May the Fourth Be with You!
Millions of fans all over the world, or perhaps, the galaxy, prepare to celebrate what they consider to be Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you is a clever wordplay or translation from the movie’s famous line May the Force be with you that uncannily coincides with May 4. Or maybe it was just some geek with the bad case of lisp. Either way, Star Wars fandom celebrations range from simply sharing Star Wars trivia with friends online to watching special screenings and attending parties in full costume.
Legitimacy of this holiday cannot be questioned as Lucasfilm has long supported fans in their celebrations, putting up a microsite on ways to celebrate May the fourth. Even the official YouTube page posted a video on the occasion, jokingly saying that this celebration is against the Jedi and the Force.
More than a fandom
For many fans, Star Wars is not just a film, but also a lifestyle. Or even a religion. Some identify themselves as Jedi in their census registry and apply the Jedi philosophy in their lives.
Light saber classes are also offered in some places, where masters and Padawans alike come to class in their uniforms.
Star Wars and language
In an interview with George Lucas in 2005, a German translator misinterpreted “May the Force be with you” as “On May fourth we are with you” as Lucas said the famous line on television.
As the film continues to spread its influence for decades over, the largest Native American tribe in the US began a project to translate and dub the Star Wars films, starting with Episode IV: A New Hope, in Navajo. The project, according to Navajo National Museum director Manuelito Wheeler, would be the best way to preserve the language and culture.
It took 36 hours and 5 Navajo natives to translate the original script. And since many English words did not have direct translations to the language, unique words in Navajo were used to effectively communicate their proper meaning.
The film has been translated into tens of different languages, including Chinese, Spanish, French and more. Star Wars also has its own unique languages, spoken by the different creatures featured in the movie. However, these languages aren’t as systematic and comprehensive as Star Trek’s Klingon or Lord of the Rings’ Elvish.
Another famous belief is that some of these languages, like the Ewok’s Ewokese, are an amalgamation of words coming from several dialects spoken worldwide. Some fans claim to hear short phrases in their own language spoken, like an Ewok speaking in Filipino, for example.
May is the Month of the Geek
Fans will not only be celebrating on the fourth of May, but on the 25th as well. This date was chosen to commemorate Star Wars’ release in 1977. The day is not only for celebration of Star Wars fandom, but to promote the geek culture in general. It started in 2006 by Spanish blogger German Martinez via the Internet.
Fans are anxiously anticipating the 7th installment of the Star Wars hexalogy, which is set to be released in 2015 by Walt Disney Pictures.