Friday, Nov. 24

Thankfully, all our flights were on time and went very smoothly. Nataliya and Alex headed back to Cincinnati, while I took a slight detour down to San Francisco for a comics and celebrity convention (Fan Expo). Normally, I never would have considered flying to California for a convention, although I have attended several locally. But, the stars aligned perfectly and presented a once in a lifetime opportunity to get an autograph from Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker from Star Wars) who hasn’t appeared at any conventions since 2017 so I felt like this might be my only chance!

After landing around noon, I took the BART train ($10) to Hotel Zetta which was only two blocks from the Moscone Convention Center. Zetta is also very close to the Powell Street BART station and turned out to be a great selection. Since the convention didn’t start until 4 p.m., I dropped off my bags at the hotel and took a little time to explore the waterfront. The streetcars run down Market Street and will drop you off at the piers (a day pass only costs $5). I made a quick tour of the historic Ferry Building which was built in 1898. As ferry traffic declined in the 20^th century, the building became obsolete but was restored in 2003. The Ferry Building now houses a collection of restaurants and boutiques where I found a few small gifts for the holidays. The scents inside are very appealing and the building itself has been beautifully restored – especially the 660-foot-long skylight in the Grand Hall.

I returned to the convention center in time to maximize my early access to the Fan Expo, which was probably the best thing I could have done. Since the convention was only open from 4 – 9 p.m. Friday, the crowd was only about 25% the amount who showed up Saturday. Although several stars (such as Katee Sackhoff and Ewan McGregor) were absent Friday, the majority of the Star Wars actors were present. If there were any queues on Friday, they were very short, and I waited less than five minutes to see each one, including:

-Eman Esfandi (Ezra in the Ahsoka TV series)

-11-year-old Vivien Lyra Blair (young Leia in the Obi Wan TV series)

-Alan Tudyk (K-2SO from the Rouge One film)

-Carl Weathers (Greef Karga in The Mandalorian TV series)

-Emily Swallow (the Armorer in The Mandalorian TV series)

Since the lines were short, I even got to chat with each of them briefly and get their autograph. On Friday, each star also inscribed a short quote along with their autograph, which was almost impossible on Saturday due to the very long queues.

The highlight on Friday was briefly talking to Alan Tudyk since Rouge One is my favorite movie from the new Disney canon. Tudyk was scheduled to appear at the Comic Con in Lexington, Kentucky, earlier this year but cancelled at the last minute so I was ecstatic to get a second chance! Rouge One came out right before I was diagnosed with cancer at Christmas 2016. Initially, I walked out of the movie very shocked and dismayed since (spoiler alert) all the main characters died. The film had a much darker and fatalistic tone than most other Star Wars films, so it wasn’t the best thing to see right after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer! However, after watching it again a couple times over the last seven years, Rouge One eventually became one of my favorite films (in part because of its distinctive tone) because of the protagonists’ grit and hope.

I am so passionate about the film that I own a copy of the Rouge One novelization, the graphic novel adaptation, and the hardback conceptual art book. I was able to have Jody Houser, who wrote the graphic novel version, sign my copy at the convention. I also read the young adult novel Star Wars: Rebel Rising about the protagonist Jyn Erso’s formative years and listened to Star Wars: Catalyst audiobook which details the relationship between Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) and Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn). Although Tudyk’s autograph may not be as prestigious (or expensive) as Mark Hamill’s or Ewan McGregor’s, it certainly means more to me personally! Tudyk also inscribed K-2SO’s first line of the movie – “Congratulations, you are being rescued,” which perfectly encapsulates the droid’s sardonic nature. Tudyk signed a photo that includes both Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) – I would love to meet them both and have all three autographs together, but unfortunately neither Luna nor Jones have made any recent convention appearances.

I am also delighted that Carl Weathers inscribed my favorite line from The Mandalorian – “Come on Baby, do the magic hand thing!” (Season 1 Episode 8). I talked briefly with Eman Esfandi (Ezra in Ahsoka) who is very nice and overly enthusiastic – he accidentally tried to sign my Mandalorian photos as well. Vivien Lyra Blair (young Leia in Obi Wan) was just as spunky in person as she is on screen.

After collecting autographs on Friday night, I headed over early to get in line for Mark’s public appearance. Normally, celebrities conduct a panel discussion or Q&A session; however, Mark conducted a meandering monologue but did answer a few pre-submitted questions briefly at the end. He mostly discussed his second career as a voice actor which was interesting, but he didn’t reveal any bombshells. Mark is well known for his role voicing the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series from the 1990s, which I loved as a kid. Since the Joker sounds nothing like Mark’s normal voice, I did not realize the Joker was being played by Luke Skywalker until I noticed the credits after watching for several months.

