Thanks to Kerner Optical modelmaker Danny Wagner, along with Erik Jensen, Victoria Lewis and Anna Bies, those attending the 2007 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. can see their favorite Star Wars characters in action.

In addition to the two magnificent floats with Ewoks and prequel queens, the Grambling State University marching band, and 200 stormtroopers from the 501st Legion, fans will also be entertained by dancing Twi'leks.

Wagner used his expertise from working on the Star Wars prequels to paint the new headpieces to be worn by dancers in the parade. "We all decided to use Polyfoam and latex skin because it would be more durable in the weather and the production of these pieces would be a lot faster to produce," Wagner says. "Since I have a strong creature background and applied the Twi'lek makeup before for the Star Wars films I knew the drill. I have special rubber cement paints made for each Twi'lek color: eight green, eight orange with red flames and one blue."

While Wagner painted the headpieces, the rest of the team handled equally important tasks. "Erik Jenson did a fantastic job seaming all those heads, which was a challenge because the castings were from an original mold that was old and produced heavy seams which was something we learned when we received it from the Lucasfilm Archives," Wagner says. "He made it work and the seams disappeared! Victoria Lewis was the casting specialist. She ran all those head appliances faster than you can say, 'I'm done!' Anna Bies was the costume designer on the head gear for all the Twi'leks. She figured out how to make this master pattern fit like a glove. She produced all these pieces in a very short time. Then I glued on all her headpiece accessories. We decided to glue the straps to the head gear and used Velcro to secure them tightly underneath the performer's chin."

Those attending the parade or watching closely on television might notice some slight differences in the parade attire from the costumes seen in the films. "The green Twi'leks are wearing a netted slave costume, close to what Oola was wearing in the Return of the Jedi," Wagner says. "The orange Ayy Vida character (from Episode II) is wearing a costume similar to tights that are colored the same as the makeup. The blue Twi'lek is Jedi Knight Aayla Secura. Her costume was mostly leather and some other fabrics. Aayla's Jedi costume had a sense of acrobatic flexibility, equipped with a separate bikini-style top that shared more of a handmade feel to it. And the bottom piece was skirt styled with a Kabuki blanket flaps in front and back. The accessories have a headband that wraps completely around the head and connects to a cover for the ear area similar to the Rebel Alliance helmets. The cover goes straight down and past the ear and wraps underneath the chin to match up with the other side. We designed these headpieces so they can be easily taken on and off without trouble."

In addition to the Twi'leks, Wagner and the team also created one of the Ewok costumes that will be seen on the Endor float for the parade. "The actor wearing the Wicket costume in the parade (Mikey Post) needed to be able to get into this costume fast and to move around with ease and be comfortable at the same time," Wagner says. "Anna Bies designed and built the entire body in a short amount of time including his head gear that was real leather. I sculpted and fabricated the face, hands and feet. I had the original Ewok mask on hand for reference so I could get exact measurements of Wicket's face and use the style and essence of the character to bring the face to life. After the sculptures were finished, I cast everything out of latex and Polyfoam, and painted it with special rubber cement paints, just as I did the Twi'lek head pieces. I used dental acrylic teeth and clear vaccu-formed domes for the eyes. Then I used some fur to glue on his face, hands and feet. I added a little crepe hair to highlight his hairstyle. After a little hair spray and acrylic medium we had a cute little Ewok."

Now that his work is finished, he's excited to see the characters perform at the parade. "The Star Wars family will be thrilled to see these characters perform beautifully for the first time in the Rose Bowl Parade," Wagner says. "This performance will be something to remember for thousands of people of all ages. I also wanted to thank Mark Anderson, Keith London and Don Bies for their continued support during this project."

News about the Rose Parade is spreading. Check out the coverage at USA Today, AP News and HGTV, and keep checking starwars.com for more stories.