On Thursday night, Hall B at Celebration III was abuzz with energy and anticipation as thousands of Star Wars fans filed in for the Opening Ceremonies that officially launched the biggest Star War party ever. Making the wait not only bearable, but entertaining, were the catchy tunes of the Menifee Jazz Ensemble from Mt. San Jacinto College in Southern California. Their unique renditions of classic Star Wars melodies included a salsa-fied version of the Main Title, Imperial Funk, and the crowd-pleasing Cantina Swing.

The music cut short as klaxons wailed and red lights announced the arrival of the Empire. Dozens of armored Imperial troops of every kind marched through the audience, escorting Darth Vader. One troop, however, looked a bit odd. He wasn't fully in armor - rather, his protective suit more resembled a white T-shirt and shorts. And, he was a bit short for a stormtrooper.

Removing the helmet revealed him to be Steve Sansweet, Head of Fan Relations. Dismissing the troops, Sansweet began his presentation by welcoming the audience. "There's only one kind of Star Wars fan: and that's a passionate one," he said. "Would you believe there have been Star Wars fans lined up for two weeks to see Saturday's George Lucas presentation? There's only one small problem; they're lined up in front of the Denver Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum where Celebration I was held!"

Sansweet thanked the many people who made Celebration III happen, including the 501st Legion who made his dramatic costumed entrance possible, Peter Adkinson and the people at Gen-Con LLC, and especially Mary Franklin, Lucasfilm's Fan Event Coordinator who put the biggest Star Wars party together ("a dynamo," describes emcee Jay Laga'aia).

The crowd erupted into huge applause as Steve introduced his first guest: Producer Rick McCallum.

"Guys, thank you so much for being here. It's just... it's awesome. It's blankity-blank awesome," he said, adding, "I know there's a lot of kids here." McCallum them promised a presentation that cannot be missed, running all weekend, starting tomorrow. "It's a little glimpse into Episode III. I think I can say, truthfully, that this is the film you've always wanted. This is the film that puts it all together. This is the one that just rocks like you've never believed. I can't wait to show you some of it tomorrow."

Next up on the stage was Howard Roffman, President of Lucas Licensing. "As the chief merchandiser for Lucasfilm, I can tell you that I never ever dreamed that over almost-a-lifetime career, my crowning achievement, my finest glory of my professional life... would be the creation and launch of Darth Tater," Roffman said to much laughter. "Merchandisers just don't get a lot of respect, you know? How would you like to have a job that Mel Brooks made fun of? And you know, we've never licensed a flamethrower. Maybe we should reconsider that."

Roffman switched gears to introduce a treat to the audience. He described the upcoming soundtrack release of Episode III from Sony Classical. "When we sat down to put the CD package together, we were scratching our heads... to do something really special for the fans," he explained. "It had to be something that was... legitimate and real to the Star Wars world. The head of Sony Classical at the time, Peter Gelb, had a very interesting idea. He said, this is the completion of the Star Wars saga in film, and the story has been told musically by John Williams. What if we created a suite of the best music of all six movies to help tell the story, and cut video to go along with it that complements the music?"

An audible gasp of anticipation swept through the audience. "You like that idea, don't you?" Hoffman then explained that, at no increase in price, the CD will include a DVD of 16 selections handpicked by John Williams with video accompaniment from all six films. "It lets you look at Star Wars through very different eyes," explained Roffman. "To bring even greater class to this project we have Ian McDiarmid introduce each piece," he said. Roffman then showed the audience the debut of the Episode III video from the soundtrack DVD, entitled "Battle of the Heroes." Look for it soon on Hyperspace. The signature track of Revenge of the Sith, this video includes footage of Episode II and was preceded in an introduction by McDiarmid thusly:

"As the forces of evil emerge from the shadows and the Clone Wars began, Anakin was swept up in the rising tide that propelled the galaxy from a grand Republic towards a ruthless dictatorship. Soon an epic struggle began deep within Anakin for his very soul. Overwhelmed by despair and suffering, he was enveloped by the mantle of darkness and chose to turn from the light."

When the thundering applause for the video finally faded, Sansweet introduced Star Wars Fan Club President Lisa Stevens, followed by local emcees Tom Berg and Doug Steves, who each described some of the excitement to found on their respective stages. Taking the stage next were the celebrity hosts: Jay Laga'aia followed by Warwick Davis.

Amazingly, Laga'aia managed to complete all the last-minute preparations for his flight from Sydney to Indianapolis while becoming a new father again for the sixth time. "My daughter is now a week old, and I am here, so where do my loyalties lie?" asked Laga'aia. He then described the activity on his stage, the Sagamore Ballroom, before breaking into song. "This one goes out to all the people out there who share one vision: Star Wars. It is part of our lives. I have been a fan since I was 13, and I saved up bottle money to see the '77 [film]. And I have been a fan ever since. I am tickled pink to be actually part of this family, and I'm glad to see I have so many fans with me this evening. This one goes to you."

Backed by the Menifee Jazz Ensemble, Laga'aia sang "The Saga Begins," the "American Pie" parody by Weird Al Yankovic.

Warwick Davis was next, cheekily emerging from behind a podium that completely blocked him from the audience. "This is such a true honor to be a part of Celebration III," he said. "I've been to the other Celebration events in previous years, but so far, my experience at this one has surpassed all of those. And you've made me feel so welcome with your warm responses so far."

Like the other emcees, Davis did a brief rundown of the activities on his stage - but his had live samples. The fan-produced entertainment that is a highlight of the Hall G stage was spotlighted during the Opening Ceremonies. First, the cast of Star Wars in 30 Minutes performed an all-new, never before-seen production: a rendition of the Episode III teaser trailer done in their inimitable style. Next up, Charlie Ross, the One Man Star Wars Trilogy, gave an excerpt of his energetic performance, reenacting the garbage masher scene from A New Hope. Finally, the cast of Star Wars: The Musical Edition sang their introductory "Trilogy Tonight" number.

Following a rousing display of lightsaber fight choreography by fans Dave LaSalla and Mike Villanova, Sansweet screened a number of video "regrets" from the castmembers who could not attend. These included Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid and Hayden Christensen. Hyperspace members, check back soon to see these videos.

Sansweet returned to the stage to introduce the first-ever Celebration March of the Luminaries -- a collection of dozens of autograph, celebrity, actor and behind-the-scenes guests attending Celebration III.

The final speaker of the Ceremonies was Lucasfilm's Vice President of Marketing and President of LucasArts, Jim Ward. "One of the things that we want you to be able to do is, because this is the last Star Wars movie, we want everyone to come to Indianapolis and celebrate the saga," said Ward. He recounted how he recently screened a special video at ShoWest, a gathering of exhibitors perusing the latest movies to show in their theaters.

"We wanted to explain the power of the saga," he said, identifying the connection and themes of Star Wars as something that fans have known all along, but that some people need to be reminded of. To that end, Ward screened the "Celebrate the Saga" video, a first-ever collage of scenes and themes from the entire Star Wars saga. "It totally blew them away, and we think it'll do the same here," said Ward. With its explosive finale, confetti cannons blasted from the ceiling, showering down onto an audience of jubilant fans.