I’ve made the argument before that May should be Star Wars month. There are numerous days in May that have some kind of Star Wars relevance. Therefore most of the posts this month, if not all of them, will be Star Wars themed. There is one day this month that is a bit of an exception. May 25th is Geek Pride Day because its the anniversary of the first Star Wars movie and Towel Day.
Despite the negativity from the “so-called” fans about the sequel trilogy, I’m excited for Star Wars month. This year is particularly special because it is the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back (most common fan favorite). Today, as it turns out, is the first of the Star Wars themed days in May, the 501st day.
What Is The 501st?
The 501st Legion is a stormtrooper squad, often seen in The Clone Wars, but canonically known as “Vader’s Fist”. Outside the Star Wars Universe, the 501st is a real life organization. Fans all over the globe are apart of this group of people with a passion for Star Wars. Their mission is to help facilitate the love for the franchise through elaborate and, often times, extremely accurate and life-like costumes. In fact the stormtrooper costumes were so accurate several members of the 501st were brought in to be extras in the final two episodes of season one of The Mandalorian. The actors in the show were also impressed with the quality of craftsmanship.
I wish I had the fabrication talent these folks have for making Star Wars costumes.
In addition to all the other celebratory days, the 21st marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back. As is my usual plan, I will be doing the first ever 11 movie re-watch during the month of May. I may also try to finish watching Rebels and Star Wars Resistance. If I finish all of that in a timely manner, I will be re-watching the first season of The Mandalorian.
It has been a challenging and tumultuous start to this year, so I’m looking forward to making this May fun and exciting. I’m going to try hard to show my Star Wars pride!
How will you spend your Star Wars month?
/MTFBWY
The Force. It calls to you. Just let it in.