Star Wars Day

History

The first recorded reference of the phrase being used was on Thursday May 3, 1979, the day of the 1979 UK General Election in which Margaret Thatcher was elected as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. To express their support before the votes were counted, her political party, the Conservatives, purchased a half-page advertisement on page 13 of the London Evening News reading "Dear Maggie, May the Fourth Be with You. Your Party Workers."

In the 1988 episode of Count Duckula, "The Vampire Strikes Back", a space-faring superhero, Tremendous Terrance, asks Duckula the date and is told, "May the Fourth". As Terrance departs, he tells all below, "May the Fourth be with you."

The phrase was used in a UK Parliament defence debate on May 4, 1994.

Astrophysicist and author Jeanne Cavelos used the saying on page 94 of her 1999 book The Science of Star Wars.

In 2008, the first Facebook groups appeared, celebrating Luke Skywalker Day, with the same catchphrase.

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.

Fans (including government officials, such as Boris Johnson) have celebrated Star Wars in a variety of ways in social media and on television.

Major League Baseball, association football, and college sports teams have paid tribute to Star Wars in different ways. Minor League Baseball teams such as the Toledo Mud Hens and the Durham Bulls have worn special uniforms as part of Star Wars Day promotions.

On Star Wars Day 2015, astronauts in the International Space Station watched Star Wars. Also in 2015, the carillon bells inside the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada played "The Imperial March" theme from Star Wars, among other space-related tunes.

In June 2021, it was announced that Carrie Fisher would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022. She received the star on Star Wars Day, May 4, 2023.

Disney

Since 2013, The Walt Disney Company has officially observed the holiday with several Star Wars events and festivities at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Disney had purchased Lucasfilm, including the rights to Star Wars, in late 2012.

The finale of The Clone Wars was made available on Disney+ on May 4, 2020. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as well as the documentary series Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, were also made available on Disney+ the same day. On Star Wars Day 2021, the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch also premiered on Disney+, along with the short film Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens from Its Nap". The second trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi was released on May 4, 2022, as well as Disney Gallery: The Book of Boba Fett. The second volume of Star Wars: Visions, the short film Maggie Simpson in "Rogue Not Quite One" and Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures were all released May 4, 2023, on Disney+. The second installment of Star Wars: Tales, titled Tales of the Empire, premiered on May 4, 2024. Its follow-up, Tales from the Underworld, aired exactly a year later.

Additional dates

Revenge of the Fifth/Sixth

Revenge of the Fifth Some recognize the day after, May 5, as "Revenge of the Fifth", a play on Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and celebrate the Sith Lords and other villainous characters from the Star Wars series rather than the Jedi. Others celebrate this one day later, on May 6, citing "Revenge of the Sixth" as a better pun on "Sith". The 6th of May is commonly known as "Return of the 6th" as a play on Return of the Jedi and the trilogy aspect of the Star Wars films.

May 25

In honor of the 30th anniversary release date of Star Wars on May 25, 1977, the Los Angeles City Council declared May 25, 2007, as Star Wars Day. A separate initiative for observing Geek Pride Day on May 25 is based on the Star Wars connection along with ties to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Towel Day) and Discworld. Solo: A Star Wars Story was also released on May 25, 2018, 41 years after the original Star Wars.