Saturday, Nov. 25

Since I was still on eastern time, I got up early and stood in line for the convention at 8am. Although the convention opened at 9:30am, there were still several dozen people in line ahead of me! As opposed to Friday night, this was my first taste of a major convention filled with queues!

When the appointed hour arrived, some people rushed into the main vendor area on the first floor, but most of the other early arrivals, including me, went upstairs to form a new set of queues for various celebrities.

There was already a long line for Mark by the time I got upstairs. I expected both Mark and Ewan McGregor to be in high demand today, so I did not plan on doing much else today. Several weeks prior to the convention, I had paid to reserve a spot in line for Mark’s autograph and had received a QR code when I bought it. First, I had to redeem the QR code for a paper ticket that had a time slot on it – 5pm Saturday. That was apparently the only timeslot for autographs since the rest of the day seemed to be reserved for photo ops with Mark. Ewan was my second priority, and I repeated the process, although this time my assigned timeslot was 11am. I was relieved because I was afraid that trying to squeeze in two big stars on the same day might not be feasible. That also gave me a large chunk of free time in the afternoon to get out and explore the city which was a refreshing escape.

After redeeming my QR codes, I went down to wait in line for Ewan’s autograph. With his entourage, Ewan walked by the waiting area a few minutes before the signing session started, and everyone in line applauded! The line moved quickly, and I didn’t have to wait long before it was my turn. I selected a picture of Obi Wan in profile from the recent TV series. Although there was a sign declaring that Ewan would not sign any inscriptions or character names, he did add “Obi Wan” to my picture (as if anybody would need such an explanation) next to his autograph in silver ink (which was crisp and clean).

This was my first signing with an A-list Star Wars actor, and Nataliya had warned me that Ewan probably wouldn’t interact with me much since there were so many fans seeking autographs. However, several people ahead of me in line had prepared gimmicks to elicit a reaction from Ewan (and later with Mark); one man brought his infant child with him, and another fan wore a t-shirt that caught Ewan’s attention. When it was my turn, I couldn’t manage much more than a “thank you” after Ewan finished signing (which took just a moment). I had brainstormed about what I might say to Ewan beforehand, but the only thing that I could think of was to praise one of his lesser-known performances in The Long Way Round (a reality motorcycle travel series). In the moment, I hesitated and didn’t say anything meaningful in order to avoid distracting him.

I let the ink dry and the butterflies in my stomach settle before slipping the autographed photo into a plastic sleeve. I took a few steps down the hall to have the signature authenticated (and later Mark Hamill’s) by JSA for a small fee ($10). I have about 30 other autographs from Star Wars and Indiana Jones actors, but only the ones from Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) are authenticated. Since the fee is so reasonable, I thought it was worth it just in case there’s ever a question in the future since the values for Ewan and Mark will certainly only go up (as has Peter’s since his unfortunate passing in 2019).

By now it was time for lunch, and I went across the street to Freshroll which is a local Vietnamese fast casual restaurant. I picked the honey chicken sandwich which was very similar to a banh mi with veggies, cilantro, and sauce on a baguette. I’ve had banh mi numerous times before and this was one of the best – very fresh and tasty! It’s a great option if you’re ever at the Moscone Center, and it wasn’t nearly as busy as the nearby food court or Chipotle.

Since I had several hours before I needed to queue up again for Mark Hamill, I took a quick excursion again up to Fisherman’s Wharf on the trolley which stopped near my hotel. I got off the trolley at Pier 39 which was right next to the museum ship S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien (a World War II Liberty transport ship). The O’Brien sailed to South America, India, Australia, and Europe where it made 11 crossings to supply troops and equipment for the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1944. After the war, the O’Brien was “mothballed” and stayed in the naval reserve fleet until 1979. Volunteers restored the vessel to working order and eventually it became the only World War II Liberty ship to leave the naval reserve under its own power. In 1994, the O’Brien achieved the remarkable feat of sailing all the way from California to Normandy (via the Panama Canal) to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of D-Day. The crew included several World War II veterans who were then about 70 years old. The O’Brien was the only large American vessel from the original D-Day flotilla to return for the anniversary.

The O’Brien became a museum ship and is open daily, except Tuesdays, for tours ($20). Since the O’Brien is still seaworthy, you can also get tickets for periodic cruises in the San Francisco Bay. There are a number of other museum ships nearby, including sailboats, steamboats, and a World War II submarine the USS Pampanito.

