Star Wars Celebration Japan - Panels, News, Announcements, and More from SWCJ!

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Written By Brittany Bartlett

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Star Wars Celebration Japan is almost here! From April 18th to April 20th, the ultimate Star Wars fan experience will be taking place in Japan at Makuhari Messe. For more information about Star Wars Celebration Japan including panels, guests, know before you go, and frequently asked questions, check out the website here. Though we’re not in Japan, we’ll be keeping up with all the news at home and watching the LIVE presentation. We will be updating the post all weekend with updates, news, and announcements from the panels!

More Star Wars Celebration Japan Information

Last updated April 19th, 2025

Star Wars Celebration Japan

Star Wars Celebration Day 2 - Saturday, April 19th

Andor A Star Wars Story

Celebration Stage
10am-11am JST (9pm-10pm EST)

We’re back for day two of Star Wars Celebration Japan and starting the day with the Andor panel! The panel is hosted by Andor creator and executive producer Tony Gilroy, executive producer and star Diego Luna, and the Andor cast and crew including Sanne Wohlenberg (executive producer), Adria Arjona (Bix Caleen), Genevieve O’Reilly (Mon Mothma), Denise Gough (Dedra Meero), Kyle Soller (Syril Karn), and Alan Tudyk (K-2SO).

Diego Luna teases many new characters and familiar faces as we get closer to Rogue One. He also suggests watching Rogue One after Andor season two ends for a different perspective on the film. Season two includes 12 episodes and covers four years in one season with each week covering one year with three episodes. Genevieve O’Reilly reveals that season 2 begins on Mon Mothma’s ancestral world of Chandrilla for the marriage of her daughter, Leida. O’Reilly says this season Mon Mothma must, “step out of the shadows and risk everything to speak some truth.”

This season, Denise Gough reveals we’ll find out where Dedra Meero comes from and says the season “wasn’t so girlboss. It was much more fascist.” Additionally, Dedra Meero and Syril Karn are in a “really really weird” relationship this season. Adria Arjona shares that Bix Caleen has left home and is “trying to reconstruct herself” after what happened in season one with Dr. Gorst. She’s most excited for the time in the season when Bix and Cassian reconnect.

The audience is very excited to see Alan Tudyk return as K-2SO! Diego Luna says he missed working with Alan Tudyk and is happy to be back together after 7 years. We also get to see the birth of K-2SO this season.

The final season of Andor begins streaming on Disney+ on Tuesday, April 22nd. The first episode of Andor Season 2 will be shown exclusively to attendees at Star Wars Celebration.

Ahsoka

Celebration Stage
1pm-2pm JST (12am-1am EST)

The Ahsoka panel will be hosted by Dave Filoni and special guests and will look back at the first season of Ahsoka. Rosario Dawson joins Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni for the panel. Hayden Christensen also arrives for the Ahsoka panel to huge applause.

Yesterday, Dave Filoni said he will be filming season 2 of Ahsoka when he returns from Japan. Season 2 will have 8 episodes, all written by Dave Filoni. Due to the untimely passing of Ray Stevenson in 2023, Rory McCann will officially play Baylan Skoll for Ahsoka Season 2. The panel shared new concept art, behind-the-scenes concept work, and more including the Nightsisters and Dathomir, the return of Admiral Ackbar going head to head with Thrawn, the Mortis Gods, and Loth Kittens. The Loth Kittens roll around because their legs aren’t strong enough to walk and are absolutely adorable. Murley the Loth-cat will also return. Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios will be in Ahsoka Season 2 as well. Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla, and Chopper all return for Season 2. On the Star Wars Celebration LIVE! stage, Dave Filoni said half of the season is a massive battle with lots of Thrawn, Ezra, Hera, and Chopper.

Rory McCann as Baylan Skoll - ©Star Wars

Ahsoka Season 2 Concept Art - ©Star Wars

Ahsoka Season 2 Concept Art - ©Star Wars

Ahsoka Season 2 Concept Art - ©Star Wars

Noti Ahsoka Season 2 - ©Star Wars

Admiral Ackbar Ahsoka Season 2 - ©Star Wars

Loth Kittens and Murley Ahsoka Season 2 Concept Art - ©Star Wars

Hayden Christensen will return as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka Season 2.

Various Panels & Live Presentations

LIVE! Stage

  • LIVE! Stage features interviews with Anthony Daniels, Rob Bredow (Lucasfilm VFX), Ahmed Best and Ashley Eckstein, Denise Gough and Kyle Soller, Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk, Tony Gilroy, Adria Arjona, and Genevieve O’Reilly, John Knoll, Dave Filoni, Rosario Dawson, and Jon Favreau, and the Japanese voice cast of Ahsoka with more to come

  • New LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past with Ashley Eckstein (Brickheadz Ahsoka) and Ben Schwartz (Jaxxon) joining Ahmed Best (Darth Jar Jar)

    • Streaming on Disney+ on September 19th, 2025

Star Wars Celebration Japan Day 1 - Friday, April 18th

The Mandalorian & Grogu Panel

Celebration Stage
10am-11am JST (9pm-10pm EST)

Welcome to the first panel of Star Wars Celebration Japan! The panel began with R2-D2 and C-3PO taking the stage, followed by Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau, and more.

