Well, another Star Wars Celebration has come and gone and once again we sit back and compile our notes regarding the attendees, the lines, the celebrity guests and those girls dressed in Slave Leia attire.

So let's get to it...

First and foremost, the Los Angeles Convention Center is simply massive! After five days, I was still discovering new routes from one end of the complex to the other. Being in such a large convention hall, it was virtually impossible to get an estimate of how many people were in daily attendance.

The Celebration Store seemed to receive the most pre-convention focus and attention. After a rather miserable experience at Celebation III in the 8+ hour store lines, Celebration IV proved to be a relief, maybe too much of a relief. If it's possible to outdo oneself in planning, then GenCon and Lucasfilm deserve a pat on the back. The 24-hour Celebration Store lines were so vacant, it was eerie. After waiting in line for 15 minutes, getting my (not-so) exclusive action figures, t-shirts, lapel pin and posters, I was in and out in 30 minutes...it was a good day.

Although the Celebration Store had some nifty soveniers, the real goods were to be acquired in the exhibit hall, where exclusives were aplenty. Kotobukiya Yoda's, Gentle Giant Boba Fett's and McQuarrie Luke Sywalker's...oh my! The longest line by far would definitely be awarded to Hasbro. Attendees attempting to acquire a Celebration Exclusive McQuarrie Luke Skywalker were so backed up that event staff attempted to calm the situation with nonsensical instructions that left most in absolute confusion. Eventually, the lines diminished and by the last day where as vacant as the Celebration store. Gentle Giant had an amazing display booth with a full scale-sized Jabba the Hutt that made photo opportunities abundant. Exhibitor's were numerous, but seemingly small despite the overall size of the hall.

Over 50 celebrity guests made an appearance at the Celebration IV including many from the orginal trilogy. Anthony Daniels was spotted in the R2 Builder's room admiring and posing with a variety of fan-built droids, while numerous actors made visits to the Fan Club Lounge to sit and chat with attending fans. The Celebration IV definitely brought the world of Star Wars up close and personal. For those fortunate enough to attend Opening Ceremonies, 8000 fans were treated with not only a bomb threat (this was learned post-opening ceremonies), but also to a slice of birthday cake celebrating 30 years of Star Wars. Numerous celebrity guests were also presented with a 30th Anniversary cake on stage as Steve Sansweet, Director of Content Management for Lucasfilm, displayed his ability to quick change from an Ewok costume into a tuxedo. Celebrate good times, come on!

The holiday weekend saw the most attendees of the 5-day event, with lines in the exhibit hall growing as attendees tried to grab the remaining exclusives. Outside, Rocketman, Kinnie Gibson, performed an amazing flight over the heads of spectators in full Boba Fett attire. A video of this special event is available here. The holiday weekend was also the last chance to grab one the hottest items for sale, the Master Replicas Force FX Lightsaber. Vendors couldn't keep these on the shelves and by Monday, virtually all had been sold.

The Celebration IV hosted a variety of seminars and events including the extremely popular collector panels (and those awesome medallions), information on the making and history of Indiana Jones, and hilarious upcoming Star Wars-related episodes of Robot Chicken and the Family Guy. The Lucasfilm archives were once again present as well as the new Vader Project that displayed artistic expression on a new medium, Darth Vader's helmet. Laser tag was a new addition to the event as well as the Kessel Run, both focusing on direct fan participation. And of course, who could forget the costume pagaents and the Fan Movie Challenge (Fan Film Awards).

Los Angeles was definitely a new experience for the previous Celebration attendee. After multiple years in Indianapolis, IN., I was apprehensive about LA. Unfortunately, although the convention center is amazing, the downtown LA scene was lacking and dissappointing. Although the complimentary shuttle service was a welcomed change, it saved little time in the commute back and forth to the convention center. The Indiana Convention Center is undergoing considerable renovation and will nearly double its size by the end of 2010. Let's hope GenCon and Lucasfilm can return the Star Wars Celebration to were it belongs and to where it's the most convenient, affordable and safe for its fans.