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George Lucas, Luke, and Leia rock Orlando (photos)

Road Trip 2010: For the "Main Event" at Celebration V, "Star Wars"' creator and stars sat with Jon Stewart in front of thousands.

Daniel Terdiman
Daniel Terdiman is a senior writer at CNET News covering Twitter, Net culture, and everything in between.
Daniel Terdiman
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1 of 19 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Lucas gestures

ORLANDO, Fla.--If you don't recognize the man in this picture, you're probably not a real "Star Wars" fan. If you do recognize that this is George Lucas, the creator of what is almost certainly the most popular movie franchise of all time--not to mention its popularity with books, video games, comics, toys, TV shows, and more--then you're part of a group of many, many millions of people who have individually probably spent more time on his creations than on anyone else's on the planet.

At a "Star Wars" convention then, Lucas is certainly the "main event," and that's exactly what was the case Saturday as he took the stage at the Orange County Convention Center here, the site of Celebration V, for an hour-long interview by "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart.

The two talked about the history of the franchise, the origin of some of the many names used in the films, Lucas' distaste for the Hollywood studio system, the fact that the six live-action "Star Wars" films will be released on Blu-ray in 2011, and much more. Toward the end of the session, they were joined onstage by two of the main stars of the original films, Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, and Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia.

CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman spent three days at Celebration V as the last stop on Road Trip 2010.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Stormtroopers onstage

A group of Stormtroopers ran onstage at the beginning of the session to "guard" the stage and prepare for the entrances of Stewart and Lucas. The Stormtroopers were part of the global fan group, the 501st Legion.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Stormstroopers spell Stewart

When the Stormtroopers turned around, they revealed that they had lettering spelling out "Jon Stewart" on their backs.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Audience with light sabers

Thousands of "Star Wars" fans filled the Chapin theater at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando for the Lucas-Stewart session. Many camped out overnight to secure their spots in the theater, and once inside, dozens pulled out their light sabers in a show of their "Star Wars" spirit.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Stewart onstage

Jon Stewart takes the stage, and is instantly in his element, holding court in front of thousands of people.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Lucas waves to crowd

As Lucas took the stage, he was greeted by a thunderous ovation, and he spent about a minute waving to the crowd and acknowledging the cheers.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Sharing a laugh

After a brief hug, Lucas and Stewart headed back to their seats, both seemingly laughing at some private joke.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Hamill's deft move

In a deft move, Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the first three "Star Wars" movies, finishes a warm hug with Lucas, and reaches to shake Stewart's hand.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Fisher waves

Another surprise guest arrived toward the end of the session: Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original three "Star Wars" films.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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R2-D2 arrives

In the middle of the interview, a "surprise" guest appeared: an R2-D2, who rolled onto the stage with a gift for Stewart taped to its head.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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11 of 19 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Stewart's gift

A close-up of R2-D2's head, with Stewart's gift taped on. In this picture, you can see that it is a "Star Wars" action figure.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Lucas explains

After R2-D2's arrival, Lucas took the toy off the droid's head and explained to Stewart what it was: a custom-made "Star Wars" action figure of Stewart himself. With two different heads.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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No beard

On the screen above the stage, the audience saw a picture of the first head of the Jon Stewart action figure: Stewart's head, with no beard.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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With beard

For any "Daily Show" fan, the joke about the two heads for the action figure made sense: Recently, Stewart had grown a beard and had begun doing his show with it. But within the last week, he cut it off and is once again clean-shaven. Here, we see a picture of the second head for the Jon Stewart action figure: his head with the beard.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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15 of 19 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Blu-ray

Midway through the session, Lucas announced that the six live-action "Star Wars" films would be released on Blu-Ray sometime in 2011. A little later, Lucasfilm put out a press release saying the box set would be available in the fall of 2011.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Carrie lying down

Moments after coming out onstage, Carrie Fisher made everyone laugh by laying down on the couch that Lucas had been sitting on.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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Hamill talks

Mark Hamill talks intently with Stewart during the hour-long session.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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All four

George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Jon Stewart, onstage at Celebration V in Orlando on Saturday, August 14, 2010.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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George cologne

During the session, Stewart teased Lucas about some endorsement work the "Star Wars" creator had done earlier in his career. Stewart noted that one photo of Lucas looked like the kind of photo used in celebrity cologne ads, and presented this mock-up of "George" cologne.

Click here to read the related story on Jon Stewart's interview of George Lucas, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

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