May the 4th is known as Star Wars day. To many people, this day may just be another day on the calendar. But to a large fanbase of Star Wars fans, coming from all parts of the world, this day means a lot more. It’s a day of celebration for the wonderful creation of Star Wars and the many movies, shows, and accessories that have been created over the years. It’s also a day of unity, where fans who are strangers, gather like family, all in one place, whether that’s Disneyland or one of the many conventions throughout the year.

Star Wars has existed for a long time now, dating back to May 25, 1977, when the first movie was released. To this day, fans share their appreciation for the wonderful and long-lasting franchise. “It’s a day to celebrate the Star Wars franchise that has made its way to impact pop culture throughout the decades,” Abril Zuniga, a high school junior, said.

May the 4th brought a lot of introspect, and realness, to one fan. “Star Wars is more than movies; it is a philosophy on the gray area of the battle between good and evil. In my life, it has helped me figure out what I deem to be good and what I deem to be evil. Star Wars also represents my childhood and the relationship I have with my siblings and cousins since it is the first movie I can remember seeing in the theatre,” David Nolasco, an AP Government and AP World history teacher at MACES, said.

Not only does it bring a large group of fans together, but it even brings family together. “I have traveled to Florida for events like Rundisney’s Star Wars half marathon just so I can get exclusive Star Wars stuff. I have attended Star Wars conventions. I read most of the books that come out and, of course, I go to Disneyland too often. I made sure that my son was also raised on Star Wars so that these traditions continue.” Nolasco said.

This day also can coincidentally be someone’s birthday. “I also do celebrate May the 4th every year, because aside from it being Star Wars day, it is also my daughter’s birthday. Her name is Leia by the way…” Agustin Sarmiento, a Computer Science teacher, said.

Some fans go all out by going to conventions, dressing up, and going on a money splurge to get their hand on anything that has to do with Star Wars, whether it be mugs, lightsabers, figurines, etc. “I own too many T-shirts, enough to wear for a couple of months, I have too many mugs, cooking utensils, Pop figurines, lightsabers, and art all over my house. The masks I use outside are also Star Wars,” Nolasco said.

Every year, fans look forward to going to the many Star Wars Celebration conventions that have been going since 1999. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the last convention was on April 15, 2019. According to https://www.gamespot.com, “It isn’t surprising that the event has been cancelled, given all other major conventions this year have also met the same fate, including San Diego Comic-Con. However, fans will be disappointed that Celebration is to skip 2021 entirely. The next Star Wars Celebration will take place in Anaheim on August 18-21, 2022.”

Nevertheless, the ones that have attended the conventions in the past had a blast. “I’ve regretfully only been to one Star Wars Convention, which was the Star Wars Celebration back in 2015. I would like to attend that celebration again though when it takes place in Europe in the future. Visiting Galaxy’s Edge was a must for me when it first opened, and I was fortunate enough to board the Rise of the Resistance ride three times before the park shutdown in 2020,” Sarmiento said.

Over the years, so many exciting things have happened in the Star Wars series. New and iconic figures and replicas and such are always being released, and it only makes sense that fans created a collection of all their Star Wars collectables over the years. “My biggest collection of “Star Wars Stuff ” would have to be the many Funko pop from the Star Wars line. But I also own a life-sized Darth Vader Cutout, a plush Ewok from 1983, oh and an autographed picture of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher posing with my family when we met them at the Star Wars Celebration back in 2015 in Anaheim,” Sarmiento said.

With more Star Wars movies releasing in recent time, some fans have ideas of what kinds of movies they would want to see be made. These movie ideas that fans have come from the time period of the past that have to do with learning about the build up to one of the movies/shows. “I absolutely love Jedis and am so intrigued by their ancient history. If I had one wish related to the movies or shows, I would want them to create a movie or show where the origin of the Jedi Order is the focus,” Sarmiento said.

Some other ideas that fans have are Darth Maul’s and Palpatine’s pasts, a movie about the ancient Jedi and Sith, a live-action Clone Wars movie, prequels about some of the Clone Wars characters, not very well-known characters who are from the sequels, and the Sith Order. All very interesting ideas that a handful of fans have, and would like to see become a reality.

Some fans even have ideas of potential plot twists that would be interesting to see. “A plot twist I would put would be if Anakin never switched to the Dark Side, and a bigger one would be if Anakin let Mace Windu kill Palpatine,” Diego Flores, a Junior, said

In the Star Wars universe, there are many likeable and favorable characters. One that stands out the most is Darth Vader. “My favorite character in Star Wars is Darth Vader. He’s always fascinated me all the way from the point where he was Anakin as a little boy to when he was a 40-year old man trapped in a robotic suit. I always found the way he fell to the dark side super relatable and I felt that if I were in that same situation, I’d maybe do something similar,” Silvestre said.

Recently, the Mandalorian series has become a must-watch for Star Wars fans. But, what are some of the thoughts that Star Wars fans have about it? “I personally liked the Mandalorian, especially the ending where Luke takes the Child, just very nostalgic,” Flores said.

Not only do nostalgic moments bring interest to the fans, but also the creation of new characters and bringing back some new characters from previous series, like the Clone Wars. “It’s a really great series, it brought some of the characters from the Clone Wars series that I really enjoyed. As well as the introduction to some new characters like Grogu, and some more insight on the Mandalorians, which we hadn’t really seen much of previously canonically,” Zuniga said.

For many years, Star Wars has stood as an iconic franchise, one that many people of all ages have enjoyed and appreciated for a long time. It’s so amazing how it’s even recognized in the month of May.