Unless You're Frozen In Carbonite, You Know Why To Say 'May The 4th Be With You' Wednesday

ACROSS AMERICA — You’re going to be hearing this over and over Wednesday, Star Wars Day: “May the 4th be with you.”

If you’re not a fan of intergalactic battles in fantasies set in space, or have been frozen in carbonite for 45 years, the phrase from the first of George Lucas’ wildly popular “Star Wars” films may be lost on you.

We don’t want you to feel left out — unless you want to be, or are so annoyed by this whole thing (it happens) that you’re entertaining your own fantasies of bopping those who utter “May the 4th be with you” over the head with a lightsaber.

Either way, here are five things to know about Star Wars Day:

1. Who Said That?

“May the Force be with you” is one of the most memorable lines from the first “Star Wars” movie, which opened in theaters across the country on May 25 (not May 4), 1977. It is spoken several times as rebel forces prepare to blow up the Death Star space station defended by villain Darth Vader, and is often attributed to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

But the first character to use it was General Jan Dodonna as he sent Rebel troops on their mission to destroy the Death Star.

2. ‘May The Fourth Be With You, Maggie’

Who said that? Britain’s Conservative Party took out an advertisement in The London Evening News on May 4, 1979, that read, “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie” — a congratulatory message to Margaret Thatcher, the first woman in the United Kingdom to be elected prime minister.

In 1994, a member of Britain’s Labour Party, Harry M. Cohen, said “May the 4th be with you” as Parliament debated a defense bill.

3. Disney Institutionalized Star Wars Day

In the United States, science fiction writer Jeanne Cavelos, a former NASA astrophysicist, used the wordplay in her 1999 book, “The Science of Star Wars.”

The phrase was gradually popularized in the coming years, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios made Star Wars Day on May 4 an annual thing in 2013, right after it had purchased the franchise, along with Lucasfilm.

Also, California lawmakers voted in 2019 to officially declare May 4 Star Wars Day in recognition of Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge opening.

4. Star Wars Day Is More Than A Catchphrase

Disney, which paid just over $4 billion in 2012, would like the “Star Wars” fandom to get out their credit cards and buy a slew of Star Wars Day-themed merchandise — clothing and travel mugs, action figures and toys to the edge of the universe and back, you name it.

Disney has already earned back its investment for the franchise, something of a phenomenon in U.S. entertainment with its staying power. In 2019, then Disney CEO Bob Iger told The New York Times the studio “put a too much in the marketplace too fast” with its Jedi toys, but the studio still earned about $1.8 billion from five films produced under its umbrella, and stands to make billions more.

5. It’s Not Just About Disney And Money

You don’t have to dent your bank account to play along. Some towns have been holding Star Wars Day celebrations for years, just for the sheer joy of it.

In Danville, California, for example, town leaders are planning a scavenger hunt, and downtown businesses plan to dress as Star Wars characters and grab bags stuffed with galactic treasures. “Jedi training” is offered for the kids, including crafts and prizes for the most out-of-this-world costumes.