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The San Francisco Standard
Culture

‘Star Wars,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ fans pack San Francisco sci-fi convention: Photos

Fan Expo brought hordes of costumed superfans to the Moscone Center to meet Mark Hamill, Elijah Wood and others.

A costumed man and woman stand in front of a step-and-repeat.
Attendees dressed as their favorite “Star Wars” characters as part of Fan Expo, which brought 35,000 people to San Francisco’s Moscone Center this weekend. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
By The Standard Staff

Sci-fi fans, cosplay enthusiasts and people who think Oakland native Mark Hamill is the greatest all packed San Francisco’s Moscone Center this weekend for a three-day convention.

Fan Expo promised experiences like an audience with the actors who played Luke Skywalker (Hamill) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), as well as the voice actor for Transformers’ Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), plus a Q&A with Frodo Baggins himself (Elijah Wood).

As is typical for gatherings of this scale, the stars are a draw—but so were the 35,000 fans, who rolled up ready to engage in a lightsaber duel or dressed as characters like Han Solo and General Hera Syndulla, the two most roguishly charming starship captains in the entire Star Wars canon. There were plenty of anime and gaming, too.

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Check out photos from across the Shire and a galaxy far, far away.

A man in a dirty costume resembles a zombie.
A zombified Vincent Rondia attends the cosplay red carpet event. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Two costumed men crouch in front of a step and repeat on a red carpet.
An attendee crouches as if ready to launch into battle with a friend. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
A smiling woman in costume walks down a red carpet.
Fan Expo's red carpet is particularly alluring for fans. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
A woman holds a guitar in front of a step-and-repeat.
"No Planet B" reads the pant leg of this Spider Punk, who's ready to lay down some power chords for climate justice across the Spider-Verse. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
A woman pours cocktails behind an array of colorful glassware.
Dawn Samuelson sold merchandise at the Mini Tonics booth. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
a person in a costume with hands outstretched and an error message
Some error messages can be annoying. Others may actually electrocute you. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
A woman in costume finishes preparing, with a man standing next to her.
Hey, you can't always ride BART in full costume, so you might need to handle any finishing touches on-site. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
a large alien costume is in front of a step-and-repeat.
Is there any commitment more total than going as a bantha, the buffalo-like species native to the "Star Wars" planet Tattooine? | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard

Two men in dashing costumes stand in front of a wall made to look like a sky.
"Batman" villain Two-Face and trusty sidekick Robin never looked so dapper. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
a man in a robe stands in profile holding a light saber
A teacher for the Intro to Lightsaber Choreography class given by the Saber Guild of Temple Ahch-To is seen in profile. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard

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CultureMoscone Center