Happy Star Wars Day, May The Fourth Be With You

Happy Star Wars Day, everybody!

If you didn’t already know, May 4 is the day that the famous sci-fi classic is honored by fans across the globe.

The choice of May 4 comes from one of the most famous lines in the Star Wars series (indeed, it appears in all six films at some point): “May the force be with you.” From there, it’s a small leap to “May the fourth be with you.”

Okay, so it’s a well-worn pun by now (Star Wars Day has been marked on the calendars of fans for years), but it’s still nice that my fellow geeks can have a day dedicated to their passion.

FACT TIME: While carousing Respected Blogger’s Tool™ Wikipedia for this article, I learned that Star Wars fans weren’t the first to recognize this pun. When British Prime Minister Meryl Streep Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first female Prime Minister on May 4, 1979, an advertisement in The London Evening News (placed by Thatcher’s party) read, “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.”

Anyway, if you’re off to a Star Wars Day celebration today, have a fine time. And if you’re watching all six films in correct running order while in Chewbacca cosplay, well, good luck with that as well.