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Say “May the 4th Be With You” out loud and you’ll hear the pun that Star Wars fans worldwide have turned into a rallying cry to proclaim their love of the saga. It’s the worldwide day to say “May the Force be with you” to all, and celebrate the beloved Star Wars story that binds our galaxy together.
One of the earliest known records of “May the 4th” used in popular culture is in 1979, as described here by author Alan Arnold while he was chronicling the making of The Empire Strikes Back for Lucasfilm:
Friday, May 4
“Margaret Thatcher has won the election and become Britain’s first woman prime minister. To celebrate their victory her party took a half page of advertising space in the London Evening News. This message, referring to the day of victory, was ‘May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations,’ further proof of the extent to which Star Wars has influenced us all.”
Once the Internet allowed Star Wars fans around the world to connect with one another, May the 4th soon became a grassroots tradition each year, with fans online and offline proclaiming it “Star Wars Day.”
While the idea of May the 4th did not start with Lucasfilm, the film company that created Star Wars has fully embraced the spirit of fandom that makes the day so special. The official blog at StarWars.com as well as the official Star Wars social media channels on Twitter (@starwars, hashtag #MayThe4thBeWithYou) and Facebook help spread the word and showcase fan activity. More and more official partners have offered sales, giveaways and exclusives, and have hosted parties and other activities to mark the day.
May the 4th kicks off a season of celebration, particularly since the month of May has always been important to Star Wars fans. The six live-action movies of the Star Wars saga debuted in May (starting with the original Star Wars on May 25, 1977) and this year, May 25 marks the 30th anniversary of Return of the Jedi. The month of May includes George Lucas’ birthday (May 14, 1944), and has been the traditional start date of the popular Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World Resort (this year, the fun begins on May 14).
With the exciting launch of a new trilogy of movies beginning with Star Wars: Episode VII coming in the near future, this day to celebrate the saga and its amazing fans is certain to become even bigger each year.
Source: starwars.com
In an attempt to end months of fan speculation, discussion and concern, Lucasfilm has released a statement about the position of the “Expanded Universe” of the Star Wars franchise in relation to the new movie trilogy.
For those unfamiliar with the term, the Expanded Universe is the official designation for all Star Wars material that has not been produced directly by Lucasfilm, whether it be comic books, novels, video games or any other project. While the official Lucasfilm projects have kept to a relatively short timeframe so far (essentially the lifespan of Anakin Skywalker), material from the Expanded Universe has spanned thousands of years, creating a vast history for the Jedi Knights that reaches beyond the movies in both directions. With much of that content taking place post-Return of the Jedi, fans had wondered whether or not it would be used as canon for the new movie trilogy. Now they have an answer — and, following recent comments from writer and producer Simon Kinberg, it’s an unsurprising “no.”
“While Lucasfilm always strived to keep the stories created for the EU consistent with our film and television content as well as internally consistent, [Franchise creator George Lucas] always made it clear that he was not beholden to the EU,” the statement on the official Star Wars website explains, clarifying that the official canon for the franchise consists of the six movies to date, as well as the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. “These stories are the immovable objects of Star Wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align,” the statement states. The upcoming new animated series Star Wars Rebels is also identified as canon.
It continues, “In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe,” adding that elements introduced in the Expanded Universe material remain available for use in the future. Star Wars Rebels will feature concepts that first appeared in role-playing games related to the series in the 1980s, it points out.
Some existing Expanded Universe material will be kept in print, Lucasfilm said, under a freshly established Star Wars Legends banner.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is quoted in the statement as saying that the company has “an unprecedented slate of new Star Wars entertainment on the horizon,” referencing not just the new movie series, but also “games, books, comics and new formats that are just emerging.” The continuity among these formats will be overseen by a newly formed story group to coordinate the projects’ development.
A future prose project from Del Rey Books is mentioned as a result of this coordination, taking place prior to Rebels but offering “insight into a key character’s backstory.” Written by John Jackson Miller, the novel will feature input from Rebels producers Dave Filoni, Greg Weisman and Simon Kinberg.
The statement was accompanied by a new video from Lucasfilm about the Expanded Universe’s history, including commentary from Filoni, Miller and EU author Timothy Zahn. Watch the video below:
Source: Hollywood Reporter