Via Forbes.com:

Over the past four days, more than 60,000 people descended upon the Anaheim Convention Center in order to take part in Star Wars Celebration, the top gathering of fans of the fictional universe.

Given that Disney—one of the largest companies in the media and entertainment world—shelled out a little over $4 billion in 2012 for Lucasfilm and all the Star Wars intellectual property therein, it seemed a worthy target for coverage.

Of course, adding to the intrigue was the fact that I’ve always considered myself a Star Wars connoisseur. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen all the movies released during my lifetime the night of their launch at midnight; I can tell you the proper spelling of Chewbacca’s home planet; I even auditioned for the role of Anakin in my youth.

I still felt I there was a chance I’d feel a bit out of my league in Anaheim—and my suspicions were more correct than I could have imagined. There were people, sometimes dozens at a time (more on that later), dressed up as characters I didn’t recognize, as well as conversations about books I’d never read and a general level of knowledge I could never hope to attain.

And that’s precisely why I left Anaheim more convinced than ever that Disney’s Star Wars purchase will prove to be a $4 billion bargain. Far from driven away by changes instituted since the deal, the fan base is as energized as ever in the leadup to the new trilogy set to debut in December, beginning with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and continuing with Rogue One prior to Episode VIII.

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