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Full disclosure: I very well may be Force-sensitive. My buddy and I trilled Star Wars back in college while drinking every time someone used a lightsaber or the Force (hint: it didn’t go well). Upon finishing our back-to-back-to-back marathon with Return of the Jedi, we noticed that the clock had passed midnight and it was now May 4th AKA Star Wars Day. This was completely unintentional which is why I’m half convinced that I’m the new Chosen One sent to bring balance to the Force. Get out of my way, Rey.
In all seriousness, Star Wars Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the wonderfulness that is Star Wars. The date was chosen for the obvious pun on the iconic “May the Force be with you” line (May the Fourth be with you). Lucasfilm didn’t actually have anything to do with the holiday, as fans created it and it spread through media and grassroots celebrations.
In 2011, the first organized celebration of Star Wars Day took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto Underground Cinema. Produced by Sean Ward and Alice Quinn, festivities included an Original Trilogy Trivia Game Show; a costume contest with celebrity judges; and the web’s best tribute films, mash-ups, parodies, and remixes on the big screen. The second annual edition took place on Friday, May 4, 2012.
After acquiring Lucasfilm in 2012, Disney has begun to officially observe the holiday with special Star Wars events at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
“May The Fourth” isn’t the only day that Star Wars’ fans have taken as their own. In addition to May 4th, they also unofficially taken May 5th and 6th as well. Dubbing those days “Revenge of the Fifth” and, you guessed it, “Revenge of the Sixth,” those days are dedicated to those fans that have embraced the dark side. Big Darth Vader people those fans, they love that guy.
With that said, please enjoy the hilarious Star Wars memes we’ve put together and May the Fourth be with you all today.
