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

. 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

Greg Massonneau. The association, and thus the event, are supported by the General Council of Allier and the city of

. 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

References

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