Most of us are used to by now the upcoming date of May 4 being referred to as ‘Star Wars Day,’ since ‘May the 4th’ sounds like ‘May the Force’ from the Star Wars franchise. However, did you know that a few days before that, there’s another ‘holiday’ with ties to the Star Wars Universe?

May 1, or 5-01, is referred to as 501st Day, in honor of the 501st Legion, by some, but what does that mean? What’s a 501st, and what does it do anyway?

The 501st Legion is an international costuming organization dedicated to celebrating Star Wars through the creation and use of quality costumes that portray the villainous, morally ambiguous or non-partisan characters from the Star Wars Universe. The Legion promotes interest in Star Wars and facilitates the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributes to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.

501st.com

The Quad Cities have 501st Legion members in the area, and local events have been supported by the organization. The Iowa side of the QCA falls under the Central Garrison, and Illinois is part of the Midwest Garrison. Both can also be contacted through Facebook:

• Central Garrison
• Midwest Garrison

Examples of appearances include charity walks and events, along with visits to hospitals and physical rehabilitation centers. Additionally, a bulk of the group’s work is for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Because of the increasing appeal of Star Wars and costuming in general, membership in the 501st Legion has increased over the years to span the globe, and due to volume of charity work involved under its banner, the 501st has been given the support of Lucasfilm to openly use costumes and characters from Star Wars, given that the characterizations respect the overall nature of the Star Wars Universe. But it wasn’t always that way.

Originally begun by a handful of fans who thought it would be fun for costumed Stormtroopers to escort a captured Princess Leia around conventions, the fans soon discovered they weren’t the only ones who enjoyed dressing up as Star Wars characters. As the group grew, the need for a name became obvious, but even that had humble beginnings.

“The real story behind the name ‘501st’ is rather unremarkable. I wanted something that sounded military, had a big number and ended in a ‘one’ to give it a little authenticity,” Albin Johnson, founder of the 501st Legion, said. “My solution was to do what (George) Lucas always did: tap into historical source material. Not only did it have the advantage of sounding more ominous, but it enjoyed the ambiguity that the passage of time lent it intuitively. I liked the idea of the old Roman Legion… When I re-watched ROTJ (‘Return of the Jedi’) and noticed that (Emperor) Palpatine mentioned two of his ‘finest Legions’ were on Endor, I knew we had something that had roots in the Star Wars Universe.”

For more on the group’s history, click here.

At the root of membership is a love of villains in Star Wars. Accepted costumes have been put through a judging process to ensure they are screen-accurate, and that they are of villains. With a motto of ‘Bad Guys Doing Good’ through charity work, characters represented must be the ‘bad guys.’ But what if you want to be a hero character or something else? Here are some of the ‘sister’ organizations of the 501st:

• The Rebel Legion: The ‘good guys’
• Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club: Mandalorians
• The Dark Empire: Custom ‘bad guys’
• Saber Guild: Costumedlightsaber performance group

As perhaps the greatest honor, the fan-group 501st Legion was made canon within the Star Wars Universe:

The group goes under the nickname ‘Vader’s Fist’ and was the inspiration for George Lucas to reference the organization in official Star Wars canon. The group actively does charity and volunteer work for a number of organizations, and currently consists of over 10,000 members worldwide.

Wookieepedia

If you’d like more information about joining the 501st Legion, click here.

Happy 501st Day! How will you be celebrating it and May the 4th??