Who would have thought Margaret Thatcher’s election would be the genesis of a worldwide, annual celebration of all things Star Wars? Yet that’s exactly how May The Fourth began.
In 1979, Thatcher was congratulated on becoming Britain’s first female Prime Minister by the London Evening News with a half-page ad that stated, “May The Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations.”
Star Wars had been released two years earlier, and its cultural impact was enough that the pun on “May The Force Be With You,” one of the movie’s catchphrases, was universal enough to make sense in a British print ad.
The phrase continued to be in use and picked up steam after the Internet started to let people socialize more in a short, pithy manner.
It wasn’t until 2011, though, that fans began to co-opt the day as a celebration. Toronto Underground Cinema in Canada celebrated the day with a costume contest, film festival and more. Other venues picked up on the idea, and it continued to gather momentum.
In fact, the holiday got so popular that starting in 2012, the next day was jokingly called “Revenge of the Fifth,” a joke on the Star Wars movie title Revenge of the Sith. It might also have something to do with that day being Cinco de Mayo, but to this day fans still like to let their “evil sides” come out the day after Star Wars Day.
In October of 2012, Disney purchased Lucasfilm, producers of the Star Wars saga. Though fans were initially afraid that Star Wars Day would go away, Disney instead used the opportunity to push Star Wars in all its stores and theme parks.
Starting on May 4, 2013, Disney Parks have had official fan celebrations — emphasis on fan, to keep with the spirit of the day — and starting in 2014, Disney stores also joined in, offering exclusive collectibles and deals on Star Wars merchandise. And Lucasfilm/Disney itself got more in the spirit of the day, usually launching new series or trailers in or around May the Fourth. This year, we’ve got the animated series Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, as well as the ongoing Andor, Revenge of the Sith back in theaters, and a highlight spot on the Disney+ homepage.
Whether the date will continue to be increasingly corporate, or go back to the fan-driven holiday it was pre-Disney, only time will tell. But for this weekend at least: May The Fourth Be With You!
Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared on MTV News back in 2014. Since the site doesn’t exist anymore, and I wrote it well over 10 years ago… Here it is again.
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