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Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen made his first convention appearance since the announcement that he has joined the cast of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto this past weekend.  In a weekend full of great moments, Mikkelsen created perhaps the biggest news when he signed his character name, which had not previously been announced, on a handful of Star Wars related photos. 

I was one of those lucky few, and you will find the autograph and character name at the end of this piece.  I'll give you plenty of warning if you'd prefer to avoid that particular bit of information, but please read on, as this is our first look at the seasoned actor's entrance into the Star Wars universe. 

I made the 550 mile trip to Toronto from Boston primarily because of Mikkelsen's appearance.  In addition to getting his autograph I was particularly looking forward to his Q&A, which happened Saturday afternoon.

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The panel, which lasted just under an hour, primarily focused on this role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter on the now cancelled NBC television series Hannibal.

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Mikkelsen also discussed his role as Bond villain "Le Chiffre" in Casino Royale.

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At times Mikkelsen used language some found shocking.

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But the most shocking piece of information was his admitting to never have watched any of the Star Wars films.

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Mikkelsen came to the defense of the franchise when the female moderator told him to only watch the original three films.

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He promised to watch all six films and cautioned her that she would make some people (like myself) upset with that comment.

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Mikkelsen announced he will begin filming his scenes in Rogue One next week.

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After the panel, I made my way down to the celebrity autograph area to meet Mikkelsen and get his autograph.

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Much has been reported regarding the announcement of Mikkelsen adding his character name to the Star Wars items he signed throughout the weekend.  Here's how it started.

Now is the time to stop reading if you do not wish to learn Mads Mikkelsen's character name in Rogue One.

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I met J.J. Good (pictured above, right, with artist Alex Maleev) in line for John Cassaday Saturday afternoon before Mikkelsen's panel.  Several of us were talking about Star Wars autographs and he showed me a photo of his Star Wars poster, which had a host of great names, and the most recent addition was Mads Mikkelsen, who had written his character name below his signature.  Good showed me the tweet he sent to Rebel Force Radio, which was soon shared by Jedi News and many organizations including /Film and Screen Rant picked up the story from there. 

I shared the following photo on my social media pages and intentionally did not disclose the character name (although I did state he inscribed it) until I knew the story was out there.  The reason was pretty simple in my mind.  Mikkelsen did not know I have a Star Wars autograph collecting news website.  I was not there as a member of the press, although not for lack of trying, as Fan Expo Canada did not approve my request for a media pass. I had a Premium badge, which was their mid-tier VIP package, so I did not feel it would be ethical to break the story any more than it had aready been.  As far as he knew he was just signing for any other fan or autograph collector.  With all the restrictions on actors signing autographs from the films which have not been made I was just thrilled that my piece was signed.    

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Mads Mikkelsen signing my photo.  "You are one of the few who knows this."

And now, my autograph…

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So there you have it.  "Galen."  Is he portraying Galen Marek from The Force Unleashed video game, or is it just a homage to a name, which is far from unprecedented in Star Wars lore? All shall be revealed in time.