Convention Report From HawaiiCon 2017: Star Wars And More

There are few destination conventions in the world that deliver on experiences quite the same way HawaiiCon does. The annual event takes place on the Big Island of Hawaii, and 2017 marked its 4th year. Scroll down for a gallery!

Brainchild of filmmaker and all around cool guy GB Hajim (Strange Frame) along with his talented band of fellow staff, the convention seeks to provide attendees both local and from abroad with a unique blend of fandom and aloha. 2016’s con was a celebration of all things Star Trek, as the 50th anniversary of the series dawned along with the looming premiere of the newest entry into the lore.

2017’s HawaiiCon was all about Star Wars, as the galaxy far far away turned the big 4-0, and is officially over the Tatooine hill. Guests including Daniel Logan (prequel series and Star Wars: Rebels young Boba Fett), Paul Blake (Greedo from Star Wars: A New Hope), Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett and also Chief Tui from Moana), and voice actors Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop, Star Wars: Rebels) and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Steven Universe, Star Wars: Rebels) were in attendance to celebrate all things Star Wars.

Bonus: Tem and Daniel treated us to a haka!

There was also a live reading of the fantastic “Star Wars Shakespeare” novel of Return of the Jedi, which I was lucky enough to be a part of. (photos of that panel courtesy of Stephanie Cala from The Ace Of Geeks.)

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The con wasn’t just Star Wars-based, though — there were guests from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, too! Buffy the show celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, and HawaiiCon brought Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, Amber Benson, and Emma Caulfield to wax poetic about all things Slayerettes.

Battlestar Galactica alum Aaron Douglas was also on hand, hosting a “Find Chief Pub Crawl” for the first time on the island.

Star Trek: Discovery EP and Chief Executive Officer of Roddenberry Entertainment Rod Roddenberry thrilled attendees by moving two of his panels from the scheduled rooms to outdoor locations. What other con does that happen at?

The cosplay contest is always exciting, the spirit of support the audience gives to every single contestant is unlike anything I’ve experienced at other conventions.

I of course took this opportunity to wear the most dreaded costume: the Hutt Slayer/Slave Leia bikini of doom. Because honestly, what better location to wear it than the beautiful sands of the Mauna Lani Hotel in the company of fellow HawaiiCon lovers? The resulting photos on the beach are fabulous thanks to Jon Teaves. I even purchased a Millennium Falcon pool float for shenanigans.