501st Legion

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the fan organization. For the fictional Legion, see 501st Legion (Star Wars).

A 501st Legion Patch

The Legion entertains the public during a science fair at the Adelaide public museum.

The 501st Legion is an international fan-based organization dedicated to the construction and wearing of screen-accurate replicas of Imperial Stormtrooper armor, Imperial officer uniforms, and other villains and nefarious characters from the Star Wars universe. Members of the 501st Legion often make appearances at casual, promotional, and charitable events, often at the request of Lucasfilm's Fan Relations department. Formed by Albin Johnson and Tom Crews in 1997, the group boasts over 3,900 members in 40 countries as of March 24, 2008, with a 15% female membership.

Formed initially for the pristine white Death Star armored troops, the group now includes all trooper variations, as well as Sith Lords, bounty hunters and other villains from the series. Custom creations are not permitted, and all eligible costumes must be approved to be recorded in the 501st member database.

The armor worn by the 501st is all fan-constructed and distributed, and is usually made out of ABS, vinyl or fiberglass. As the costumes worn by the 501st are often not licensed Lucasfilm products, George Lucas can (and has) sought legal action on those who sell armor. However, LFL has sanctioned the wearing and presentation of the costumes providing that the participants are not reimbursed financially for their appearances, and that they represent the franchise in a positive and respectful manner. In 2005, George Lucas accepted an honorary membership from the organization.

Some of the fundamental conditions of being part of the 501st Legion are that members must be 18 years of age or older and their costumes are of professional quality. At formal events, members should appear to have walked off of the screen when portraying characters. At informal events (such as local sci-fi conventions), members show off their creativity with interesting variations of their costumes such as "Elvis Trooper."

The Legion does not charge for its services or appearances, although hosts are encouraged to make donations to a charity of their choice in the Legion's name.

As a tribute to the dedicated group of fans, the blue clone troopers in Revenge of the Sith that Anakin Skywalker leads into the Jedi Temple during the Great Jedi Purge were designated as the 501st by Lucasfilm. Although not mentioned in the film itself, much of the support material and merchandising for the film make this reference, including Star Wars: Battlefront II and the DK Publishing Star Wars Visual Dictionary books. There are also references to the 501st in other Expanded Universe materials.

Over 200 501st Legion members and representatives of the Rebel Legion marched in the 2007 Tournament of Roses Parade, where George Lucas was the Grand Marshal.

The 501st can currently be seen at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA.

Since the Legion's moniker is Vader's Fist, the group's honorary leader is David Prowse, the actor who physically portrayed Darth Vader in the original trilogy.