The cry “May the Force be with you” with which Jedi Knights say goodbye in the Star Wars universe is probably one of the most iconic one-liners in film history. A play on words related to this quote is the basis for Star Wars Day, the unofficial holiday for the franchise. In English the shout is “May the Force be with you,” while the fourth of May is called “May the Fourth.” If you now recite the Jedi farewell with a slight lisp, the pun becomes clear.
How did Star Wars Day come about?
According to the US news magazine, the word game was created „Newsweek“ in Great Britain. After Margaret Thatcher’s election as Prime Minister on May 4, 1979, the Tories allegedly placed a newspaper advertisement with the words “May the Fourth be with you, Maggie. Congratulations”. This is how the pun was born, which more and more Star Wars fans picked up over time.
While the origins of Star Wars Day date back over 40 years, for a long time it was only celebrated by the biggest fans. After Disney took over the Star Wars production company Lucasfilm in 2012, Star Wars Day experienced an immense upswing: it was suddenly used for intensive advertising campaigns and celebrated on social media. Thanks to memes about characters like Master Yoda and expressions of love for the Star Wars saga, the hashtag #Maythe4th repeatedly makes it into the top trends on the X platform (formerly Twitter). Although it is still a long way from becoming a public holiday in California, at least: The US state has recognized Star Wars Day since 2019.
Anyone who wants to delve deeper into the Star Wars universe on May 4th can do so at various Star Wars Day events. In Frankfurt am Main, the German Film Institute & Film Museum offers a permanent exhibition, live music and the quiz format “Star What”. Anyone who wants to learn more about the ominous power that gives Jedi Knights their extraordinary abilities can attend a lecture on this topic at the Hamburg Planetarium. And even a personal conversation with Jedi Knights is possible on May 4th: The “Power Of The Force Convention” will take place in Cologne, where actors from various Star Wars films will be present.
„May the 4th“ als Werbegag
There is also a lot of advertising around Star Wars Day. Disney itself organizes numerous events, including at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. And: There is probably no other day of the year where so many fan items are sold. The Danish company LEGO, for example, offers discounts on Star Wars sets. T-shirts, mugs and other merchandise with images of the most popular characters are also discounted at retailers like Amazon on May Fourth. On Star Wars Day you can fulfill your dream of owning your own laser sword more cheaply than ever before.
The enduring popularity of Star Wars Day shows how many fans the franchise still has, almost 50 years after the release of the first film. In 1977, the film “Star Wars” (original English title: Star Wars) was released in cinemas for the first time and captivated viewers with characters like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo as well as special effects that were considered a small sci-fi revolution at the time of release. The two sequels “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Return of the Jedi” (1983) were able to build on the success of the Oscar-winning first film and consolidated its cult status.
Around the turn of the millennium, the film universe was expanded to include three more Star Wars classics: The prequel trilogy answered fans’ burning questions about the events before the first Star Wars film. How the heroic Anakin Skywalker became the terrifying Darth Vader has finally been resolved.
And the films in the sequel trilogy, released between 2015 and 2019, represented a symbolic passing on of the lightsaber in two ways. While Luke Skywalker, portrayed by Mark Hamill, passes on the legacy of the Jedi Knights to the young Rey in the film, the new trilogy offered fans of the original film series the opportunity to take a well-deserved Star Wars retirement. Or: continue celebrating the films and Star Wars Day with your children or grandchildren. May the force be with them!