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The announcement of Celebration II, Indianapolis, 2002
Star Wars Rebel Pilots Fly in to Celebration II
Your favorite heroes of the Rebellion will be joining you and your fellow fans at the Indiana Convention Center May 3-5 to help celebrate 25 years of the Star Wars saga.
Rebel pilots Garrick Hagon (Biggs Darklighter), William Hootkins (Jek Porkins), Ian Liston (Wes Janson), and Angus MacInnes (Gold Leader) will appear at Celebration II, both on stage and in the C2 Ventures autograph area. In the autograph area, you'll be able to meet the actors and have them sign either a photo provided by C2, or another appropriate piece of memorabilia. For more information on autographs from your favorite stars of the Star Wars films at Celebration II click here.
On stage, hear the pilots who made Red and Rogue Squadron famous reminisce about filming Star Wars: A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Listen to their live interview, and then ask questions yourself when the MC turns to questions from the audience.
Garrick Hagon, who played Luke Skywalker's boyhood friend Biggs Darklighter, has worked in films, theater, and television around the world. He gained a BA in English at U of T while playing Shakespearean roles in the summer at Canada's Stratford Festival. In England he played in the National Theatre, the Royal Court, and on London's West End.
Of the Star Wars phenomenon, Hagon says "Nothing like it has happened in my experience of film making" (Star Wars Insider, Issue #32). "Nothing else had this love in it. I think that's the key; some sort of strong feeling for the characters, an attachment."
Recent films for Hagon include Tony Scott's Spy Game, John Irvin's The Fourth Angel, Istvan Szabo's Taking Sides, and Xie Jin's Chinese epic, The Opium War. Garrick writes and directs for his audiobook company, The Story Circle, which has just won Audie Awards for the multi-voice production of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials.
William Hootkins (Jek Porkins) is familiar to many Sci-Fi and adventure film fans for his roles in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Batman, Flash Gordon, and Superman IV. Hootkins has appeared in many other films and television programs, including The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Hear My Song and Haunted Honeymoon.
During filming of his part of Rebel pilot Jek Porkins in Star Wars: Episode IV, Hootkins was admittedly skeptical about the film's prospects for success. He told Star Wars Insider that it was nearly impossible to imagine how the entire project would come together.
"But when the first shot came up (on screen), we all fell under its spell. We knew that we had been touched by genius but had just been too dumb to know it."
Ian Liston (Wes Janson) has enjoyed a successful career for more than 20 years as the founder and director of the Hiss & Boo Company in England. Liston has appeared in numerous stage and television performances, as well as the films A Bridge Too Far, Scum, White Nights, and Captain Jack.
Apart from the Hiss & Boo Show, Liston has produced several plays and musicals including Nunsense and the much praised Groucho, and nearly twenty plays on the touring circuit. He has written several plays for BBC Radio.
Liston's performance of Wes Janson in The Empire Strikes Back, and the character's subsequent leading role in a number of Rogue Squadron and Wraith Squadron books have earned him a place in fans' hearts. Janson is not only a talented pilot and gunner, he provides much-needed comic relief for his fellow pilots throughout the squadron's exploits.
Angus MacInnes appeared as Gold Leader in the Rebel briefing room and flying his Y-wing in the epic Death Star attack runs in Star Wars: A New Hope.
A science fiction fan himself, MacInnes predicted the film would be a success.
"George's approach was exactly as I thought is should be," MacInnes told Star Wars Insider. "Everything was so old and broken down, the spaceships looked like they had actually been used."
MacInnes has appeared in numerous films and television movies. A small sampling of those titles include Eyes Wide Shut, Judge Dredd, Witness, Strange Brew, Atlantic City, and Superman II.
Shamelessly pilfered from http://www.starwars.com
For photos from the event go here