Star Wars and the X-Wing of Joy

I’ve been in love with the Star Wars: Force for Change campaign since day one. In addition to holding a special place in my heart for Star Wars, I like it when large groups can rally to do good. So bringing together Star Wars fans to raise money for UNICEF’s Innovation Labs is a pretty fantastic venture in my book. On Monday, a new video came out from Lucasfilm and Omaze announcing a special bonus for the last week of the Force for Change campaign – those who donated this week would also be entered to win a private hometown screening of Episode VII before it hits theaters.

That is pretty cool, but something in the video quickly became arguably even more exciting.

J.J. Abrams was standing in front of an X-wing.

I, for one, got a bit overwhelmed with joy at the sight of it and, of course, immediately took to Twitter to share my feels:

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I was not alone.

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There was some questioning as to whether it was actually a Z-95, but the official Star Wars Twitter account was quick to clarify.

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Then actor/writer Simon Pegg pointed out its similarities to the McQuarrie design.

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While Eleven-ThirtyEight provided a model:

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The Star Wars account confirmed the likeness as well.

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Star Wars Stylebook gave us usage reminders.

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I realized part of what I was getting so happy about was what that ship’s appearance meant for the aesthetic of Episode VII.

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Not everyone was thrilled with the design. That’s to be expected. There were plenty of feelings going around – all from this X-wing, sitting on the ground, not even flying.

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Some of us wanted to fly it though.

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Some, like Lucasfilm publicist Chris Argyropoulos and I, wanted to hug it.

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And one of us got a little jealous…

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But I think Lillian summarized it best:

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Learn more about Force for Change and donate at: http://www.omaze.com/experiences/starwars-episode-vii

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Kay grew up wanting to be an astronaut. After seeing Star Wars, she wanted to be Princess Leia, Han Solo, and an astronaut. Life’s taken her on a bit of a different path for now, but she’s still a Star Wars fangirl at heart who enjoys surprising people with how geeky she really is. A photographer and voice actor who also consults on communications and marketing, Kay spends any free time reading, learning, getting outside and, of course, making pew pew noises. You can follow her on Twitter.