The Pampanito was launched in 1944 and conducted six patrols in the Pacific Ocean during which the crew sank six Japanese vessels and damaged four others. After the war, the Pampanito was transferred to the naval reserve fleet until 1960 when it was reactivated as a training ship until 1971. In 1982, the submarine opened to the public as a museum ship. Tours are available daily for $30. The Pampanito portrayed the fictional submarine USS Stingray in the 1996 comedy Down Periscope, featuring Kelsey Grammer.

However, given my limited time, I decided to skip the tours; but the museum ships are certainly #1 and #2 on my priority list if I ever return! I love museum ships and previously visited the USS Cod in Cleveland and the aircraft carriers Intrepid in NYC and Yorktown in Charleston, SC.

Instead, I took a quick tour of Pier 39 which features numerous gift shops, restaurants, and snack bars. I also walked by the SkyStar wheel ($18) but given my aversion to heights, it’s not on my list of attractions to visit in the future. The pier had a great view of the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz Island (which is accessible by ferry, tours are $54-$64). The weather was sunny and mild, and the only distraction was a group of rowdy teenagers intentionally bicycling against the pedestrian flow of traffic. After a breath of fresh air, I hopped back on the trolley and arrived back at the convention in time for my appointment with Mark Hamill. However, I got in line only 30 minutes before the autograph session started and at least 150 people were in line ahead of me.

In the end, it was a fortunate occurrence since I ended up meeting another Star Wars fan in line, Gonc̦alo. Although I had spent a lot of time waiting in lines this weekend, I had never really engaged with any of the other queuers. But I overheard something Gonc̦alo was discussing with his friends, and I joined in.

Chatting with Gonc̦alo certainly helped the time pass faster since we waited nearly two hours for our turn. We reminisced about how Star Wars conventions have changed throughout the years, especially with regard to prices! I remember getting autographs from Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) for about $50 about 10 years ago (before the new Disney films) at the Lexington Comic Con; today, actors who portrayed minor characters like stormtroopers or unnamed Ewoks go for almost the same amount! At the time, I did not avail myself of the chance to have Billy Dee record my voicemail greeting – no celebrity would even consider doing that today, no matter the price! Billy Dee had several different scripts you could choose from, including Star Wars and Colt 45.

Gonc̦alo flew all the way from London just for the chance to buy a photo op and get an autograph from Mark Hamill! He talked about his experience at the Star Wars Celebrations (the official biennial convention) in London, which he said were much more chaotic and disorganized than the Fan Expo in San Francisco. The next Star Wars Celebration is in Japan in 2025, but, even if it were more accessible, I wouldn’t plan on attending. Although Gonc̦alo’s experience in London might be an isolated incident, San Francisco will tide me over for a good long time!

After nearly two hours, Gonc̦alo and I finally got our autographs. Mark sat behind a velvet rope barrier and two rows of desks. A large bodyguard also stood vigil in front of Mark. In contrast, Ewan had much less security, but I can’t blame Mark since he was mobbed earlier this year by fans. Some social media posts decried the tight security at the Fan Expo, but I was just happy to get my autograph. Mark doesn’t owe us anything and won’t make appearances if he doesn’t feel safe!

Gonc̦alo asked for Mark to autograph a photo from The Empire Strikes Back (1980) that shows Luke in the swamps of Dagobah. I asked Mark to sign a Luke Skywalker card from the debut edition of the Star Wars collectible card game produced by Decipher from 1995-2001. I’ve rarely played the game, but I enjoyed collecting the cards and building strategies. During the summers as a teenager, I always eagerly looked forward to buying a few packs of cards for $3 each after earning a little money doing yardwork for my grandparents. Opening a pack and finding an Obi-Wan Kenobi card was one of my most memorable Christmas gifts as a teenager. Until a few weeks before the Fan Expo, I never would have imagined I’d ever have the chance to get Mark’s autograph or see him appear in person at a convention!

Again, I was too shy to actually say much to Mark while he signed my card, but it is certainly one of my prized possessions! Gonc̦alo said we will pass these memorabilia down to our children. I ecstatically went back to my hotel. I wanted to call Nataliya to share my excitement, but she was already asleep since she had to work the next day. I had accomplished a lot in a very short period of time, but it was very expensive and a lot of standing in queues. I was very tired but also glad to have met everyone I wanted to see. However, I probably won’t go out of my way again to attend a major convention again any time soon.

Eventually, I fell asleep and got up early the next morning. The Fan Expo was still busy on Sunday, but I didn’t have time to do anything else before heading back to the airport to catch the only direct flight back to Cincinnati on Breeze Airways. I’d never heard of Breeze before since they only began flying in 2021. The ticket was only about $400, and I upgraded to the “nicer” section with significantly more leg room for a mere $25. It was well worth it! They operate mostly in smaller markets, and I will definitely fly with them again when feasible.