From IRL gatherings to online hashtag movements,
Star Wars Day is a time for fans to rejoice and reflect
on how much Star Wars has impacted our lives.
But why limit it to just one day? There's so much Star Wars for us to love.
In the modern era with movies coming out every year,
not to mention all the books, comics, games, and TV shows that Disney's just churning out,
it seems like one day isn't enough to contain the hype.
Maybe we should celebrate the whole month instead.
After all, there's a bunch of reasons that make May the most important month in Star Wars history.
Let's go through all of the milestones you might not have known about
and build the case to make May Star Wars Month.
May the Fourth be with you.
We celebrate May 4th as the official Star Wars Day basically because of a pun.
May the Force be with you.
But it's a pretty awesome pun.
The earliest recorded use of 'May the Fourth be With You' is actually from 1979
when Margaret Thatcher was elected as England's first female Prime Minister on May 4th,
her party took out an ad in the London Evening News. It read:
May the Fourth be with you, Maggie. Congratulations.
Though we're sure she loved the movies, I doubt the Iron Lady was the driving force behind Star Wars Day.
No. No. No.
Instead, it was us. The fans.
Star Wars came of age just as the internet made its way out of universities and into our homes.
By the time 'Return of the Jedi' hit theaters, Star Wars fans from all over the world
were forming communities on Usenet and bulletin boards.
That's where May the Fourth really began. It was an inside joke that became
a grassroots movement within the fandom.
In 2011, the first organized May 4th get-together took place at the Toronto Underground Cinema
And today, Star Wars Day is a worldwide event.
But you don't need a big party to celebrate Star Wars. There are plenty of other ways to mark the occasion.
You can go to a baseball game...
Star Wars Day here at Chase Field and we are embracing the theme!
Where some teams wear special uniforms in honor of Star Wars Day.
Hell, even if you're stuck on the International Space Station,
you can always celebrate by watching your favorite Star Wars Movie.
To everyone on Earth, from the International Space Station,
may the Fourth be with you!
It's also a great time to check out a Disney theme park.
Even before the company bought Star Wars, May marked the beginning of the legendary
Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World.
If celebrating on the 4th is too mainstream for you you can always wait until the Revenge of the Fifth.
If Star Wars Day began as a joke, Revenge of the Fifth is a straight-up meme.
Can't stand to see those traitorous Rebels celebrate the death of countless Imperials?
I knew you'd come back! I just knew it!
Then save your celebrating for Revenge of the Fifth.
The Fifth is a darker, edgier version of Star Wars Day
For those of us who embrace the safety and security of the Empire.
Let the hate flow through you!
Think of it as a fun, tounge-in-cheek way to acknowledge the stranger side
of the Star Wars universe, just a day later.
Maybe watch the Ewok movies...
A brother and sister search for their missing parents,
and fate leads to the magical Ewoks.
We... help... you...
Or the infamous 'Star Wars Holiday Special.'
Which... we don't talk about.
Dust off your Tag & Bink or Star Wars Infinities comics.
Play some 'Masters of Teras Kasi' on your old Playstation,
or do whatever you feel like. On either day, really.
It's not like we need an excuse to love Star Wars.
'Star Wars' debuts.
Did you know that before 'The Force Awakens' broke the streak,
all six Star Wars movies were released in May?
It started with 'A New Hope' on May 25th, 1977.
So why don't we just celebrate the actual anniversary of the first Star Wars movie?
Well, that was the idea at least.
In 2007, Los Angeles City Council declared May 25th as Star Wars Day
to honor the 30th anniversary of the film.
Nowadays, La La Land celebrates Star War the same day the rest of the world does.
Even beyond Star Wars, May 25th is a day that's recognized by nerds of all kinds.
For example, fans of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'
celebrate Towel Day on the 25th.
You wanna survive out here, you gotta know where your towel is.
They wear bathrobes and carry towels just like series protagonist Arthur Dent,
a man who always knows where his towel is.
There's also the Glorious 25th of May, where fans of the Discworld series wear lilacs
to raise awareness of Alzheimer's, which took the life of author Terry Pratchett.
There's so much stuff happening on the 25th that since 2006 it's been recognized as
Geek Pride Day, a sort of catch-all day to celebrate all things nerdy in pop culture.
I don't think Star Wars fans would have a problem sharing the spotlight on the 25th.
Especially since we should just have the whole damn month anyway.
George Lucas' birthday.
On top of the movie releases, May is also the month George Lucas was born.
May 14th, 1944 to be precise.
So, why don't we celebrate Star Wars Day on his birthday?
As the father of Star Wars, he had an enormous impact on all of our lives,
and deserves to be celebrated.
Even if we're still salty about the special editions.
Look, Mr. Lucas, I love you. But Han shot first.
And even though you're not involved anymore, Star Wars is going to be your legacy
long after we're gone.
On the other hand, Star Wars has always seemed bigger than just one person.
It's more than just a few movies.
Star Wars is every TV show, videogame and comic book set in that galaxy far, far away.
It's every expanded universe novel, canon or not canon.
It's the fan films...
Welcome! Wasn't that great?
Fan fiction and cosplay.
It's the community from all walks of life that gathers to share their love
for Star Wars.
Star Wars Day isn't only about the franchise and the genius who brought it to life.
It's just as much about us. The fans. After all, we came up with it.
And now we're coming up with something better. Star Wars Month.