A long time ago, in a galaxy far away…
Back in 1977, the world changed. Star Wars arrived in theaters on the 25th of May that year. The movie quickly became more than just film. Its popularity made it a worldwide phenomenon. Fans flocked back to see it again and again, making it the highest-earning blockbuster ever. For years, it has remained one of the top-grossing films of all time. (Adjusted for inflation, it is still the 2nd highest-grossing film in North America and 4th in the world.) Fans embraced the story and the mythos of Star Wars. ‘May the Force be with you’ entered the lexicon. It became synonymous with the film and its fans.
May the Fourth’s History
Amazingly, it took 2 years before the connection between the catchphrase and the date May 4th. On May 4, 1979, the United Kingdom got a new Prime Minister, Margaret ‘Maggie’ Thatcher. Her political party, the Conservatives, placed an ad in The London Evening News saying “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.”
The first time I remember hearing it used on television was in 1988. Again, with a British connection. Count Duckula, a British cartoon about a vegetarian vampire duck, aired on Nickelodeon in the US. It was a spin-off of the much more well-known Danger Mouse produced by Cosgrove Hall. (Which also aired on Nickelodeon.) In a 1988 episode, “The Vampire Strikes Back,” a space-faring superhero, Tremendous Terrance, asked Duckula what was the date. It turned out it was May the Fourth. As Terrance departs, he tells all below May the Fourth Be With You.
The first time the date appeared directly in connection to the franchise was in 1999. The same year that Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace released in theaters. Astrophysicist and author Jeanne Cavelos used the saying in her 1999 book The Science of Star Wars.
From Day to ‘Holiday’
As the internet and social media became more prevalent, fans around the world began to share and celebrate May the Fourth as an unofficial Star Wars Holiday. (In 2008, a Facebook group celebrated the day as Luke Skywalker Day.) The first organized celebration of Star Wars Day took place in Toronto, Canada, at the Toronto Underground Cinema. The event included an original trilogy trivia game and a costume contest with celebrity judges among other things.
Disney purchased Lucasfilm (and with it Star Wars) in late 2012. Since then, they have made Star Wars Day on May 4 an official holiday in the Disneyverse. Star Wars events took place at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. On the Disney+ streaming service, May 4, 2020, served as launch day for several Star Wars projects, including the finale of The Clone Wars, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as well as an eight-episode documentary series titled Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian. The new animated series, Star Wars: The Bad Batch will also premiere on Disney+ on May the 4th, 2021.
For me, May the Fourth has a personal connection that I shared with my father since the mid-80s. May 4th was my father’s birthday, and I began greeting him on his birthday with “May the Fourth be with you” sometime around my freshman year in high school. He would always chuckle every year over the next 30 years when I said it until his passing in 2018.
We, at Geek Anything, hope you have the chance to celebrate today in a way that brings you as much happiness as the Star Wars franchise does. And, of course, May the 4th be with you!
