‘Star Wars’ fans cosplay in San Francisco for ‘Ahsoka’ premiere

Dedicated “Star Wars” fans traveled from a galaxy far, far away — or at least Santa Rosa — to San Francisco to celebrate the release of the franchise’s latest TV series, “Ahsoka.” Gathered around the famous Yoda statue outside the Lucasfilm campus in the Presidio, Bay Area Jedi, imperial officers and even functional remote-control droids queued to watch the first two episodes of the show ahead of its Aug. 23 release date inside Lucasfilm’s private theater.

The show revolves around the titular character Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson. A member of the Togruta species, she’s distinguishable for her orange skin and distinctive blue and white lekku (also known as “head tails”). Audiences got to know Ahsoka in the 2008 animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” as Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi apprentice. The character also had a prominent role in the “Star Wars Rebels” animated show, and she made her live-action debut in “The Mandalorian.”

For “Star Wars” devotees like 53-year-old Craig Gaylord from Santa Rosa, it was an opportunity to show off his imperial officer costume, which he’s taken meticulous care to model exactly after the films. He was attending as a member of the Golden Gate Garrison, one of the many “Star Wars” costuming clubs with representatives at the event. He was joined by a crew of other imperial officers, an intimidating force, especially given they were all standing next to a life-size Darth Vader statue inside the Lucasfilm lobby.

Inside the theater itself, a DJ played EDM remixes of iconic “Star Wars” themes while raffling out glowing lightsabers. Other fan events took place simultaneously in Orlando, Anaheim, New York and Hollywood.

As well as Ahsoka, the new show stars another fan favorite: Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian bounty hunter turned rebel leader played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo. Elizabeth Lau, a 43-year-old San Francisco resident, attended the event in brightly colored Mandalorian armor and a sharp purple haircut to match Wren’s signature look. Her 4-year-old daughter mimicked her with a Wren costume of her own.

“I’m so excited — it’s great to see these characters come back. The ‘Rebels’ finale was so many years ago,” Lau said, referencing the animated series that ran from 2014 to 2018.

Scroll down to see more costumes from the event, including a fully functional orange C1-10P droid featured in the show that is affectionately known as Chopper.