too.
Delve into the fanfiction, or start a Star Wars cosplay that you've always wanted to make. Whatever your heart desires.
9. Check Out Another Sci-Fi Series
And here we are are. The big one. A symbolic ninth step to go with "Episode IX" coming out in late 2019. I know, bad joke, but Star Wars is big on symbolism and I am too.
Getting into another sci-fi series isn't the best if you're a superfan, but it can help you mitigate that need for new content. Some of the other series out there are so big they'll keep you busy for days.
A couple quick-and-easy ways to find new content:
- If you're an avid ebook reader, check out new and upcoming sci-fi books being released through Amazon. There's a huge selection.
- Looking for a particular trope or plot point in your stories? Google "sci fi books (insert description) goodreads". This will pull up search results for curated lists on Goodreads with those specific preferences.
- If you're looking for a TV series, Netflix always has a great lineup. You can find these by going to TV Shows > Genres > Sci-Fi & Fantasy.
One of my favorite series I've seen this year outside of Star Wars is The Expanse, a hard sci-fi show based on a book series by James S. A. Corey.
Don't Despair
At the end of the day, it's not the end of the world that you can't go to Star Wars Celebration. Sure, it'll feel like it, and it sucks to not be at the center of the action. But there will always be other conventions you can go to, and Star Wars is such a huge franchise that you'll never run out of things to do.
Never been to a convention before? Here is a list of nerdy events you should visit at least once.