Panel Overview:

  • Six Star Wars films in ongoing development from James Mangold, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Taika Waititi, and a new trilogy by Simon Kinberg

  • New standalone Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, in theaters on May 28th, 2027 (currently in pre-production)

    • Directed by Shawn Levy, written by Jonathan Tropper, and starring Ryan Gosling

    • The film takes place five years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

    • Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling join the panel for their first Star Wars Celebration

  • Behind-the-scenes photos and sizzle reel for The Mandalorian & Grogu, in theaters on May 22nd, 2026

    • Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Grogu, and more join the panel

    • Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios in a still from the film with Din Djarin and Grogu

    • See many more details in our full post on the panel below!

Check out this post for every detail of this panel including what we learned about upcoming Star Wars movies!

R2-D2 and C-3PO - ©Star Wars

Shawn Levy, Ryan Gosling, Dave Filoni, and Kathleen Kennedy - ©Star Wars

Shawn Levy & Ryan Gosling - ©Star Wars

LIGHT & MAGIC: A Glimpse Into the Magic of Season 2 Panel

Celebration Stage
1pm-2pm JST (12am-1am EST)

The Light & Magic panel is a deep dive into the second season of LIGHT + MAGIC, the documentary series showcasing the journey of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). The panel is hosted by Sam Witwer and features Janet Lewin, Doug Chiang, John Knoll, Lynwen Brennan, Rob Coleman, and Ahmed Best. Season two is directed by Joe Johnston and is produced by Lucasfilm and Imagine Entertainment. Light and Magic season two is now streaming on Disney+ – sign up to Disney+ now to stream Light & Magic and so many more Star Wars titles!

Check out this post for every detail of this panel!

Lucasfilm Animation’s 20th Anniversary

Celebration Stage
3:30pm-4:30pm JST (2:30am-3:30am EST)

The Lucasfilm Animation’s 20th Anniversary panel is hosted by voice actor David Collins with Dave Filoni (Chief Creative Officer) and Athena Portillo (Vice President, Animation Production). Dave Filoni talked about working with George Lucas on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and how lucky they were to be able to finish the series, with Carrie Beck somehow coming back with the budget to complete the series after Star Wars Rebels. The panel shared an unreleased clip of the cancelled Clone Wars Boba Fett arc where he’s trained by Cad Bane. The clip shows Cad Bane and Todo on Coruscant and then cuts to a chase scene with Boba Fett and Anakin Skywalker on a speeder bike.

Dave Filoni discussed how Star Wars Rebels was the first animation project with Disney, and a Disney executive asked if they could add Darth Vader to the show. He also revealed the droid AP-5 was named after Athena Portillo. Then the panel moved on to the Tales series and the audience at SWCJ was shown the first episode of the upcoming Tales of the Underworld, with this episode featuring Asajj Ventress. While there are spoiler-filled reviews of the first clips, I plan to watch the show when it begins streaming on Disney+ on May 4th, so I’m avoiding spoilers until then.

Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord
Coming to Disney+ in 2026

To end the panel, Lucasfilm Animation announced a new series coming to Disney+ in 2026, Maul - Shadow Lord. The series follows Maul (no longer Darth) with Sam Witwer returning to the role he first voiced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, then reprised his role in Star Wars Rebels and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Taking place after the Clone Wars, Maul is rebuilding his crime syndicate and rising to lead the underworld. Panel attendees got an early look at the series with an in-room only sizzle reel. The reel showcased the new animation style and shows Maul training a new Twi’lek apprentice (who may be Darth Talon from Legends) and fighting an Inquisitor - First Brother, also known as Marrok from Ahsoka. Sam Witwer joined the panel onstage and said, “Play it again” as Maul and the audience was shown the sizzle reel for the second time.

LUCASFILM PUBLISHING: Stories from a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Celebration Stage
2pm-3pm JST (1am-2am EST)

The latest publishing news from Lucasfilm Publishing and Disney Books including news about the grand finale of The High Republic

  • Panel features Adam Christopher, Tessa Gratton, Marc Guggenheim, Lydia Kang, Ethan Sacks, Phil Szostak, Alyssa Wong, and Marvel’s C.B. Cebulski and is moderated by Maggie Lovitt

  • Re-release annotated edition of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Episode III by Matthew Stover based on the story and screenplay by George Lucas for the 20th anniversary of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

  • Industrial Light & Magic: 50 Years of Innovation by Ian Failes (Abrams) for the 50th anniversary of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) releasing in November 2025

  • Doug Chiang: The Cinematic Legacy / The Star Wars Legacy by Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso (Abrams) two volume collection detailing the concept art created by Doug Chiang

