Star Wars Celebration 2019 "Sisters Of The Force"
With no shortage of panels to choose from this year at Star Wars Celebration Chicago, it can be a daunting task when deciding how best to spend your time this weekend. Most people are here only 3 or 4 days after all, and each day is loaded with so many great panels covering an endless number of great topics, so how is one to choose which panel takes priority over another?
Our panel selection is such a personal process, and the choices we make often reflect who we are not only as Star Wars fans, but as people as well. And for those reasons some panels seem to jump right off the page and scream at you, like they were conceived with you in mind.
There’s no question the past few years have seen some amazing female characters, and female creators along with them, rise to top of the mountain status. And leading the charge on this front for some time now is Ashley Eckstein. Ashley is what you call a renaissance woman and a triple threat, she’s a successful voice actor (Ahsoka Tano), a towering entrepreneur (Her Universe), and rising star in the author/life coach field (It’s Your Universe). Maybe you haven’t heard of all three of those accomplishments, but surely, you’ve heard of at least one of them, and believe when I tell you, it’s just the beginning.
So, with her stock on the rise and “Her Universe” a decade old now, it seems only fitting that she’s launching a special “Sisters of the Force” clothing line and all-star panel to go along with it at this year’s Celebration. Turns out the name itself wasn’t so arbitrary and holds a special meaning for her…
“Sisters of the Force", to me, represents women in Star Wars. Whether it’s the characters, whether it’s the fans, whether it’s the women who work on Star Wars, there are all these strong women who bring Star Wars to life. And while my dream with Her Universe, from day one, has been to spread the message that Star Wars is for everyone, I wanted to shine the spotlight on the women of Star Wars with this collection.
She’s certainly doing that with a star-studded line up of Star Wars talent including Amy Ratcliffe (Women of the Galaxy), Vanessa Marshall (Hera Syndulla), and Catherine Taber (Padmé Amidala). We ran into Ashley on the show floor and she’s promising a great time plus some huge surprises as well so make sure you get there early because this one is going to fill up fast!
Amy Ratcliffe herself had an amazing year with the release of “Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy”, a book that featured 75 female characters drawn by 18 different female artists. And when you thrown in Amy Richau’s “365 Star Wars Women” and Annalise’s Ophelian’s “Looking for Leia” it finally feels like female representation is becoming the norm, not the exception.
So, if you’re like me, and you’re looking for a panel that moves you in some way or has a deeper meaning beyond the clash of lightsabers or the bang of blasters, this might be the panel your looking for.
Here’s the details…
Sisters of the Force – A Celebration of Women and Star Wars
Saturday, April 13th
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Celebration Stage - Wintrust Arena
Star Wars is full of powerful women, from its characters, to its actors, to creators, to executives, to its fans! It takes countless stories and people to keep our beloved Star Wars universe thriving, and this panel will celebrate the role women play in making it all happen! Join moderator Ashley Eckstein and guests, Vanessa Marshall, Catherine Taber, Amy Ratcliffe and many others (including some surprises) for an incredibly inspiring, empowering and fun discussion!
To see some of the amazing new items “Her Universe” is selling this year at Star Wars Celebration, click HERE and visit them on the show floor at Booth #2723.
For Ashley’s complete weekend schedule including autographs and photo opportunities, go to www.starwarscelebration.com for all the latest!