Buried under extensive coverage of Star Wars at the International Toy Fair, StarWars.com recently brought us news of a couple of new exclusive limited edition releases coming soon to Disney Parks.

In honor of The Empire Strikes Back which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary during Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2010 comes this extremely limited edition action figure of Stitch as the hologram of Emperor Palpatine. Limited to a run of only 1980 (get it?), each piece is accompanied by an individually numbered card and branded as being specific to the 2010 Star Wars Weekends event, thus it will be available exclusively at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Also making its debut during the 2010 Star Wars Weekends will be a Star Tours Boarding Party action figure set, limited to a production run of 15,000 pieces. Making the set extra special will be a series of firsts which include a Star Tours Officer in a uniform inspired by the actual Cast Member costume as well as some rare Star Wars friends who are being produced as action figures for the first time ever. Limited quantities of the five-figure set (consisting of Kaink, Teek, Ree-Yees and Chewbacca in addition to the Star Tours Officer) will also be available at the Disneyland resort.

The official artwork for the 2010 Star Wars Weekends was released today on StarWars.com. Featuring Boba Fett taking on Jedi Mickey, the artwork does give credence to the speculation that the weekends’ festivities will be focused on bounty hunters.

What is known for certain about the special event, which takes place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Fridays – Sundays from May 21 – June 13, is that it will pay respect to The Empire Strikes Back which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

On its official blog, Disney Parks has announced the dates for the 2010 Star Wars Weekends event to take place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The dates are as follows: May 21 – 23, May 28 – 30, June 4 – 6 and June 11 – 13

This weekend’s guests include Jeremy Bulloch, David Prowse and Matt Lanter in addition to hosts Jay Laga’aia and Ashley Eckstein.

Star Wars Weekends Map and Schedule June 5-7

Lucasfilm’s Head of Fan Relations and owner of the world’s largest private collection of Star Wars memorabilia, Steve Sansweet, will be appearing this weekend at Star Wars Weekends. Steve will be signing copies of his books, The Star Wars Vault and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, both of which will be available for purchase for the signing. He’ll also be bringing along some special give-aways.

He’ll be signing at Wicket’s Warehouse on Friday, June 5 from 12:30 – 2:30 PM, on Saturday from 1:30 – 3:30 PM and on Sunday from 12:30 – 2:30 PM.

Better late than never, eh? This weekend’s guests include Peter Mayhew and Matthew Wood in addition to hosts Jay Laga’aia and Ashley Eckstein.

Star Wars Weekends Map and Schedule May 29-31

In addition, StarWars.com has prepared a video blog highlighting the events of the first weekend. Good introduction to SWW in general.

The folks at StarWars.com have done some investigative journalism and have unearthed images and information about appearances Darth Vader made at Walt Disney World as far back as 1977, which came as a shock even to them.

Check out the article here.

Come meet author Ryder Windham as he signs copies of his book, Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide, on Saturday, June 6 at Wicket’s Warehouse (at Soundstage 1 near the Backlot Tour entrance). Windham has authored over fifty titles including junior novelized versions of Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies and will be signing his book from 11 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm to 6 pm.

Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide is the definitive companion to the entire Star Wars phenomenon. In this special updated edition, Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide uncovers the full story of the amazing Star Wars saga, with more than 1,000 images from the movies, cartoons, comics, and novels, along with merchandise, behind-the-scenes photography, and much more! This Special Edition features brand-new overviews of the latest comic books, new information on merchandise, as well as a special feature on fan celebrations.

The book must be purchased at the signing location with a limit of two (2) per customer. No personal items may be signed.

StarWars.com has produced a really great video full of tips for surviving Star Wars Weekends. While the big figs displayed at one point are actually from last year, the video is new and current and includes vital information such as the change this year with celebrity FASTPASSes being distributed outside the park. To some extent, the video also features the Prop Shop which is a backstage venue at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Check it out here.

Come meet Chris Reiff as he signs copies of his book, Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection, on Saturday, May 30 at Wicket’s Warehouse (at Soundstage 1 near the Backlot Tour entrance). Reiff is a frequent contributor to Star Wars Insider magazine, co-founder of the Parts of Star Wars and the designer of the Riddell miniature Star Wars helmets and will be signing his book from 11 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm to 6 pm.

Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection is an incredible collection of blueprint posters which shows Star Wars locations like you’ve never seen them before! Whether it’s a breakdown of the hyper drive system in the Millennium Falcon, or the complete floor plan of the Deathstar, these blueprints will impress and amaze any Star Wars fan.

The book must be purchased at the signing location with a limit of two (2) per customer. No personal items may be signed.