One of the first teasers that the official Celebration Europe website published showed us giant trunks. But no-one knew if they were going to be trees from Kashyyyk or Dagobah, or perhaps even the legs of a Fambaa!

It wasn't until the doors opened on Friday morning that attendees discovered that the craftsmen at Weird & Wonderful had faithfully duplicated a corner of Dagobah and transported it from the other side of London (or the other side of the galaxy, depending on how vivid your imagination is) and built is peice by piece at ExCel.

Staffed by a troupe of actors in full Jedi and Sith regalia the four performers delighted the children of the audience. Led to Dabobah by his Jedi Master, a young Padawan comes to sense an evil presence lurking amongst the trees. Judging that safety in numbers would the wisest move the Jedi Master recruits six children from the audience based on their "Force potential" "high midichlorian count" and "all that".


After being inducted into the Jedi Order (in a process that was remarkably similar to the Pledge of Allegiance I used to hear being repeated by my fellow classmates when I lived in America), each child is given a Hasbro spring-action lightsabre and taught a powerful lightsabre technique ("look around you, swing left, swing right, duck!, swing left") the children are set upon first by Dark Lord of the Sith and then his evil Master.


Feeling uneasy the Padawan begins to worry about the dangers of their sanctuary, but as his Master begins to reassure him a tremor in the Force is felt by both. With a cackle, Darth Sideous emerges from the forest, spitting out threats and demeaning the names of the two Jedi and the cluster of children. In order to protect them Padawan Perio rushes forward only to be stopped by a Force choke. Gloating in pleasure Sidious calls on his latest apprentice, Darth Vader.


When Darth Vaders first looms out from the trees on stage left, his cape causing the smoke covering the floor to riplle away from him, you can see the children shrink back in terror. Vader issues a challenge to which our heroic Master accepts, but is sadly lacking in the lighstabre skills necessary to defeat the helmeted one. Perhaps he should have paid more attention to the lessons he gave earlier?


Having been defeated once, the Master decides that it would be safer to send the children forward and so one by one they look around, swing left, swing right, duck and swing left. With each onslaught Vader staggers backwards until he collapses to the ground.


Ranting and spitting in rage Palpatine launches his own Sith attack on the gathered Jedi. Rallying against the Dark Side, pair of Jedi use the Force to push back against The Emperor but their strength is insufficient. Calling upon the children they combine their efforts and Palpatine staggers back, swinging his arms wildely in alarm. Again the children are called upon to Force push and further back does their enemy retreat. In one final effort the gathered audience which has swelled in numbers since the show began, is asked to participate (at which point some wag calls out "he's behind you!") and in one almight effort the Sith are defeated and back they go into the jungles of Dagobah.

You can check out stacks of photographs in our image gallery!