Revenge Of The 5th: The Day For Sith Lord Wannabes


It’s hard to conceive that there would be a day to honor your inner Sith Lord, but Star Wars fans have made it happen.

Star Wars Day, May the Fourth, was honored yesterday, and was first apocryphally honored in 1979, according to Wikipedia. Apparently, an online news article from a Danish public newscaster reported that Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative party placed an advertisement in online news article from the Danish public broadcaster saying her political party, the Conservatives, placed a congratulatory advertisement in a paper misnamed The London Evening News, saying “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.”

Officially, though, the first events organized for Star Wars Day were created by Toronto comedian Sean Ward, who organized events on May 4, 2011 to honor Star Wars Day. Inverse reports that because of Star Wars Day, Revenge of the Fifth was born, thanks to Victor Medina and Eric Shirey, who went on to create the website www.revengeofthe5th.net. Rather than truly honoring Sith Lords and all things born of the Dark Side in Star Wars, though, Revenge of the 5th is meant to celebrate the kitschy side of Star Wars, including the Star Wars Holiday Special, which got royally panned when it bowed on November 17, 1978.

A range of events are planned in various locations throughout North America to honor Revenge of the 5th. For instance, in Norfolk, VA, FestEvents was to host their lightsaber battle, but that was postponed as a result of inclement weather. Yoga with Yoda, however, is still a go, according to WTKR.

Earn the Necklace says that while everything super-silly about Star Wars might be honored on Revenge of the 5th, it is truly a day for those who see themselves as a Sith Lord to embrace the Dark Side.

There have been some on social media who have saluted General Hux — the latest in the long line of Star Wars villains — on Revenge of the 5th, and to be sure, he is definitely strong with the Dark Side, though it remains to be seen whether or not he is strong with the Force. Some have also decided to pay homage to Cinco de Mayo in addition to recognizing that it is also Revenge of the 5th.

Whether you are a fan of May the Fourth or Revenge of the 5th, though, May is definitely a month for all things Star Wars. The movies that started the legacy — Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi — were all released in late May. Revenge of the Sith, the third movie in the original prequel series, was released May 19, 2005. Fans may decide, though, that they do not really need Revenge of the 5th to pay proper homage to Star Wars, though; Star Wars has long been something that, for fans, transcends the celebrations that a day or even a week can hold.

Revenge of the 5th allows Star Wars fans to embrace their inner silliness even while celebrating Star Wars, and that’s the best part about it. Victor Medina told Inverse that he will be embracing May the Fourth and Revenge of the 5th in a decidedly traditional sense.

“I have a nostalgia for these old formats of watching the original versions,” he said. “The old fashioned way.”

While Bustle says that December might be the better month to get your Star Wars fandom on, given many of the new movies will be released in that month, there is no question that Revenge of the 5th might be the perfect way for fans to extend their Star Wars love for one more day in May.

[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

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