What is “May the 4th be with you” meaning?
“May the fourth be with you” is a play on words calling back to “May the force be with you” from Star Wars.
Who said May the Force be with you first in Star Wars?
In the first film, Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, General Jan Dodonna (played by Alex McCrindle) tells the Rebel pilots “May the force be with you” as they’re about to attack the Death Star. The catchphrase is uttered several more times, including by Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in a conversation with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). In Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Anakin Skywalker “Goodbye, old friend. May the force be with you.” Other characters have used variations of the phrase as well throughout the franchise, including (but not limited to) Jedi often saying “May the force go with you” and Admiral Ackbar saying “May the force be with us.” Ahead of their own duel in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker, “The Force is with you, young Skywalker.” Of course, there are a lot more uses of “May the force be with you!” See a slew of them from throughout the Star Wars canon below.
Who says May the Fourth be with you?
The first known use of the phrase is actually credited to a Margaret Thatcher political ad from May 4, 1979, the day after she was elected prime minister of Great Britain. The phrase has been popular ever since. The next known use of the pun was in a 1988 episode of the British animated series Count Duckula, which you can see below: On May 4, 1994, Harry M. Cohen used the saying during a debate in British Parliament, reportedly snapping, “May the fourth is an appropriate date for a defense debate. My researcher, who is a bit of a wit, said that it should be called national star wars day. He was talking about the film Star Wars rather than President Reagan’s defense fantasy, and he added, ‘May the fourth be with you.’ That is a very bad joke; he deserves the sack for making it, but he is a good researcher.” Five years later, “May the fourth be with you” was written in the book The Science of Star Wars. In 2008, Facebook users declared May 4 to be “Luke Skywalker Day,” later changed to “Star Wars Day,” in honor of the famous phrase. Three years later in Toronto, the first organized Star Wars Day was celebrated in Toronto. Some Star Wars megafans also celebrated the “Revenge of the Fifth” and “Revenge of the Sixth,” depending on their preference for which pun sounds best and most like “Revenge of the Sith.”
What do you do on Star Wars Day?
May the 4th be with you is a great day to celebrate all things Star Wars. How you celebrate is obviously up to you, but many Star Wars fans commemorate the date by cosplaying as their favorite characters, watching the films and TV series from the franchise, and, of course, quoting them like crazy. Many fans host and attend watch parties, participate in Star Wars-themed activities and crafts and even make Star Wars-inspired snacks. (We recommend these cinnamon rolls and sticky buns that look a lot like General Leia’s signature ‘do.)
What day does May 4th fall on in 2022?
May 4, 2022, falls on a Wednesday.
What to Watch on May the 4th
To celebrate Star Wars Day, you can binge the franchise’s films: Here’s how to watch the Star Wars movies in order. You can also watch Star Wars TV shows, including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: Visionsand Star Wars Resistance. For some somewhat left-field viewing, you can also watch the Family GuyStar Wars episodes (Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy), Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, Lego Star Wars: The Droid Tales and Ewoks. All Star Wars TV shows and films are available for streaming on Disney+ with a subscription. With the exception of Disney+ originals, you can pay to rent or purchase the others from different streamers. Next, crack up at these Star Wars memes!