  • The High Republic conclusion including -

    • The Battle of Eriadu Dark Horse comic written by Alyssa Wong with art by Elisa Romboli and Michael Atiyeh and cover art by Jake Bartok

    • Star Wars Insider: Tales from the Occlusion Zone by Lydia Kang with art by Jake Lunt Davies magazine short stories

    • The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule with cover art by Grant Griffin featuring The Luminous Nine

    • The High Republic: Fear of the Jedi Marvel comic written by Cavan Scott with Art by Marika Cresta and cover art by Phil Noto

  • The Acolyte upcoming publishing releases including -

    • The Acolyte: Kelnacca Marvel comic written by Cavan Scott with art by Marika Cresta and Jim Campbell and cover art by Phil Noto

    • The Acolye: Wayseeker (Random House Worlds) written by Justina Ireland with cover art by Tomasz Majewski

    • The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown (Disney Lucasfilm Press) written by Tessa Gratton with cover art by Julian Paulsen

      • Follows Jecki and Yord

    • The Acolyte Visual Guide (DK) by Pablo Hidalgo

    • The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte (Abrams) by Kristin Baver with cover art by Kevin Jenkins

  • The Art of Andor by Phil Szostak

  • Star Wars: Master of Evil (Random House Worlds) by Adam Christopher with cover art by Simon Goinard - Darth Vader novel set near the end of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

  • Hyperspace Stories: Codebreaker Dark Horse comics written by Ethan Sacks with art by Marc Yarza, José Marzan Jr., and Nicola Righi and cover art by Diego Galindo featuring Poe Dameron and BB-8

  • Star Wars: Beyond Victory Marvel comics written by Ethan Sacks with art by Steven Cummings, Will slinky, and Shogo Aoki with cover art by Phil Noto

  • Additional upcoming flagship Star Wars Marvel comics written by Alex Segura releasing in May 2025

  • Legacy of Vader Marvel comics written by Charles Soule with art by Luke Ross, Stefano Raffaele, and Nolan Woodard with cover art by Derrick Chew with a variant art cover by Kael Ngu featuring new Knights of Ren

  • Jedi Knights Marvel comics by Marc Guggenheim with issues themed to different Jedi with art by Taurin Clarke, Madibek Musabekov, Luis Guerrero, Juan Fernandez, Rahzzah, and more

  • Secret Millennium Falcon comic arriving from Marvel comics later in 2025

LUCASFILM PUBLISHING: Manga Mania! Panel

Galaxy Stage
12pm-1pm JST (11pm-12am EST)

Various Panels & Live Presentations

LIVE! Stage

  • Pedro Pascal is wearing dramatic boots and shorts and also wore Dave Filoni’s hat for part of their interview

Nubs also arrived on the LIVE! stage to announce the third season of Young Jedi Adventures, coming this fall on Disney+ and Disney Jr. Nubs is around throughout the weekend at Star Wars Celebration Japan for meet and greets. For more information on Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures Season 3, check out this post!

Games and More

  • A second story pack is arriving for Star Wars: Outlaws: A Pirates Fortune on May 15th

    • Kay Vess and Nix team up with Hondo Ohnaka

    • Jim Cummings returning to voice Hondo Ohnaka

    • See more details here

  • Star Wars is coming to MONOPOLY GO! on May 1st

HASBRO Panel

Twin Suns Stage
11:30am-12:30pm JST (10:30pm-11:30pm EST)
Info via Star Wars Holocron on Twitter / X

  • Hosted by the Hasbro Marketing & Design team

  • Displayed an overview of previously announced upcoming products including Star Wars The Vintage Collection and the Star Wars Visions Black Series Ronin exclusive

  • New Black Series EU and games figures coming including Dash Rendar (Shadows of the Empire), Cal Kestis with mustache and Turgle (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor), Nightsister Merrin (Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order), and a Rocket Launcher Stormtrooper

  • New figures in The Vintage Collection including Moff Gideon (The Mandalorian Season 3), Crosshair (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Cobb Vanth (Star Wars The Book of Boba Fett), and Nightsister Merrin (Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order)

  • New Black Series figures including an updated Han Solo figure with advanced articulation and Chewbacca

  • New Return to Tatooine collection including Luke Skywalker, Greedo, Dr. Evezan, Ponda Baba, Momaw Nadon, Streets of Mos Eisley Jawa, Nabrun Leids, Wuher, Brea Tonnika, Senni Tonnika, a Bantha with a Tusken Raider, and Luke’s Landspeeder

LEGO Live Presentation

LEGO has new May the 4th Star Wars Day LEGO Sets arriving on May 1st, 2025. Check out this post with all the new LEGO sets (coming soon) including Chopper (C1-10P) Atromech Droid (Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka), Jango Fett helmet, a Rebel U-Wing Fighter, Jango Fett’s Firespray Class Starship, and more. LEGO also announced a K-2SO LEGO set from Rogue One and Andor arriving on August 1st, 2025.

This post will be updated tomorrow with more details, photos, and links as additional news and updates are released!

Brittany Bartlett https://www.extramagicminutes.com
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