Star Wars Day: What Is It And The History Of May The 4th Be With You

Happy Star Wars Day to everyone in a galaxy far, far away. Today, you'll see and hear people say "May the 4th be with you." And sure, it may feel a little weird, but May 4 is the day where people around the world celebrate the Star Wars franchise. But where does this tradition come from and what does it mean?

The first movie in the multimedia franchise, Star Wars: A New Hope, hit theaters on May 25, 1977. The movie was a smashing success making over $775 million globally. Keep in mind, this is 1977 and getting close to that $1 billion mark during that time was huge. It was already a cultural phenomenon, just after one movie. And 44 years later, it's still going strong.

Obviously, the phrase "May the 4th be with you" is based on "May the Force be with you," something said numerous times in the Star Wars films. However, the phrase "May the fourth be with you" has some pretty interesting origins. It wasn't someone from the world of Star Wars that coined the phrase. Back on May 4, 1979, to celebrate Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's victory, her political party took out an ad in the London Evening News which said, "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations." While we couldn't find an archived copy of that edition, Star Wars backs it up.

The phrase found its way into pop culture through various TV shows, books, and once again, the British government, but Star Wars Day didn't officially arrive until 2011. Sean Ward and Alice Quinn put together a celebration of all things Star Wars in Toronto, Canada. One year later, Star Wars Day happened again in Toronto with the same founders at the Toronto Underground Cinema, but this time, it caught the eye of the media, boosting its signal. Also, you get some real wonderful and cheesy CG of a local news reporter holding a lightsaber.

The event featured screenings of fan films, trivia, a costume contest, and more. It also had its first celebrity guest: Chad Vader, a supermarket employee who wears a Darth Vader uniform that was a YouTube sensation in 2011. The origins to this being a celebrated fan holiday really start with Ward and Quinn's work in Toronto.

In 2013, Disney officially recognized Star Wars Day for May 4--just months after Disney purchased Lucasfilm. Since then, the day has been about celebration of the franchise, release of new collectibles, and in 2021, Disney+ launched the first episode of its new original series, Star Wars: The Bad Batch--a spinoff of the wildly-popular The Clone Wars animated show.

If you need more Star Wars in your life right now, there are a lot of cool deals you can check out, and one of the best is a massive discount on the entire Skywalker Saga. Hasbro also announced a multipack of Star Wars toys, based on the first wave of Kenner figures from the late-70s. Finally, a new trailer for the Disney+ limited series Obi-Wan came out, and you can check out the breakdown below.