Happy May 4th to All My Fellow Sci-Fi Geeks

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If you read the words “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… “ and the image of text scrolling through space doesn’t automatically come to your mind, this probably isn’t the article for you.

For the Sci-Fi fans in Beijing, today (May 4) is somewhat of a holiday, as it coincides with the state national vacation. Yet thanks to its similarity with the famous quote “May the Force be with you”, May fourth has become international Star Wars Day, a day when fans all around the world celebrate their favorite Sci-Fi franchise.

The first Star Wars movie, Episode IV – A New Hope, came out way back in 1977 and the latest one, The Rise of Skywalker came out just last year. There are now 10 episodes that span across 42 years (and counting) in the canon, but is it still possible for a die-hard parent fan to share their love for the way of the Jedi with their kids? Do young kids still find Star Wars cool?

We couldn’t think of anyone better to answer that question than Vincent Rondia, a member of the 501st – Vader’s Fist International Costumier Club, an intentional fan-based organization dedicated to the construction and wearing of screen-accurate replicas of Imperial Stormtrooper armor, Sith Lords, Clone Troopers, bounty hunters, and other villains from the Star Wars universe. Rondia’s love for Star Wars started at the age of 6 when he saw it in theaters for the first time in his home country of Belgium, according to him, it took all 20 seconds of the opening sequence for him to be totally hooked, and to date, he’s made multiple Storm Trooper armors, and (our personal favorite) a life-size Chewbacca costume that he made from scratch. Rondia’s works are so accurate that they’ve been exhibited in Beijing at East Hotel for all to enjoy and admire.

Rondia in one of his hand made costumes

What is it about Star Wars that you like so much?

It draws on a very basic concept of storytelling; good vs. bad. The simplicity of the story, as well as the tried-and-tested classic literature framework makes it easy to get into if you let it. A lot of Sci-Fi movies try to find their place in actual science, but not Star Wars, it does not care much for it, it’s just a fantasyland, a huge universe with many planets, species, and stories.

Nope, not a scene from a film… just some more amazing costuming

Does your daughter enjoy Star Wars? Is this something you’ve tried to share with her?

My daughter has been into Star Wars since she was 3 years old when she watched the first Family Guy: Star Wars Special. Don’t judge! At the time she did not speak enough English at the time to understand the swearing or innuendos [laughs.] She enjoyed watching me laugh and then when I showed her the actual movie she enjoyed it. Since then, she has watched every movie and animated series in the canon and knows probably more than I do. At the time I was looking for something for us to bond over and it just happened that Star Wars was it. She came with me to a couple of Celebrations (Star Wars mega convention) and while she is not necessarily as outgoing about it as when she little, she still enjoys coming to the movies or watching the films at home.

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Why do you think Star Wars is important, and why does it continue to have such an impact?

The original Star Wars films came out at a time when people needed something different, unique, and crazy to get them out of the funk they were into at the time. Because it met all the criteria and more it was embraced, and became part of popular culture, inventing a lot of what we know today as pop culture actually.

So many movies, TV shows, and books have references to the Star Wars Universe. It transcends, culture, gender, religion, and social status and it offers an escape for all. The story is as relevant today as it was then; it is easy to identify with certain characters or some story arcs. Visually, the design is so iconic that anything black and white is often referred to as ‘stormtrooper-esque’. Again it has to do with the simplicity: of the story, of the visual design, of the characters.

The original trilogy re-invented to use of orchestra for movie scores and invented practical effects and sound effects techniques that are still in use today. It launched merchandising in the way we know it, grandfathered cosplay, and redefined “Fandom”. And it also launched the most iconic character ever: Darth Vader.

The prequel was equally amazing in their technical contribution: it reinvented green screen techniques for EFX, and featured the first fully CGI character integrated into a movie, who was probably also one of the most hated characters in the history of movies: Jar Jar Binks.

Star Wars fans seem to be a pretty tight-knit community. What do you enjoy about being part of this family?

The 501’s consists of about 20,000 people around the world doing accurate replicas of the costumes used in the films. This is a really tight community with loads of passion. Being able to be out in public in costume, sharing the Star Wars Universe for a brief moment, and seeing both kids and adults get excited about taking a picture with their favorite character is awesome. Working alongside the Make-a-Wish Foundation to visit children at hospitals or meeting fans in need is also truly special.

I traveled to Japan for Comic-Con once, and had a medical issue. Fellow members of the 501st that I had just met the day before had no issue dropping everything and coming to help me. This is the spirit of what we do: knowing that there are plenty of people of different colors, races, genders, beliefs and so on who are actually just like us. This is a powerful feeling.

Of course, we are the very top of the ‘fans pyramid’, spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on our creations. But you only have to take a step into a Star Wars Celebration convention to meet 80,000 fans of all levels from casual to hardcore to realize that we all have something in common: a sincere love of Star Wars. This is hard to find anywhere else.

Photos: Courtesy of Vincent Rondia, Unsplash, giphy

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