About a year and a half ago, when it was decided that Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 would be held in 2023, Walt Disney Japan contacted us and the Premium Model project began. We had previously worked with Disney on a MARVEL collaboration in 2021, and we had been in constant discussion about various things.

I've always been a big Star Wars fan, so when I heard about the project, I was just so happy (laughs). The project members naturally all had strong feelings for Star Wars. Everyone had their own favorite characters and feelings for the series, and I think that passion is reflected in the details of the project.

During the planning stage, we gathered Star Wars fans in the company and held repeated interviews to refine our ideas. We called our meetings Star Wars fan meetings (laughs). Rather than just exchanging opinions, we were always having lively discussions about what we liked about each story, and it was a lot of fun.

I was mainly in charge of the ATH-AWSW DV headphones, and I was surprised to find that the character Darth Vader still has enduring popularity today.

Darth Vader is by far the most popular character within Audio-Technica.

He has an unwavering popularity, and has been a character that has appeared throughout the nearly 50-year history of the series, from the film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, which was released in Japan in 1978, to the prequel trilogy and animated films, so he is perhaps an iconic figure in the series.

First, regarding the earphones. We decided to create a premium model based on Audio-Technica's wireless earphones, the ATH-CKS50TW2. As a guideline for the design, at the in-house fan meeting we decided not to simply feature characters, but to create a product that would tickle the hearts of fans the moment they picked it up, one that would give them a sense of value in owning it.

We wanted to create a sophisticated design that would appeal to fans, and as a result, we decided to include the Audio-Technica company name in Aurebesh, the script used in the Star Wars universe, on the earphones themselves. A conversion table for Aurebesh into English is available online, so please refer to it. The letters themselves are very stylish.

In addition, as an homage to the insignias of the Imperial Army and the Rebel Alliance that appear in Star Wars, the A for Aurebesh has been made into a mark and printed on the body.

The ATH-CKS50TW2 features a magnetic switch that allows the left and right earphones to be attached to each other inside the case, and the power can be turned on by removing them one by one. When you separate the left and right earphones to turn them on, the edge of the case also features text representing each character, such as "The power of the dark side" for the Darth Vader model and "Mandalorian Bounty Hunter" for the Mandalorian model. Nowadays, earphones are becoming more and more integrated into everyday life, so we aimed for a subtle design.

This is also reflected in the case that holds the earphones themselves.

The Mandalorian model has "This is the Way," and the Darth Vader model has "It is your destiny," and I included lines from each character. However, to avoid being too assertive, I printed them in mirror writing on the back of the skeleton case. As for the coloring, it was extremely difficult to get Grogu's green color right, so I tested it many times before it was finally completed.

Even though we say "green," there are about 100 different shades (laughs). We tested the white of the R2-D2 model, as well as the colors and paintwork of each model, over and over again.

Not only is the design special, but even the sounds, such as the startup sound, are special. All of the confirmation sounds associated with functions, such as powering on and off, connecting and disconnecting Bluetooth, are equipped with the same sound data used in the film, officially approved by Lucasfilm. Personally, I was really happy to be able to include the shutter opening and closing sounds of Grogu's hovering plum, and Darth Vader's breathing sounds.

R2-D2's voice is a robot, so it was a perfect match for the mechanical sound effects. It's really cute. However, the ATH-CKS50TW2 can be used for about 25 hours on a full charge, so you won't hear the low battery warning sound unless you use it for a whole day.

We had meetings with Walt Disney Japan about everything, including the design and sound, and we exchanged emails many times as we created the film. We made some suggestions about the dialogue and sound, but Disney and Lucasfilm also gave us suggestions. I think they respected the unwavering Star Wars worldview, but they also accepted our requests. I'm proud that the end result was a wonderful product, and I'm very grateful.

The staff at Lucasfilm also seemed to like it, and the whole team is really pleased.

Japan is a special place that inspired the Star Wars series, including the lightsabers wielded by the Jedi and their spirituality. Fans from all over the world will be visiting Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, so we wanted to do something special and deliver something that would allow them to experience the "real Japan." We proposed a product that combines headphones with the traditional craft of Echizen lacquerware.

Along with the fear of Darth Vader, the film also conveys sadness and sorrow.

It turns out the maki-e craftsman is also a big Star Wars fan, so we had a lively conversation. First, we had him draw on a board and try it out many times. If he drew it realistically, the charm of the maki-e would be lost, and if it was too distorted, the Star Wars feel wouldn't be conveyed. We worked on it while exploring balance in every direction. The wood is lacquered and finished one by one using the maki-e technique. The finish changes depending on the weather, temperature, and humidity, so although there are only 10 units for sale, no two are the same. This making-of video will also be shown at Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025.