Even though many fans of a galaxy far, far away have been celebrating the holiday for the better part of a decade, the state of California has officially declared May 4th asStar WarsDay. It’s set to be an absolutely massive year for the long-running, iconic and wildly popular sci-fi franchise, as introduced to the world by George Lucas in 1977. We’ve got a new movie on the way, the first live-action TV series ever in the history of the franchise and a new theme park expansion heading to Disneyland and Disney World. This just adds to the already big year.
According to a new report, the California Legislature officially voted to declare May 4th asStar WarsDay. The motion passed in honor ofStar Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the theme park expansion that is set to open at Disneyland later this month. The resolution was put forth by Democratic Assemblyman Tom Daly. According to him,Galaxy’s Edgewill be the largest expansion in Disneyland’s long history. It also could be a big moneymaker, as it’s expected to bring in as much as $14 million in tax revenue for the city of Anaheim each year.
Disneyhas a lot coming down the pipeline for fans in 2019.Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which finally revealed its first trailer last month, is set to arrive in theaters in December. Director J.J. Abrams' latest will not only conclude the sequel trilogy that launched in 2015 withThe Force Awakens, it’s also being billed as the final chapter of the Skywalker saga. They also haveThe Mandalorianheading to the Disney+ streaming service in November, which is the first time the franchise has been brought to live-action on the small screen. There’s also a new season ofThe Clone Warsand the new video game,Jedi Fallen Orderon the way.
Star Wars Daywas initially recognized in an unofficial capacity in 2011. The day comes from the very famous line, “May the Force be with you.” Fans commonly sayMay the 4thbe with you on the day. Disney, ever since purchasing Lucasfilm in 2012 for more than $4 billion, has widely embraced the unofficial holiday. They’ve cleverly used it as a way to market new products, such as toys, books and apparel. Since Lucasfilm has embraced the day, many view it as official in many ways. Though, it’s another thing entirely to have a state government mark the day down as an official holiday.
Lucasfilm has already announced several deals on video games for this year’sStar WarsDay, as well as several toy and apparel deals for fans to take advantage of. It also just so happens that this year’s event lines up with Free Comic Book Day, so it may be a good time for comic book fans to head to a local shop and pick up someStar Warscomics as well. This news was previously reported byThe Hollywood Reporter.
