Générations Star Wars et Science Fiction (English: Star Wars and science fiction generations), also called ''Gen SW'', is a French
fan convention whose main subject is the ''
Star Wars'' universe. Other topics are the
comics, the
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
and the
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
. It is held once a year in
Cusset
Cusset is a commune in the department of Allier, in central French region of Auvergne. Situated in the foothills of the , the city is a suburb of Vichy and ranks fourth in population for the department.
Population
Geography Location
L ...
,
Allier since 1999. Among its most notable guests are the major ''Star Wars'' actors
Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels ( ; born 21 February 1946) is an English actor and mime artist, best known for playing in 10 '' Star Wars'' films. He is the only actor to have either appeared in or been involved with all theatrical films in the series, and ...
(
C-3PO
C-3PO () or See-Threepio is a humanoid robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise who appears in the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Built by Anakin Skywalker, was designed as a protocol droid intended to assis ...
),
Peter Mayhew
Peter William Mayhew (19 May 1944 – 30 April 2019) was a British-American actor. He was best known for portraying Chewbacca in the ''Star Wars'' film series. He played the character in all of his live-action appearances from the 1977 origin ...
(
Chewbacca),
Jake Lloyd
Jake Matthew Lloyd (born March 5, 1989), also known as Jake Broadbent, is an American former actor who portrayed young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 film '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' and Jamie Langston in '' Jingle All the Way ...
(
Anakin Skywalker) and
David Prowse
David Charles Prowse (1 July 1935 – 28 November 2020) was an English actor, bodybuilder and weightlifter. He portrayed Darth Vader (voiced by American actor James Earl Jones) in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy and a manservant in Stanle ...
(
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
) or renowned comics artists like
Tom Palmer and
Davide Fabbri.
Organizing this event is the main activity of the
non-profit association
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
''Les Héritiers de la Force'' (English: The Heirs of the Force) which is not associated to nor endorsed by
Lucasfilm Ltd
Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the '' Star Wars'' and ...
. There is no entry fee for the visitors attending the convention.
History
The first venue of the ''Générations Star Wars et Science Fiction'' occurred on October 10, 1999 and hosted 500 visitors. It's only in 2002, for the fourth edition, that the convention switched to its current format, a two-days event held on a week-end as close as possible to the
French public holiday of May 1.
In 2003, the convention welcomed
Jeremy Bulloch
Jeremy Andrew Bulloch (16 February 1945 – 17 December 2020) was an English actor. In a career that spanned six decades, he gained recognition for originating the physical portrayal of Boba Fett in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, appearing as th ...
, the actor behind the bounty hunter
Boba Fett
Boba Fett ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. First appearing in the ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), where he was voiced by Don Francks, he is an armored bounty hunter featured in both the original and prequel fi ...
.
Since then, it ever hosted at least one ''
Star Wars'' actor, except in 2007 when health problems forced
Kenny Baker to cancel his visit.
Comics artists are also mainstays since the coming of
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
artist
Davide Fabbri in 2009, mainly with the help of
''Star Wars'' comics publisher in France,
Delcourt.
These guests, among others like
stunt coordinator
A stunt coordinator, usually an experienced stunt performer, is hired by a TV, film or theatre director or production company for stunt casting. Their job is to arrange the casting (stunt players and stunt doubles) and performance of stunts for a ...
Nick Gillard or photographer Cédric Delsaux, helped the convention to grow up and attract more visitors, until the current record of 6500 attendees in 2014.
Activities
The visitors are able to meet the actors and artists, ask them questions, obtain signings or take photos with them. There are also exhibitions,
dioramas
A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...
and merchandising shops. Sci-Fi fans associations present their activities and what they've created like real scale objects or vehicles. The main events regularly happening are
cosplay contests, knowledges
quiz
A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which players attempt to answer questions correctly on one or several specific topics. Quizzes can be used as a brief assessment in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, ...
zes,
fan art
Fan art or fanart is artwork created by fans of a work of fiction and derived from a series character or other aspect of that work. They are usually done by amateur artists, semi-professionals or professionals. As fan labor, fan art refers t ...
contests, Questions/Answers with the guests or conferences. Since 2013,
charity
Charity may refer to:
Giving
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing
* C ...
sales are organized on the favour of the children service of
Vichy
Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais.
It is a spa and resort town and in World War II was the capital of ...
's hospital.
Organizers
The event is organized by the non-profit association ''Les Héritiers de la Force'', based at
Cusset
Cusset is a commune in the department of Allier, in central French region of Auvergne. Situated in the foothills of the , the city is a suburb of Vichy and ranks fourth in population for the department.
Population
Geography Location
L ...
.
It is the association's main activity but its members also participate at other events or conventions, to promote ''Générations Star Wars'' or as cosplayers. They also go to hospitals to help the ill children.
The convention's posters are quite famous among the French
Star Wars fandom because of the artworks of
painter from
Vichy
Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais.
It is a spa and resort town and in World War II was the capital of ...
Greg Massonneau.
The association, and thus the event, are supported by the General Council of
Allier and the city of
Cusset
Cusset is a commune in the department of Allier, in central French region of Auvergne. Situated in the foothills of the , the city is a suburb of Vichy and ranks fourth in population for the department.
Population
Geography Location
L ...
.
There are also partnerships with comics publisher
Delcourt and toy manufacturers
Lego and
Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of K ...
,
for example.
Guests list
Here is the complete list of the convention's guests, up to the 2014 edition.
''Star Wars'' actors
Comics authors
Other guests
See also
*
Cusset
Cusset is a commune in the department of Allier, in central French region of Auvergne. Situated in the foothills of the , the city is a suburb of Vichy and ranks fourth in population for the department.
Population
Geography Location
L ...
*
Science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...
* ''
Star Wars''
*
Star Wars comics
''Star Wars'' comics have been produced by various comic book publishers since the debut of the 1977 film ''Star Wars''. Marvel Comics launched its original series in 1977, beginning with a six-issue comic adaptation of the film and running for ...
*
Lego Star Wars
Lego ''Star Wars'' is a Lego theme that incorporates the '' Star Wars'' saga and franchise. Originally it was only licensed from 1999 to 2008, but The Lego Group extended the license with Lucasfilm, first until 2011, then until 2016, then ag ...
References
Further reading
External links
*
Description of the Espace Chambon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Generations Star Wars Et Science Fiction
Star Wars fandom
Comics conventions
Festivals in France
Allier
Recurring events established in 1999
Science fiction conventions in Europe