May The Fourth Be With You: ‘Star Wars’ Day More Exciting Thanks To ‘The Force Awakens’


May The Fourth Be With You is bigger and better than ever, as the fandom gathers all over the world to celebrate Star Wars day, and the excitement is tenfold this year, with the much awaited release of The Force Awakens.

Star Wars is one of the most iconic franchises in history, and the proof is not only in the billions of dollars in revenue the six movies and related spin-offs have garnered creator George Lucas and Lucasfilm, but in the massive number of fans who have followed anything related to the galaxy far, far away since 1977, when A New Hope was released.

It was not easy for Lucas to make his dream a reality and he could not have envisioned the incredible success Star Wars would his way. But here we are, almost 40-years to the date in which A New Hope landed in theaters and the fandom is stronger and more united than ever.

With the imminent release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens this coming December, May The Fourth Be With You is more exciting than ever, since it’s inception in 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto Underground Cinema. The phrase is a reference to the line used by “the good side of the force” from the original trilogies, “May the force be with you,” which Alec Guinness made so famous.

May the fourth be with you
(Image via Yabremebre)

However, the origin of the phrase May The Fourth Be With You has little to do with the movies and more to do with politics. When British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was elected on May 4, 1979, a half-page newspaper ad taken out by the Conservative Party read, “May the fourth be with you Maggie. Congratulations!”

Up until now, May has traditionally been the month in which all the previous six Star Wars movies were released. Since Disney is at the helm of The Force Awakens they chose December, after much debate and speculation, for their premiere date.

With the widespread use of social media May The Fourth Be With You gatherings have taken on a life of their own and fans get together to do binge watching of the films or celebrate by having costume parties. In some places, retailers have special offers for Star Wars fans, be it discounted items or free offers. It’s a huge deal.

In big cities you may have different options to celebrate Star Wars day, but one thing is certain, the date keeps growing in popularity as time goes on and who know what the future holds for the fandom. In addition, if you are more of a fan of the dark side, you only need to wait for the following day, May 5, which for Star Wars fans is known as Revenge of the Fifth, in reference to Episode III, Revenge of the Sith.

What will you do to celebrate Star Wars day, May The Fourth Be With You?

[Image via LucasFilm]

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