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Get in on the stellar cosplay at Star Wars Celebration 2017

Fans flock to a celebration of all things Star Wars, and not surprisingly, many are strong in the ways of cosplay. Wait, is that a Stormtrooper alien bursting out of a guy's chest?

Mike Sorrentino
Mike Sorrentino is a Senior Editor for Mobile, covering phones, texting apps and smartwatches -- obsessing about how we can make the most of them. Mike also keeps an eye out on the movie and toy industry, and outside of work enjoys biking and pizza making.
Mike Sorrentino
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Three Leias, a Solo and a Kylo

Ever imagine what Leia Organa would look like as an X-Wing pilot? Christine Evans (left) shows off her version of the look at Star Wars Celebration 2017, alongside Heather Mason as the "Undercover Boss"-themed Kylo Ren (second from left); Travis Cowsill as Han Solo (second from right); and Karen Robinson as General Leia. Christine's favorite Star Wars memory: After seeing it at age 5, she looked up in the sky for the Millennium Falcon to appear while riding in her parents' car. The group of costumers attended the event in Orlando, Florida, representing Hero Hair, a maker of cosplay wigs.

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Injury won't stop this Kylo

Dan Hopwood of Melbourne, Florida, injured his ankle before Star Wars Celebration 2017, but that didn't stop him from dressing as Kylo Ren. Here he stands, ready to fight a Lego version of Finn.

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'Hey, that's me'

After seeing the trailer for "The Force Awakens," Rafael, pictured here as Finn, thought he might have a movie career he wasn't aware of. His favorite Star Wars memory: "Seeing Finn pop up for the first time and thinking to myself, 'Hey, that's me.'"

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Rey to Lego Rey

Heidi Hopwood, attending with her Kylo Ren-dressed husband Dan, said her parents recorded "The Empire Strikes Back" on VHS for her when she was a child, and she watched it over and over. Despite this, she didn't get to see the ending of that film until her teenage years. The VHS version "didn't have the final 20 minutes," Hopwood said.

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Darth Revan

"Knights of the Old Republic" fans, check out Darth Revan as portrayed by Rich Salas. Salas fondly remembers watching "Return of the Jedi" with his father on VHS, and was thrilled in the '90s to watch the special edition of the original trilogy in movie theaters.

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Meet Darth Strages

Saryellis (left), Briani (center) and Phoenix attended Star Wars Celebration together, with Phoenix dressed as a character he invented.

"I've always had a love of Star Wars because it pulls a lot from Eastern culture," he said. His character, named Darth Strages, uses both a katana and a lightsaber.

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Mother, son and friend!

Leah (seen here on the left as General Leia) fell in love with Star Wars when it came out in 1977, and came to Orlando with her son Kyle (center), who dressed as Kylo Ren. With them is their friend Marisa, dressed as Rey. Kyle's favorite Star Wars memory was getting to meet JJ Abrams at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California. Marisa remembers sitting under her grandmother's dining room table and watching "Attack of the Clones."

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Crossover costume

At first glance, John Edward Lee of Bluemont, Virginia, looks like a Trekkie at a Star Wars event. Get closer and you see he's created an unholy trinity of a crossover in one costume. He has an alien bursting out of his chest like in "Alien" and that creature's dressed as a Stormtrooper.

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'Undercover Boss'

Here's James Cole, another version of the Kylo Ren seen in the "Undercover Boss"-themed sketch on "Saturday Night Live."

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The Jedi

Orben and Maria are both longtime fans of the Star Wars films. Maria remembers taking her 2-year-old daughter to see the first film in 1977. "She sat mesmerized and now has Star Wars tattoos."

Orben finds it fascinating the sci-fi tale always takes place "a long time ago."

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Getting creative

Chris Noll (left) dressed as Quinlin Vos, a character seen in "The Phantom Menace" who also has a role in the Clone Wars saga. Tory Grace (center) imagined what Captain Phasma could look like without her helmet based on Gwendoline Christie's appearance, and Rue Hart dressed as Ben Solo.

"It's what I imagined Kylo Ren [would be] if he hadn't turned to the dark side," Hart said.

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Imperial officers

Rachel and Zach dressed as Imperial officers. Rachel's cat apparently has a very strong reaction to Darth Vader. "We used to watch it on Christmas and my cat would be terrified by Vader's helmet sound," she said.

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Family Star Wars memories

Morgan (left) and Alexa pose with lightsabers in character as Crix and Barrise. For Morgan, getting into Star Wars has a bit to do with Barney the Dinosaur. "My dad got tired of hearing Barney, and he decided to sit me down on the couch and said, 'This is what real movies are.'"

Alexa's parents saw Star Wars on their first date when the film came out in 1977.

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Two generations of Leia

Two generations of Leia Organa stand together at Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, Florida.

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