THE LAST JEDI TICKET LAUNCH EVENT

**JAFO[TK]** · October 12, 2017

Members of The Southern Cross Garrison - 501st Legion, Rebel Legion Tython Base and the Sandhawke Clan of the Mandalorian Mercenaries - were invited by Disney to participate in an unforgettable event to celebrate the launch of ticket sales for THE LAST JEDI. As such, it was the only global event of its kind.

The backdrop to the event was Sydney Harbour which overlooks the infamous the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The event was incredibly secretive with only limited social media used to tease Star Wars fans to attend. The statement simply read:

Sydney Fans:
-Tuesday October 10, 8pm sharp
-Farm Cove on Sydney harbour, just north of the Fleet Steps
You will NOT want to miss this.

Despite the secrecy, a crowd of over 100 eager onlookers converged before sunset and mingled with the 30+ costumed members of the Garrison that were in attendance.

As 8pm struck, the unmistakable sound of a low flying helicopter could be heard and as it appeared over our heads the beam of its searchlight cut the dark night sky.

The helicopter fixed its location and hovered above a barge that was situated in the harbour. We watched as a cable was slowly lowered. Moments later the helicopter started to rise and as it did a super-sized replica of Kylo Ren's lightsaber hilt was hoisted into the sky.

But it wasn’t just a hilt! Minutes later the lightsaber ‘blade’ ignited and the lightsaber stood a majestic 60m tall! Understandably, the crown went nuts.

As the illuminated lightsaber moved its way around the harbour, Disney instructed the gathered fans to hold-up their smartphones and wave them quickly side-to-side. The result? It turns out the red lights utilised for the lightsaber blade used a special technology whereby a hidden message was revealed - in this case the release details and preferred venue in Australia to go and see the movie.

After an hour, the helicopter finally descended and returned the hilt to the barge. The crowd - which had continued to grow - were keen to stay around and take lots of pics with the characters and the Garrison members were all too happy to oblige.

It was truly special event and one we were all incredibly proud to be a part of.

The footage that was captured by Disney spread around the world within a matter of hours. You’ll find the link to the video below and a few extra pics from the event.