Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 is this weekend, and here are 5 things we want to see from the year's biggest Star Wars event

After skipping 2024, Star Wars Celebration is back on April 18-20 with a long-awaited return to Japan. This means that plenty of Star Wars news is coming our way soon, including updates on upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, at least one video game reveal, book and comic book publishing conversations, and much more.

On March 14, StarWars.com shared the official schedule for the three main stages at Celebration, teasing both panels that we were anticipating and a few surprising ones. Of course, major releases like The Mandalorian & Grogu and Ahsoka and Andor's second seasons will be discussed at length, but there's plenty of space left for surprises and reveals from the powers that be about what's next for the galaxy far, far away.

Needless to say, the ronto in the room is that Disney and Lucasfilm have struggled since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker to get new theatrical entries off the ground despite a solid batting average with yearly releases before the Skywalker Saga's finale. While we know the plan is to expand the Star Wars timeline across various eras with more flicks and shows, much of that hasn't materialized yet, and the franchise's return to the big screen in 2026 will essentially be a reworked season of television.

Meanwhile, the end of EA-exclusivity means we have plenty of upcoming Star Wars games lined up, and this Celebration will give us the first look at Respawn and Bit Reactor's turn-based tactics game, but titles like Eclipse and the Knights of the Old Republic remake remain question marks until they're brought to the forefront again.

Equally busy but mysterious is the current state of Lucasfilm Animation; new Tales seasons are likely, and we might learn about the next big in-house animated series after The Bad Batch ended in 2024, but it's worth considering that maybe that front needs a shake-up too.

We've pondered all that and more, and after a while, five major wishes/hopes remained at the top of our list. If Star Wars Celebration 2025 is meant to reignite the hype and give us a new hope, the following matters need to be touched upon.

1. Star Wars movies updates

This is the most pressing issue as both Disney/Lucasfilm and the fans wander into a new age for the franchise, a period that should gradually leave behind the Skywalker Saga iconography and work hard to establish all-new heroes, villains, places, and tales.

This doesn't necessarily mean stepping away from the Jedi and the Sith, but given that The Mandalorian & Grogu, Ahsoka season 2, and the Dave Filoni-directed movie ought to close the on-screen New Republic chapter of the galaxy, we're hoping for big pushes into the past and future with what comes right after.

Word on the street is that Lucasfilm is actively working on a post-IX trilogy that goes beyond the previously discussed standalones from Sharmeen Obai-Chinoy and Shawn Levy to establish "the new saga that moves us into the future," according to Lucasfilm president and veteran producer Kathleen Kennedy. When coupled with the New Republic-era plans and James Mangold's 'biblical epic' prequel — as well as several other projects which are floating around and might not even happen — it's abundantly clear that Star Wars is more active than ever before, yet fans and the casual crowd don't know what to (realistically) look forward to in cinemas.

What are the chances?

Only one movie panel has been announced so far, and it's the one entirely dedicated to The Mandalorian & Grogu, which makes sense considering it's coming out next year.

Perhaps Disney and Lucasfilm have decided to refrain from sharing more news on the movie front until everything's properly locked down, whether that's through a press release or an in-person event. We wouldn't 100% rule out some tidbits or spicy quotes during the 'A Conversation with Oscar Isaac' and closing ceremony panels, though.

2. A first public look at The Mandalorian & Grogu

While The Mandalorian & Grogu footage is already out in the wild, if you know where to look, it was all very early stuff and we'd love to see a proper teaser trailer during this event. That might be a big ask given that Star Wars Celebration 2025 is taking place 13 months before the planned release date (May 22, 2026), but that's exactly the number of months in between The Force Awakens' first teaser and the movie's release. If Disney aims to sell it as a 'Star Wars' big-screen comeback, getting the hype train moving now is a good idea.

In any case, Jon Favreau's movie finished filming in late 2024, and we haven't even learned about the official cast beyond Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, Steve Blum, and Jonny Coyne. Even if the new footage is exclusive for Celebration attendees, we need to learn about the main cast and plot before we can even consider getting excited.

What are the chances?

New details on who's in the movie (and who they're playing) and the basic synopsis are all but confirmed. The biggest question mark is whether people outside Celebration will get a first official look at the movie, too. We're 50/50 on this one.

3. What's next from Lucasfilm Animation

More Star Wars: Visions is set to arrive this year, and Volume 3 will have a panel for itself on April 20, but beyond that, the future of Lucasfilm Animation is clouded... for now. On the plus side, Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni and VP of Animation Production Athena Portillo are set to celebrate "20 years of Lucasfilm Animation" at Celebration with a panel on April 18.

The official panel schedule teases we'll get to see "a sneak peek at what's to come," and we highly doubt the hour-long conversation will be dedicated entirely to a new batch of 'Tales of' episodes. No spoilers here for those who haven't watched the entirety of The Bad Batch yet, but the ending satisfactorily closed that story arc while also setting up a future for certain characters. Season 3 also included one major cameo that felt like a big backdoor pilot, so we're half-expecting something on that front as well.

What are the chances?

After months of radio silence, it makes sense that Lucasfilm Animation is ready to share what's coming next, especially when it comes to a new regular series, so its panel could end up being one of the most exciting at Celebration 2025. Ideally, we'll get a show set in the post-Empire era, but the creatives on that front always surprise us, so we're happy to hear about whatever they've cooked up. At any rate, this is a lock.

4. New live-action TV series announcements

Andor's second season will lead directly into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, so it's safe to say that's the end of that story arc. As for Ahsoka, it's been reported that Dave Filoni will go straight into his movie after season 2 as well. With Skeleton Crew out of the way (and unlikely to get renewed), The Acolyte cancelled, and The Mandalorian spending some time on the big screen, we're not sure about Star Wars' live-action future on Disney+.

Nothing seems to indicate Disney and Lucasfilm are planning to move away from live-action Star Wars shows despite the ambitious plans for more big-screen stories, but if what's happening at Marvel is any indication, a notable downsizing and 'refocusing process' is happening as we speak. Still, it's weird we don't know (through press or official sources) what's happening beyond next year. We wouldn't be surprised if projects that have been canned as movies are reworked into limited series to keep Disney+ attractive. After all, that's how the Obi-Wan Kenobi series was born.

What are the chances?

Something like The Book of Boba Fett season 2 would be a welcome announcement (Temuera Morrison and Daniel Logan will be at the event), but the truth is nothing on Celebration 2025's schedule suggests we'll be getting news on the live-action TV front beyond Andor and Ahsoka.

5. Celebrations of both Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens

As hardcore Star Wars fans will know, 2025 marks the 10th and 20th anniversaries of The Force Awakens and Revenge of the Sith, respectively. We know Episode III is returning to theaters in April, but what about the first installment of the sequel trilogy? Will it get the same treatment? It remains to be seen, but we'd love to see good vibes around both movies during the event.

Star Wars Celebration should be about, well, celebrating our shared love for George Lucas' galaxy far, far away. Sometimes, we need good reminders of why we don't let go despite some huge disappointments, and new project announcements can only take a huge fan event so far.

What are the chances?

There won't be specific The Force Awakens or Revenge of the Sith panels. However, 'A Conversation with Oscar Isaac' and the planned screening of The Clone Wars' great 'Siege of Mandalore' arc could tie into an honoring of both movies. We're also hoping to see relevant special guests during the closing ceremony.