May The 4th Be With You!

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock since the 70’s, Today is Star Wars Day. Star Wars Day, May 4th, celebrates George Lucas’s Star Wars media franchise. Observance of the commemorative day spread quickly through media and grassroots celebrations.

The date was chosen for the pun on the catchphrase “May the Force be with you” as “May the Fourth be with you”. Even though the holiday was not created or declared by Lucasfilm, many Star Wars fans across the world have chosen to celebrate the holiday. It has since been embraced by Lucasfilm and parent company Disney as an annual celebration of Star Wars.

The phrase, “May the Fourth Be with You’, funny enough, has been used throughout history since the Star Wars Films have released. The Sci-Fi reference was first used on May 4, 1979, the day Margaret Thatcher took office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. An online news article from the Danish public broadcaster says her political party, the Conservatives, placed a congratulatory advertisement in The London Evening News, saying “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.”

Disney had purchased Lucasfilm, including the rights to Star Wars, in late 2012. Since 2013, The Walt Disney Company has officially observed the holiday with several Star Wars events and festivities at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. That is, when the parks are open and there isn’t a pandemic going on.The finale of The Clone Wars is scheduled to be available on May 4, 2020. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is scheduled to be available on Disney+ the same day.


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