Star Wars Weekends 2013 - Part 1 of 3 - Who to see, what to know, andwhere to go this summer at Disney...

Part 1: Who to See...

You know it, you love it - Star Wars Weekends is back at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Who to see: Actors and voice actors from Star Wars amd Star Wars: The Clone Wars are back for this annual event. Each weekend, the following stars will appear as well as your hosts, James Arnold Taylor and Ashley Eckstein.  Here's a list of scheduled celebrities for this year's event:

Weekend I (May 17–19)
Ray Park (Darth Maul – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett – Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Captain Rex – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Weekend II (May 24-26) - Also Memorial Day Weekend, AND 24-hr day weekend
Ray Park (Darth Maul – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok – Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
Jim Cummings (voice of Hondo Ohnaka – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Weekend III (May 31 – June 2)
Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok – Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
Tim Rose (Admiral Ackbar – Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
Sam Witwer (voice of Darth Maul – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Weekend IV(June 7-9)
Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian – Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca – Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Tom Kane (voice of Yoda – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Things to do: 

1) Take your photo with a “life-size” rancor. For you Star Wars newbies, a rancor is a giant beast, and Jabba the Hutt’s prized pet in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. 

2) See “Obi-Wan & Beyond” (each event day), a special show which stars James Arnold Taylor. 

3) See a martial arts demonstration by the actor who portrayed Darth Maul in the special show “Visit to the Maul” (Weekends I and II) featuring Ray Park.

4)  “An Ewok’s Tale – my short story” (Weekends II and III) stars Warwick Davis. Guests get a unique look into the fascinating world of this Star Wars legend.

5) Catch Chip and Dale dressed as Ewoks, and even grab a photo with them.

6) Permanently cast yourself in stormtrooper gear. 

Yes, D-Tech Me is back, an experience where you can literally have your own likeness made into a 3-D figurine. A few simple 3-D full-face scans later, and voila! You have a permanent Stormtrooper in your mailbox a few weeks later. For hard-core fans, this one-of-a-kind souvenir is more valuable than a Picasso print!

Make sure you arrive early, as the shows do fill up quickly, and lines will form early for celebrity autographs. (And send me a picture of your D-Tech Me figurine! I might just feature it on my Facebook page!)