References

References

1. Painter, Alicia Gray. (May 4, 2009). "May the Fourth Be With You". NBCUniversalMedia, LLC.
2. (May 4, 2010). "Star Wars day: May the 4th be with you". My Fox Chattanooga.
3. "Star Wars Day: May the 4th". Starwars.com.
4. "Evening News (London) - Thursday 03 May 1979".
5. Miller, W.R.. (May 4, 2024). "The May the 4th Hoax".
6. (December 6, 1988). "The Vampire Strikes Back".
7. (August 26, 1988). "Vampire that hates the sight of blood!". Derby Daily Telegraph.
8. (May 4, 1994). "Hansard, Column 786". UK Parliament Hansard, Column 784.
9. Jeanne Cavelos. (2000). "The science of Star Wars". Macmillan.
10. Dylan Bates. (April 30, 2008). "Luke Skywalker Day: May the Fourth". [[Facebook]].
11. Evan Annett. (May 4, 2015). "Star Wars Day: What's going on today in a galaxy not so far, far away". [[The Globe and Mail]].
12. (May 5, 2012). "May the Fourth Be With You". Global News.
13. O'Rourke, Patrick. (May 4, 2013). "Today is May the 4th and this means it's international Star Wars day! {{!}} canada.com".
14. (May 5, 2012). "Boris Johnson's acceptance speech in full". ITV News.
15. (May 4, 2022). "May the Fourth Be With You: Sports teams and stars celebrate Star Wars Day".
16. Share. (May 4, 2022). "Star Wars Day: BYU Football Celebrates With Stormtrooper Helmet". Kslsports.com.
17. (April 28, 2013). "Toledo Mud Hens will wear Chewbacca uniforms for 'Star Wars' weekend". Daily News.
18. Andrew Kenney. (March 25, 2014). "Durham Bulls to dress as R2-D2 from 'Star Wars' on May 4". [[The News & Observer]].
19. Jeffrey Kluger. (May 5, 2015). "A Week on the Space Station: Tacos, 'Star Wars' and Mice".
20. "Star Wars music played on Parliament Hill carillon bells".
21. Prudom, Laura. (May 4, 2023). "A Force to Be Remembered: Mark Hamill Praises Carrie Fisher's 'Star Wars' Legacy Ahead of Walk of Fame Honor".
22. Diaz, Eric. (June 17, 2021). "Carrie Fisher to Receive Hollywood Walk of Fame Star".
23. "May the 4th Be with You!". Disney Parks Blog.
24. (March 28, 2014). "May the Fourth Be With You! Two New Star Wars-Themed Character Dining Experiences May 4 – June 15 at Disney's Hollywood Studios". Disney Parks Blog.
25. (March 8, 2013). "How Disney Bought Lucasfilm—and Its Plans for ''Star Wars''". [[Bloomberg Businessweek]].
26. (April 15, 2020). "Star Wars: The Clone Wars Finale Coming To Disney+ Early On Star Wars Day!".
27. Watercutter, Angela. (April 27, 2020). "''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' Is Coming to Disney+ May 4".
28. (April 15, 2020). "Go Behind the Scenes in the New Disney+ Series ''Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian''".
29. (February 24, 2021). "Disney+ Sets Premiere Dates For 'Star Wars: The Bad Batch' And Marvel Studios' 'Loki'".
30. Earl, William. (May 3, 2021). "'The Simpsons' Meets 'Star Wars' in First Look at Disney Plus Short 'The Force Awakens From Its Nap'".
31. Team, StarWars com. "Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Release Date, Studios Revealed".
32. Peralta, Diego. (May 2, 2023). "'Rogue Not Quite One' Poster Puts Maggie Simpson in a Star Wars Adventure".
33. Leite, Marcelo. (2023-03-18). "Disney Bumps Up Star Wars Animated Series Release Date".
34. Complex, Valerie. (April 4, 2024). "'Star Wars: Tales Of The Empire' Trailer: Disney+ Unveils Dave Filoni's Animated Follow-Up To 'Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi'".
35. Alex Zalben. (May 4, 2017). "A Brief History of 'Star Wars' Celebration May The Fourth". [[MTV.
36. Levine, Daniel S.. (May 6, 2017). "Revenge of the Sixth 2017: See the Best Funny Sith Memes".
37. (April 28, 2017). "Brainiac wants to get nerdy with you for 'Star Wars' and free comic books". Orange County Register.
38. "'A New Hope.' Jon Ossoff backers embrace 'Star Wars' attack ad". Political Insider blog.
39. Jan Perry. (May 1, 2007). "Resolution: Star Wars". Los Angeles City Council.
40. Lauren Orsini. (May 23, 2013). "Geek Pride Day Is May 25: Here's How To Celebrate". Say Media, Inc..
41. "Geek Pride Day". ThinkGeek, Inc..
42. Riesman, Abraham. (February 5, 2018). "Breaking Down the Fast, Furious ''Solo: A Star Wars Story'' Trailer". [[Vulture.com]].
43. Deb, Sopan. (May 3, 2024). "How Rebel 'Star Wars' Fans Saved the Original Movies". [[The New York Times]].